IGM mentor and coach Jignesh Shah empowers entire gold and bullion industry to make every jeweller ‘emperor’

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Amid the crème de la crème of India’s gems and jewellery fraternity at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai for the landmark 15th edition of the National Jewellery Awards (NJA) recently, one question quietly loomed over the glamour: How does a conventional trade capture the loyalty of Gen Z? The gala night found its answer in the exposition by innovative tech architect Jignesh Shah. As the coach and mentor of India Gold Metaverse (IGM),he took centre stage to deliver a meticulous roadmap for winning over younger, mobile-first buyers and the gems and jewellery industry.

The spectacle featured roughly two dozen coveted awards honouring the nation’s finest craftsmen, designers, and retail pioneers, with Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha adding red-carpet shimmer to the evening organised by the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) and powered by IGM. Yet, addressing a packed hall of seasoned jewellers, trade delegates, and institutional dignitaries, Shah challenged the room to shake off heritage complacency. The tech visionary was of the view that gold must evolve at the speed of the next generation.

To spearhead this shift, he showcased IGM’s ‘GoldSense’, a game-changing digital Karatometer engineered specifically for a transparent retail era. Built as a sleek, AI-driven, mobile-sized testing device, it delivers instant, non-destructive purity verification of the precious metal across retail counters, lending desks, and bullion houses, preserving fine craftsmanship while delivering proof of authenticity on the spot.

Highlighting this demographic shift, the tech pioneer pointed out: “Gen Z spends 80 per cent of its time on mobile phones and wireless devices. So, to get your world-class designs across the world…it should come with trust. For that trust to be 100 per cent, and trust to have a velocity to reach everyone who has even one gram or one tola of gold, you should be very sure of the purity of the gold. And that has to be very, very smooth, simple, like using a mobile.”

Holding the unique GoldSense Karatometer aloft, Shah made it clear that digital simplicity is now the baseline for youthful consumer confidence. For Gen Z, a demographic shaped by genuine real-time data and customer reviews, he noted that a swift, transparent tool like GoldSense is precisely what turns casual young shoppers into lifelong patrons. His insight captures an unmistakable demographic sea change.

This is corroborated separately by a Deloitte India study titled ‘Go for gold: A winning playbook for the gems and jewellery industry’ (released in January 2026). Findings in a section focused on younger consumers reveal that jewellery is rapidly shifting from once-in-a-lifetime heirlooms to versatile everyday accessories. A survey of younger buyers reveals that in addition to weddings (at 50 per cent), demand is also rising for adaptable pieces for daily and office wear (32 per cent) as well as birthdays and anniversaries (38 per cent). Crucially, this study records that 49 per cent of respondents now prefer lightweight daily-wear designs like rings, chains, and earrings over traditional sets to celebrate personal and career milestones.

At the GJC-NJA event, evoking personal computing history, Shah drew a parallel that resonated deeply with veteran jewellers across the floor. “When personal computing arrived, it was said that every desk should have a computer. I personally believe every desk at a jeweller should have this device to transfer the very power Titan once unlocked by showing purity openly to consumers. You can hand this GoldSense to customers so they can measure purity for themselves.”

Shah placed this youth-centric modernisation within a broader national framework, aligning IGM’s digital ecosystem with four key initiatives championed by the Prime Minister: Digital India, Make in India, Skill India, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. “Bring those four together, and that is what we have built for you,” he affirmed.

In addition to GoldSense, IGM’s ecosystem also includes three other verticals – Elanzia, BullionX, and RamMudra – to transform the domestic gold industry through technology.

Elanzia is a marketplace that helps jewellers tap new buyers through virtual try-ons, without the cost of fresh retail space or physical inventory. On the supply side, BullionX simplifies bulk sourcing for dealers and manufacturers with competitive rates and next-day delivery. Completing the investment lifecycle, RamMudra operates as a blockchain-enabled digital gold platform offering vault-backed fractional ownership.

Shah explained that the GoldSense Karatometer will initially roll out through trade associations, partner banks, and NBFCs before expanding to individual retail counters across the country.

By the time the curtains came down on the 15th NJA, it was clear that the evening had celebrated far more than exceptional artistry. In fact, the night marked a pivotal transition: Under Shah’s guidance, Indian gold is shedding any opacity, placing genuine transparency directly into the hands of a new generation.