• Old gold exchange: Transactions involving recycled and old gold exchange have surged from 25%–30% previously to 45%–50% of total sales, helping reduce import dependency.
• Festive demand outlook: Despite previous revenue declines of 30% to 40% following earlier government appeals, jewelers project robust festive and wedding demand driven by advance bookings and smaller-ticket items.
• Gold monetisation scheme: Industry representatives are urging the government to expedite the Gold Monetisation Scheme to tap into an estimated 20,000 to 35,000 tonnes of idle household gold, which could potentially cut annual imports by up to 50%.
• Lower karat adoption: Jewelers are advocating for the use of lower-purity options (9-karat, 14-karat, and 18-karat) and innovative materials like titanium-gold blends to reduce overall 24-karat gold consumption.