Page 16 - Bullion World Volume 5 Issue 05 May 2025

Bullion World | Volume 5 | Issue 05 | May 2025

Day - 2

Theme: Sustaining Demand

During High Price Regime.

Presentation: Study of Silver Purity Level in Silver Jewellery Across India
Speaker: Mr Ankur Goyal, President – Works, MMTC PAMP India Pvt Ltd
In a thought-provoking and data-rich presentation, Mr Ankur Goyal shared
findings from a ground-breaking nationwide purity audit of silver jewellery.
The objective of the study was to assess the true purity of silver jewellery
items available online across India and to evaluate the presence of harmful
contaminants such as cadmium and nickel.

Study Scope and Methodology:
The study tested 50 silver jewellery items sourced online from North,
South, East, and West India. Items included chains, earrings, pendants,
and locks. Using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Potentiometric Titration,
the team examined both the metal composition and silver purity.
Mr Ankur Goyal
MMTC PAMP India Pvt Ltd

Key Findings: • Temple Jewelry & Coin Analysis:
{ Offerings like chakras showed dangerously
• Positive Outcomes: high cadmium levels (40–50%).
{ 64% of samples met or exceeded the 92.5% { Historical coin analysis revealed extreme
sterling silver standard, with some showing variability, ranging from 56% to 98.8% silver.
purity up to 93.4%. Cutlery items showed decent purity (~87–89%).
{ Alloying elements were primarily copper and Health & Environmental Implications:
zinc—no cadmium or nickel detected in this Cadmium and nickel are linked to cancer, skin
set. disorders, and serious environmental degradation.
{ Temple scrap items (e.g., crowns, idols) Their continued use in jewellery poses significant
generally had high purity (~88%).
health risks for artisans and consumers alike.

• Areas of Concern: Recommendations:
{ 24% showed inconsistency in purity across 1. Introduce mandatory hallmarking.
different components of a single item. 2. Strengthen enforcement to eliminate cadmium and
{ 8% contained elevated levels of cadmium or nickel.
nickel—up to 50% in some samples. 3. Encourage best practices in sourcing and
{ 12% had no silver content at all—substituted manufacturing.
entirely with zinc or cadmium alloys but falsely 4. Invest in low-cost detection tools for consumers
stamped as 92.5%. and retailers.
{ One piece tested as 97% zinc; another had The session concluded with a strong call for consumer
19% cadmium.
protection and regulatory reforMs Audience questions
cantered around practical solutions for buyers and
industry-wide responsibilities.

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