Unless alloyed with a very small quantity of some other metal, both Gold and silver are too soft to withstand wear and tear while being adorned. It is very easy to carry out adulteration of an alloy into the precious metal without change in its color or touch and is difficult to detect without technical tests. Therefore hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in Gold and silver. Hallmarks are thus official marks used in many countries as a guarantee of the purity of fineness of gold jewelry (BIS).