National News
VAJRA INDUSTRY RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC MEET (VAIRAM) 2025 organised by GJEPC, IIT Madras inaugurated in Chennai
The Vajra Industry Research and Academic Meet (Vairam) 2025, a joint effort by GJEPC and InCent LGD IIT Madras, was officially introduced at the IITM Research Park in Chennai.
Madras at IITM Research Park, Chennai, was unveiled by Prof. V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Prof M S Ramachandra Rao, InCent-LGD, IIT Madras, Mr. Manish Jiwani, Co-Convener, LGD Committee, GJEPC and Mr. Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC among other dignitaries and industry experts.
The workshop features several panel discussions. “Beyond Gems: Next-Generation Applications of OLab-Grown Diamonds” explores LGDs’ potential in various industries beyond jewellery. “Lab-Grown Diamond Growth and Treatment Recipes and Challenges” delves into the intricacies of CVD and HPHT methods. “Diamond Quality Checks and Certification” addresses the crucial need for standardised quality control for gems, jewellery, and seeds. “Lab Grown Diamond Machines and Processing Equipment” will highlight the importance of indigenous equipment manufacturing to bolster India’s self-reliance. The workshop has drawn 150 + participants from the industry.
Key Takeaways
Diamond Quality Checks & Certification:
- Advanced treatments challenge LGD grading and certification accuracy.
- Key challenges: ensuring grading accuracy, standardization, and detecting undisclosed synthetics.
- Emphasis on advanced testing methods, tech-driven grading, and industry consistency.
- Traceability of tested items is a major issue.
- LGDs are both supplementary and complementary to the diamond industry.
- Mimicking natural diamond growth patterns in LGDs remains a challenge.
LGD Growth & Treatment Recipes: Key Takeaways
- Increasing nitrogen in HPHT accelerates growth, benefiting gem-quality diamonds but not other industrial uses.
- Focus on optimizing growth parameters, impurity control, and enhancement for superior diamonds.
- Challenges include consistency, reducing defects, scalability, and reliance on high-purity raw materials.
- Future focus on refining processes, improving sustainability, and enhancing research-industry collaboration.
Diamond Quality Checks & Certification (Continued): Key Takeaways
Strengthening quality assurance frameworks is essential to ensure consumer trust globally.
Grading LGDs differs from natural diamonds, especially in color; secondary reference masters needed.
Labs must assess hue saturation and intensity, not just color for LGDs.
Clarity characteristics differ due to metallic inclusions in LGDs.
Color grading challenges arise in borderline clusters where AI struggles.
LGDs are cut for perfection, unlike natural diamonds, which are cut for weight retention.
National News
Augmont-NSE Partnership Drives Strong Start for India’s Gold EGR Market, with Over 1,60,357 Units Traded in First Few Hours
Electronic Gold Receipts segment witnesses active two-way trading on day one, with 1,60,375 units traded, representing approximately 6 kg of gold and a traded value of ₹23.34 crore as of 04:25 PM
India’s gold market took an important step towards greater integration with the commencement of live trading in the Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR) segment on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) today. Enabled through the collaboration between NSE and Augmont Enterprises Limited, the launch brings together NSE’s regulated exchange infrastructure and Augmont’s integrated physical gold ecosystem, creating a new avenue for investors to trade physically backed gold.
On its opening day, the EGR segment witnessed active two-way trading, with 1,60,357 units traded by approximately 04:25 PM, representing around 6 kg of gold. The trading activity translated into a cumulative traded value of approximately Rs.23.34 crore during the first session. The segment also demonstrated orderly price discovery, with prices remaining within a narrow intraday range of Rs.1,450.50 to Rs.1,460.00. The bid-ask spread remained between Rs.0.50 and Rs.1.00, indicating continuous two-way quotations and an active order book.
Each EGR represents 100 mg of physical gold, with the underlying gold held in SEBI-regulated vaults. Investors can buy and sell EGRs through their demat accounts on the exchange, while retaining the option of converting their holdings into physical gold, subject to the applicable framework. The segment follows a T+1 settlement cycle, under which trades executed on a particular day are settled on the next business day, facilitating the transfer of securities and funds through the exchange’s regulated clearing and settlement mechanism.
Under the strategic collaboration, Augmont serves as a key physical gold and infrastructure partner for NSE’s EGR segment, supporting the creation, vaulting, redemption and liquidity ecosystem. The gold backing the EGRs is sourced through Augmont’s integrated refining infrastructure, bringing together physical gold processing and exchange-based trading within a regulated framework.
The commencement of live trading marks an important step towards building a more transparent and accessible gold market in India. By enabling standardised gold to be traded through an exchange-based mechanism, EGRs have the potential to strengthen price discovery, improve market participation and create a more integrated ecosystem for physical gold.
Ketan Kothari, Whole-time Director, Augmont Enterprises Limited, said:
“The commencement of EGR trading marks the transition of our collaboration with NSE from building the underlying infrastructure to enabling a live, exchange-traded gold market. The day-one trading activity, continuous two-way quotations and orderly price discovery are important initial milestones for a new market segment.
At Augmont, we have brought together our refining capabilities and physical gold infrastructure to support the creation, vaulting and redemption of EGRs. We believe this initiative can play an important role in making physical gold more accessible, transparent and integrated with India’s formal financial ecosystem. Our focus remains on strengthening the ecosystem and supporting its wider adoption among investors, brokers and other market participants.“
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Augmont-NSE Partnership Drives Strong Start for India’s Gold EGR Market, with Over 1,60,357 Units Traded in First Few Hours
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