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Pamper with gold

Tiruchiites love for the traditional remains strong, writes PRATHIBHA PARAMESWARAN

ATTRACTIVE DESIGNS Craze for the yellow metal is on the rise Photo: M. Moorthy

The craze is not new. But the competition has increased manifold. Name any celebrity in the country — Aiswarya Rai to Sania Mirza — everyone is busy marketing jewellery these days.

Branded and unbranded jewellery stores are in a new whirl of activity keenly pushing their wares in.

Choosy

Irrespective of the trend elsewhere, Tiruchiites appear to be sticking to their guns. Be it in their preference for diamonds to any other stone or the choice of traditional designs over the newer ones, jewellery shop owners reveal that the minds of city folks were made up long before and has remained so.

"It is peoples' conception that resale value for plain jewellery is more. Hardly do I find buyers going for stone jewellery or even diamonds. It's because buyers of gold can be found easily even in villages, but not forstones that easily," says P. Mookapillai of the Mangal and Mangal Thanga Maligai Showroom in the city.

Though customers abroad and in metros in India have taken to semi-precious jewellery in a big way, Tiruchi is yet to develop a taste for them.

Conservative

Usually the high-end customers go after diamonds, while the middleclass and lower settle for the synthetic American diamonds.

"I don't think many people go for semi-precious stones, except to be used as zodiac or birthstones," Mr. Mookapillai notes.

The Store Manager of Tanishq, the only branded jewellery showroom in the city, K. Kishore Kumar chips in: "Diamonds or synthetic equivalents and zircons are most preferred here, if not the plain jewellery. People are quite conservative in their choice. We still don't have a culture here when somebody just drops in to check out what's new in the market and end up buying one of the recent models. Every customer decides what they want to buy beforehand and ends up buying exactly that.

Cautious customers

Customers here, as the shopkeepers observe, are cautious about their budget and do not risk investing money on anything new. Tiruchiites are hesitant even if the designs have endured a full three-months in the market, they say. Higher-end customers on the other hand do have more variety. Much of the upper class crowd prefers branded jewellery. "They choose from the latest designs. Sometimes, they ask for a design of their own and we get it made according to their specifications by our suppliers," explains the Director of the Femina Jewellery Mart, Mohamed Ismail.

"The market trend keeps changing each day. Compared to customers in other cities, the Tiruchi population is still quite conventional. It's mostly the traditional designs that are preferred, although sometimes in a new form," he says.

On the other hand, the middle class customers are far from being brand conscious. It's mostly the reputation of the jewellery shop that they seek.Mr. Kishore Kumar feels that fusion jewellery is a popular choice too. "Almost all traditional wares have hit the market with a novel look under the inspiration series. There are combination sets for the wedding with earrings, necklaces and rings. For instance, the Arya jewellery is an exclusive set done in seven stones," he cites.

Lightweight ornaments too have a niche of their own. But more than the fashion or design, it's the affordability that's lures people to purchase.

"The younger generation doesn't prefer heavy jewels. Lightweight jewellery is more convenient to wear, is also fashionable and affordable. But for a wedding or any other formal function wear, the traditional jewellery still holds its sway," says Mr. Mookapillai.

Status symbol

Moving from gold, the days of platinum are fast setting in. But shopkeepers still haven't thought of exhibiting platinum wares for the simple reason that gold might fall out of favour.

"There are some takers for platinum here too. Possessing a piece of platinum jewellery is just a status symbol. We have catalogues showcasing some of our designs and mostly customers take a look at them and decide what they want," Mr. Kishore Kumar explains.

Be it platinum or gold, studded or plain jewellery, any occasion in India is incomplete without a generous adornment of ornaments. Jewellery does not just pertain to the perception of beauty.

It is in many ways entwined with the country's culture and tradition. Vanity in its limits could be adorable perhaps!

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