The D.R. Mark: How to Recognise Your Family's Old Gold

Almost every family in Hapur has a box of old gold somewhere: a grandmother's bangles, a mother's wedding necklace, a pair of earrings bought decades ago. Many of those boxes hold something more than gold. They hold the D.R. mark.

01Where the name came from

The story of Santosh Kumar Sarraf & Son begins with a small jewellery business in Hapur around 1850. Shri Laxmichand Sarraf carried it forward and was succeeded by Shri Durgadas Sarraf. His son, Shri Devisahay Sarraf, grew the business through the years of British rule, and when he was offered land and privileges in exchange for his support, he chose his country instead.

His son, Shri Rajaram Sarraf, built on that foundation until the store was a household name across western Uttar Pradesh. Father and son together gave the business its best-known initials: D.R., for Devisahay Rajaram.

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Over time, D.R. came to mean one thing to the families who bought from them: gold you never had to doubt.

02Why the mark still matters

Even today, customers walk into our City Plaza showroom on Railway Road carrying ornaments their parents or grandparents bought 55 or 60 years ago. Very often, one look at the old D.R. mark is all it takes to know the gold will be pure.

That matters because most old jewellery carries no official hallmark. A piece bought before hallmarking has no HUID code to look up. Its purity rests on the reputation of the jeweller who made it.

03How to look for it

Take each piece out in good daylight and look closely, with a magnifying glass if you have one. Old makers' marks were usually small and stamped by hand, so check the places a jeweller could mark without spoiling the design.

1. 1.
   Bangles and ringsThe inside of the band, where the metal sits against the skin.
2. 2.
   PendantsThe back plate, behind the main motif.
3. 3.
   NecklacesThe hook, clasp, or the small plate beside it.
4. 4.
   EarringsThe post or the back of the stud.

04What to do with family gold

1. 1.
   Keep wearing itOld gold has a depth of colour that new pieces take years to develop, and many families reserve heirloom ornaments for weddings and festivals.
2. 2.
   Refresh itCleaning and careful repair can bring a tired piece back to life without losing what makes it yours.
3. 3.
   Turn it into something newMany families bring old gold to us when planning a wedding, so a grandmother's ornaments can become part of a new bridal set.

Whatever you decide, the first step is the same: an honest test of the gold's purity, done in front of you.

05Bring it to Hapur

If you have pieces with the D.R. mark, or simply old gold you would like to understand better, visit us at City Plaza, Railway Road, Hapur. We will tell you what you have. For a family that has spent more than 175 years earning that trust, it is the least we can do.