National News
Lucira secures $5.5 Million in Seed Funding led by Blume Ventures
Ex-Candere founder Rupesh Jain’s second innings attracts heavyweight backing from Blume Ventures, Spring Marketing Capital, SiriusOne Capital Fund, and marquee D2C founders
Lucira opens its first retail store in Mumbai this month; sets sights on aggressive omnichannel expansion
Lucira Jewelry, a design-first fine jewelry brand redefining sustainable luxury in India, today announced the completion of its $5.5 million fundraise, the largest ever seed round raised by a jewelry startup in the country to date. The round was led by Blume Ventures with participation from Spring Marketing Capital, SiriusOne Capital Fund and several individual investors, including the founders of Dot & Key, Livspace, Snitch, and Bewakoof.
Founded by jewelry veterans Rupesh and Vandana Jain, Lucira is on a mission to disrupt India’s fine jewelry market by blending world-class design, sustainability, and trust. The fundraise marks a high-conviction bet on Rupesh Jain’s “second innings” after building Candere into one of India’s earliest digital jewelry success stories, later acquired by Kalyan Jewellers.

Rupesh Jain, Co-Founder, Lucira expressed, “This fundraise is a strong validation of the white space we see in India’s fine jewelry market. Indian consumers are moving beyond buying jewelry only for investment, they are seeking design, authenticity, and a brand they can emotionally connect with. With this backing, we aim to make Lucira the most trusted design-first fine jewelry brand from India.”
In a short span since launch, Lucira has created a portfolio of more than 1,000 customizable lab grown diamond designs, each certified by IGI / GIA / SGL / BIS and backed with lifetime exchange and buyback guarantees.
The brand is launching its first retail store in Mumbai this month, signalling the beginning of its retail journey. With fresh capital, Lucira plans to open four new flagship stores by the end of FY2026, further strengthening its digital-first buying experience, and investing in technology-led personalization.
“Rupesh has already proven his ability to build and scale in this category with Candere’s successful exit,” said Karthik Reddy, Managing Partner at Blume Ventures. “What excites us most is Lucira’s omnichannel vision that is seamlessly blending cutting-edge digital experiences with physical retail. The speed of execution, combined with Rupesh’s deep understanding of Indian jewelry consumers, makes Lucira a strong contender to build the next category-defining brand.”

Building for the Long Term
The fresh capital will power Lucira’s next phase of growth. Plans include opening new flagship retail stores in FY2026, enhancing its digital-first customer journey, and strengthening its technology backbone. The company is also investing in scaling its design studio and hiring top talent to build a culture of craftsmanship and innovation.
“Our vision is to cement Lucira as India’s most design-first fine jewelry brand, and that requires building strategically on three fronts, design leadership, omnichannel presence, and consumer trust. This fundraise is a vote of confidence from partners who understand we’re not just selling jewelry, we’re shifting mindsets.” added Rupesh Jain. “We’re investing heavily in our design studio, scaling physical retail alongside digital, and ensuring every piece comes with trusted certification and guarantees. This structured approach is how we see Lucira becoming the go-to fine jewelry brand for a new generation of Indian consumers.” Cumulative Ventures acted as the sole advisor to the transaction. Novolex served as legal advisor to Lucira Jewelry.
National News
IAGES Accredited Partner Directory Brings Verified Gold Businesses Together on One Trusted Platform
Hosting More than 700 Accredited Outlets Across 200+ cities, the IAGES Directory Serves as a Bridge Between Consumers Seeking Trustworthy Gold Transactions and Accredited businesses
The Accredited Partner Directory launched by the Indian Association for Gold Excellence and Standards (IAGES) in November, 2025 has gained significant momentum among consumers and gold businesses since its inception. This one-stop digital platform now hosts a growing network of over 700 IAGES partner outlets across 200 cities, allowing consumers to find verified, trusted jewellers nearest to them before they step out to buy or exchange gold.
An IAGES verified business follows a stringent code of conduct that mandates accountability, responsibility and ethical conduct across its entire value chain. IAGES’ Accredited Partner Directory offers consumers trust, confidence and peace of mind, allowing them to explore and choose these verified, third-party assessed gold jewellers nearest to them either by brand name, location, or category.
The accredited entities appearing in the directory include strong national, regional and city-based large, medium and small retailers. The directory not only includes verified gold jewellers, but also lists gold refiners, bullion traders, manufacturers and assaying and hallmarking centres and digital gold retailers.
Kaushlendra Sinha, CEO, IAGES, said:

“The growing list of partners in the IAGES Accredited Partner Directory reflects the gold industry’s readiness to adopt transparent and compliant business practices, building consumer confidence and trust while slowly formalising the gold ecosystem in India. We invite all gold businesses to come forward and join the movement to transform India’s gold industry, one accreditation at a time!”
IAGES is currently running a consumer awareness campaign – ‘Before you exchange or buy gold #PehlaCheckIAGES’ to spread the word about the importance of buying gold only from a verified, credible retailer. The successful campaign has reached 50 million+ consumers through online and offline mediums, while the IAGES website is seeing massive hits every day as consumers check the directory to verify a gold business.
Sumeet Deoda, Vice President – Marketing and Communication, IAGES said:
“Clearly, the IAGES Accredited Partner Directory has been much anticipated by consumers, gold jewellers and gold business entities alike! We are happy to finally share this growing database with the world even as we continue to work towards our goal of changing the gold-buying mindset in India as the first, crucial step towards formalising the industry,”

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