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
High Gold Prices, Geopolitical Tensions, PM Call For Economic Austerity Drives Indian Consumers To Silver
Silver Is Migrating From A Niche Industrial Commodity and Traditional Silverware Into Mainstream, High-End Jewellery
India’s historic love affair with gold is facing a structural test. A potent combination of record-high prices, escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia, and a direct appeal for economic austerity from New Delhi is forcing a pivot in the world’s second-largest consumer market for the precious metal. The alternative? Silver.
The shift comes on the heels of a rare intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently urged citizens to pause gold purchases for a year. The goal is macroeconomic stabilization: curbing a massive import bill to defend the nation’s foreign exchange reserves against a rising tide of global volatility.
The numbers underscore the government’s anxiety. India imported nearly $72 billion worth of gold in the 2026 fiscal year, positioning the metal as the country’s largest import liability after crude oil. The pressure has only intensified in recent months, with data showing a staggering $32.7 billion drained for gold imports between late February and early May.
For generationally minded Indian consumers, who view precious metals not just as adornment but as vital financial security during weddings and festivals, walking away from the bullion market entirely is rarely an option. Instead, the middle class is recalibrating.
Industry executives note that gold is rapidly outpricing everyday buyers. As a result, silver is migrating from a niche industrial commodity and traditional silverware into mainstream, high-end jewelry. Market insiders report that consumers are increasingly treating the white metal as an affordable proxy, capitalizing on its lower entry point while retaining the psychological comfort of holding physical bullion.
The metal is seeing a dual demand shock. While retail consumers chase it for affordability, global macro factors—including robust industrial applications and anticipation of Western central bank interest rate cuts—are providing a sturdy floor for silver prices.
To mitigate the drop-off in fresh retail volume, the domestic jewelry sector is aggressively shifting its strategy toward a circular economy. Retailers are launching campaigns to encourage consumers to recycle and exchange their existing family heirlooms rather than buying newly
Whether Indian households will willingly unlock their private vaults remains to be seen. However, as long as global headwinds persist and New Delhi keeps the pressure on imports, the glitter of India’s jewelry markets will look increasingly silver.
Silver Could Touch $100 By End 2026: Bank Of America
Precious Metals Tied In A Range On US-Iran Ceasefire Deal AUGMONT BULLION REPORT
High Gold Prices, Geopolitical Tensions, PM Call For Economic Austerity Drives Indian Consumers To Silver
Silver Could Touch $100 By End 2026: Bank Of America
High Gold Prices, Geopolitical Tensions, PM Call For Economic Austerity Drives Indian Consumers To Silver
Precious Metals Tied In A Range On US-Iran Ceasefire Deal AUGMONT BULLION REPORT
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International News12 minutes agoSilver Could Touch $100 By End 2026: Bank Of America
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National News3 hours agoHigh Gold Prices, Geopolitical Tensions, PM Call For Economic Austerity Drives Indian Consumers To Silver
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International News3 hours agoPrecious Metals Tied In A Range On US-Iran Ceasefire Deal AUGMONT BULLION REPORT
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International News3 hours agoSilver Could Fall Further After Latest Slump, Say Analysts
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