News
Key advancements in XRF focus on using high-resolution synchrotron-based techniques for trace element analysis
The diamond market is seeing mixed activity across the globe, driven by holiday shopping in the US and traditional shutdowns in India.
Recent advances in XRF in diamonds focus on using high-resolution, synchrotron-based techniques for trace element analysis, chemical state analysis of impurities, and identifying synthetic diamonds. Developments include using XRF with other techniques like X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) for more complete analysis and using nanoprobes for spatial resolution down to 50 nm. Researchers are also creating methods to analyze trace elements in synthetic diamonds with high precision, sometimes achieving concentrations far greater than in natural diamonds.
Key advancements
- High-resolution spatial mapping:Â
Synchrotron XRF, especially with nanoprobe techniques, provides nanoscale mapping of elemental distributions within a diamond, revealing the relationship between elements and growth sectors.
Using techniques like XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure) spectroscopy alongside XRF, researchers can determine the chemical state and site of impurities within the diamond lattice (e.g., the location of nickel atoms).
- Analysis of synthetic diamonds:Â
XRF is crucial for characterizing synthetic diamonds, including:
- Trace element analysis:Â Detecting and quantifying trace impurities (like Co and Mn) incorporated from metallic solvents used during synthesis.Â
- Synthetic vs. natural identification:Â Identifying synthetic diamonds based on their trace element composition, which differs from natural diamonds.Â
- Detecting intentional doping: Synthesizing and analyzing diamonds with specific doped atoms, like Europium (Eu), to achieve high concentrations (e.g., 51 ± 5 ppm) for specific properties.Â
- Integration with other techniques:Â
XRF is increasingly combined with other techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD) and XAS to provide more comprehensive elemental and structural information about the sample.
- Gemological applications:Â
In the gemological industry, XRF is used to distinguish natural from synthetic diamonds and to detect treatments like fracture filling by showing the elemental composition of the filling agents.Â
India’s appetite for borrowing against gold is reshaping the country’s credit landscape. Outstanding gold-backed loans have surged 128% from a year earlier, crossing Rs.4 lakh crore ($48 billion) for the first time, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India. As of Jan. 31, loans secured by gold jewellery stood at Rs.4,00,517 crore, marking one of the fastest expansions in retail credit in recent years.
The boom in gold loans has helped propel overall non-food bank credit growth to 14.4% year-on-year. Personal loans now account for 34.5% of total bank lending, outpacing other segments and underscoring a broader shift toward consumer-driven credit expansion
Gold loans alone contributed roughly 9% of incremental bank credit during the period. Between January 2024 and January 2026, outstanding gold-backed credit rose by nearly Rs.3.1 lakh crore—an increase of about 338% over two years—more than quadrupling the size of the portfolio.
Two factors are driving the surge. First, gold prices have climbed roughly 152% over the past two years, increasing the collateral value of household holdings. Second, regulatory guidance requiring banks to classify loans secured by gold explicitly as gold loans has sharpened reporting and accelerated balance-sheet growth in the segment.
The trend highlights a distinctive feature of India’s financial system: households’ vast stock of physical gold, long viewed primarily as a store of wealth, is increasingly being mobilized as collateral for formal credit.
While personal lending and credit to nonbank financial companies within the services sector continue to expand rapidly, industrial credit remains uneven. Loans to micro, small and medium enterprises are growing steadily, but borrowing by large corporations has stayed relatively muted.
Since March 21, 2025, banks have added Rs.21.8 lakh crore to their non-food loan books, translating into 12% growth for the financial year to date. Yet it is gold—rather than factories or infrastructure—that is emerging as one of the most dynamic engines of India’s current credit cycle.
#ViRosh Ki Shaadi: Rashmika Mandanna & Vijay Deverakonda Celebrate Love with Temple Gold & Timeless Tradition
Outstanding gold-backed loans surge by 128% from a year earlier
Indriya, Aditya Birla Jewellery, crosses 50 Stores Nationwide
IIBS-11: Navigating the ‘New Gold Rush’ in a fragmenting global economy
Oroarezzo 2026, with Italian Exhibition Group, Manufacturing Explores New Markets
#ViRosh Ki Shaadi: Rashmika Mandanna & Vijay Deverakonda Celebrate Love with Temple Gold & Timeless Tradition
-
National News4 days agoIIBS-11: Navigating the ‘New Gold Rush’ in a fragmenting global economy
-
International News4 days agoOroarezzo 2026, with Italian Exhibition Group, Manufacturing Explores New Markets
-
GlamBuzz2 hours ago#ViRosh Ki Shaadi: Rashmika Mandanna & Vijay Deverakonda Celebrate Love with Temple Gold & Timeless Tradition
-
International News4 days agoGemfields nets $53m in Bangkok ruby auction
JewelBuzz is Asia’s First Digital Jewellery Media & India’s No.1 B2B Jewellery Magazine, published by AM Media House. Since 2016, we’ve been the trusted source for jewellery news, market trends, trade insights, exhibitions, podcasts, and brand stories, connecting jewellers, retailers, and industry professionals worldwide.