§1What this business is
Articles are degreased, rinsed, pickled and etched, polished, given a bright-nickel coat, and then gold-plated in a heated bath of potassium gold cyanide with a pure-gold anode and DC current from a rectifier. Thickness depends on current and time. The report's unit plates 2 lakh optical frames and 600 sq m of jewellery a year for frame makers and jewellers. It depends entirely on job work, so orders must be assured first.
Capacity: 2 lakh optical frames (₹14.00 L at ₹7 each) and 600 sq m of jewellery (₹13.20 L) a year; single shift.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
An electroplater with frame-maker or jewellery-cluster contacts.
Who it is not for
Anyone without chemical-safety training or a site with proper effluent arrangements.
Advantages
- Small investment with a 20.9% margin in the report
- Job work — no need to stock finished goods
- Gold finish is wanted on frames, imitation jewellery, watches and pens
Drawbacks
- Uses cyanide — highly poisonous, needs strict handling
- The report classes it as a polluting unit needing pollution-board clearance
- Work stops without steady job orders
Skills you need
- Electroplating bath control (temperature, current, concentration)
- Surface cleaning and nickel undercoat
- Safe cyanide handling and effluent treatment
Why difficulty 3/5: Low capital, but cyanide safety and pollution rules are strict.
§3Market
Who buys
- Optical frame makers
- Imitation and fashion jewellery makers
- Makers of watch cases, pens and fancy goods
How it sells
- Job-work contracts with manufacturers in clusters
Good to know
- The report also lists electronics (connectors, PCBs) as a major industrial use of gold plating.
- It warns that sufficient job work must be assured before starting.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rectifier, single phase, 200 A, 6 V DC, with meter panel | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Cleaning / swilling tank, MS, 2' × 2' × 2' | 2 | ₹10,000 |
| Nickel plating tank, PVC-lined, with immersion heater | 1 | ₹20,000 |
| Etching tank, rubber-lined, with lip duct and blower | 1 | — |
| Gold plating tank, PVC-lined, with lip duct and blower | 1 | — |
| Buffing machine | 1 | ₹10,000 |
| PP tubes, jigs and miscellaneous | lot | ₹30,000 |
| Pollution control equipment (exhaust system) | lot | ₹1,00,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Gold Plating on Metallic Optical Frames and Jewellery (2003)
- Pure gold (24 carat)200 g a month (₹1,00,000) in the report
- Potassium cyanide6 kg a month at ₹350 a kg
- Caustic potash10 kg a month at ₹56 a kg
- Potassium sulphite and other chemicalssmall quantities
From: DC-MSME project profile — Gold Plating on Metallic Optical Frames and Jewellery (2003)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- State Pollution Control Board no-objection certificate / consent (the report says it is mandatory)
- Poison licence for buying and storing potassium cyanide, where your state's Poisons Rules require it
- Hazardous-waste authorisation for plating sludge
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP fits (₹10.51 L, under the ₹20 L service limit); MUDRA up to ₹20 L; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral; Stand-Up India for SC/ST and women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Fixed capital ₹5.61 L (land and building ₹2.00 L + machinery and equipment ₹3.42 L incl. exhaust/pollution control ₹1.00 L + pre-operative ₹20,000) + working capital for 3 months ₹4.90 L = ₹10.51 L.
Working capital: Working capital for 3 months ₹4.90 L; 200 g of pure gold a month (₹1.00 L) is the main material.
Prices from 2003 — machinery, material and selling prices will be much higher now.
§8Export potential
Export council / board: Not applicable — job-work service
- This is a job-work service; plated goods are exported by the frame or jewellery maker under their own HS code.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Cyanide poisoning or spill
- Gold price swings raising cost
- Peeling or colour mismatch complaints
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working gold plating of optical frames and jewellery (job work) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Gold Plating of Optical Frames and Jewellery (Job Work)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.