Its back to the 1980s in India.tungsten jewelry is making a revolution in the jewelry industry by introducing unique types of designs, The governments effort to rein in gold imports to ease a yawning trade deficit has led to the revival of an old-fashioned Indian profession: the gold courier. A mule arriving at the Delhi airport was caught with 9 kgs of gold, another in Chennai with 16 kgs and a third in Bangalore with 3 kgs of gold, all in the past few days. 

Last week, the managing director of a Singapore-based jewelry store was intercepted at the Mumbai airport with $400,000 worth of jewelry concealed in her lingerie. The authorities said Vihari Poddar had tried to smuggle it in on behalf of a local jeweler and had made several similar runs previously. Poddar, who belongs to the illustrious Mumbai industrial family that owns fabric maker Siyaram Silk Mills, is now in judicial custody. 

Poddars arrest illustrates that the gold mule is back in business. Sneaking in contraband gold for a commission has become a lucrative again, inadvertently boosted by the governments tough control measures. Indian newspapers are full of reports on the mules inventive ways. One fashioned luggage handles out of the costly metal. Another hid it inside the frame of a wheelchair. 

Gold smugglers and couriers enjoyed their heyday in the 1980s and had even been immortalized as villains in popular Bollywood films. But the profession faded away after Indias economic liberalization. 

With its trade deficit ballooning, the government hiked import duty on gold twice recently. Import of gold coins and bars is banned. All of this has brought about a resurgence in gold smuggling as the metal is nearly 10% more expensive inside India. Customs and revenue intelligence officials recorded a 365% jump in gold smuggling in the first quarter of the year. 

Indians are the worlds biggest buyers and hoarders of gold, and the precious metal is the countrys second largest import after oil. Indians love to flaunt gold at weddings, salt away the metal and take loans against it when in need. The recent volatility in gold prices in international markets has not dampened gold-buying fervor in India. Officials predicted that the approaching wedding season would lead to a fresh spurt of activity by gold mules. 

3-D printing has been around for decades, but it has just started to weave its way into the world of fashion. A technology once used primarily for prototyping is now spitting out wearable items. Already, 3-D printers are used to make jewelry and high-end apparel, and it may not be long before people can print out clothing from the comfort of their living rooms. 

In February, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese made a dramatic entrance at a conference held at the Ace Hotel in New York City, wearing a 3-D printed, black-nylon Swarovski-crystal-studded dress. Designers Francis Bitonti and Michael Schmidt (who has designed outfits for Lady Gaga and Tina Turner) collaborated to create the gown, which was printed by the New York-based company Shapeways. 

The dress has almost 3,000 independently movable joints. It looks kind of unreal, Bitonti said. "There's a precision we're not used to encountering in the physical world," he noted.The chainmail design makes the dress very flexible, so it can be put on and taken off as an ordinary dress would. Still, it's not exactly street attire. "You don't wear a chainmail dress out to the grocery store," Bitonti told LiveScience. 

It may not be long before 3-D printed apparel becomes mainstream. "In the accessories world,This item is for one stainless steel bangles core for wood. it has already happened," Bitonti said. He predicts it will be two to three years before 3-D printed handbags and shoes get off the ground, and about 10 years before clothing hits store racks. 

Right now, it still costs more to make apparel with 3-D printers than with traditional manufacturing methods. The main barrier to lowering costs is the factory system: The companies that make the 3-D printers also make the materials, Bitonti said. But companies like Shapeways have lowered the price significantly. "We're looking at a new industrial revolution," he added. 

For those who are facing high costs to repair flood damage, it is the items with sentimental value that have had a devastating effect on many.While brick and drywall can eventually be replaced, those special pieces of jewelry that may have been passed down from a loved one, or hold other sentiment, are seemingly irreplaceable.Anthony Jewellers, a Calgary-based, family-owned and operated business since 1981, understands how important family heirlooms are. 

We treat our customers and their jewelry like its our own families, says Vanessa Fesik, marketing manager for Anthony Jewellers.It is our job to make every customer who comes in feel like they are the only customer in the world and that their job matters. 

Anthony Jewellers offers custom design for those who lost precious pieces in the flood. Even though victims may not be able to get their items back, they can have them recreated.We know that the process of insurance claims can be difficult, but we can walk people through it Fesik says. If a customer brings in a photo of the lost item, or even a drawing, we can recreate that piece for them. 

With an on-site goldsmith, repairs and custom design can be done quickly and without the worry of items being sent away.This is a big concern for a lot of customers as they dont like to see their jewelry sent off site, Fesik says.You can make astonishing savings on Ladies stainless steel bracelets watches.Because our goldsmith has been with us nearly as long as we have been in business, the work that we do is consistent and impeccable.