In India, gold’s uniqueness lies in its dual demand for ‘sacred’ ritual purposes as well as ‘profane’ economic security. As a scarce commodity, gold is continuously monitored and regulated by the state. This study investigates how communities associated with the craft and trade of gold jewellery cope with state regulations, an aspect that has largely gone undocumented in sociological literature. The article traces the transformation of the goldsmithing sector in post-independence India. The repeal of the Gold Control Act 1968 in 1990 and high demand during the post-liberalisation period gave a tremendous fillip to the gold jewellery sector. The study captures the occupational recasting as a new community of goldsmiths emerged during this period replacing the traditional goldsmithing castes. It contributes to the under-studied field of goldsmithing in India providing an ethnographic account of a triadic relationship between an informal manufacturing sector, state regulation and a self-organised workforce based on regional ties and village networks.

在印度，黄金的独特之处在于其对“神圣”仪式目的和“世俗”经济安全的双重需求。黄金作为一种稀缺商品，不断受到国家的监控和监管。这项研究调查了与黄金首饰的工艺和贸易相关的社区如何应对国家法规，这一方面在社会学文献中基本上没有记录。这篇文章追溯了印度独立后金匠行业的转型。1990 年《1968 年黄金管制法》的废除以及后自由化时期的高需求给黄金首饰行业带来了巨大的刺激。该研究捕捉了这一时期出现的新金匠社区取代传统金匠种姓时的职业重塑。