By P. Vijian, NNN-Bernama,
Chennai, India : Thirty Indian craftsmen have combined their skills to create the world’s biggest gold bangle, weighing 24.5 kg.
The bangle, built within three weeks on a frame of four 22-carat rings, was unveiled by GoldPlus, a jewellery division of Titan Industries of Indian conglomerate Tata group, at Erode in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The bangle, measuring 1,830 mm in diameter and 140 mm in width, was designed and manufactured in the GoldPlus factory in Hosur, a popular manufacturing town near Bangalore, capital of neighbouring Karnataka state.
“We wanted to showcase our capabilities to the world and prove our brand, so we created this unique bangle,” R.Sharad, head of sales and marketing division of GoldPlus told Bernama in Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu.
Seal of Purity is engraved in eight different Indian languages on the bangle, which signifies GoldPlus’s aim to market its jewellery across eight states in India, he added.
The amount of gold used in the intrinsically Indian-design bangle is valued at about three crore rupees (about 694,000 USD).
The pure 22-carat creation has been recognised by the Limca Book of Records and will soon enter the Guinness Book of Records, said Sharad.
The company plans to produce 200 to 300 pieces of miniatures of the giant gold bangle, weighing around 25 gm each, and expected to put them on the market later this month.
“Since our exhibition, the demand for bangles of similar design has been high in the market. We are also considering to promote these bangles abroad if there is a demand,” added Sharad.
India’s gems and jewellery exports are valued at about 20 billion USD a year. India is the world’s largest gold consumer, consuming nearly 20 per cent of global production of the yellow metal or 800 tonnes yearly, of which 600 tonnes go into jewellery manufacturing.