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Dhanteras brought a positive start to the festive shopping season for jewellers in Kolkata, with customers showing healthy interest in gold coins, bullion and silver coins, while demand for lightweight and versatile jewellery also remained a prominent trend.
Vinod Bamlwa, owner of Nemichand Bamalwa and Sons, said the market had witnessed healthy demand this year, with customer footfall also registering a slight increase compared to last year. Speaking to ANI, Bamlwa said, "The market is healthy, and there is good demand for coins, bullion, and silver coins. There is quite a good demand this time, a very healthy demand. And I think customer footfall has also increased a bit this year compared to last year." He added that the relatively lower crowd at the time of his interaction had also contributed to a positive shopping experience for customers, helping sustain enthusiasm during the festive occasion. Beyond traditional purchases of precious metals, changing preferences among young buyers are also influencing jewellery designs, particularly for weddings. Bamlwa said working professionals getting married increasingly prefer jewellery that can be worn on occasions beyond the wedding ceremony. "Nowadays, all the young people who are getting married are working professionals and are very smart in decision-making. So they choose jewellery that can be used not just for the wedding, but even afterwards," he said. He pointed to the growing popularity of jewellery that gives a heavy look while remaining lightweight, saying advances in manufacturing technology have helped jewellers create such designs with less gold. "That kind of trend has become very popular now, and manufacturing technology has changed in many ways for this," Bamlwa said, explaining that innovations such as laser soldering have reduced the amount of solder required in jewellery making. He said manufacturing improvements had made it possible to produce designs that earlier required around 100 grams of gold in lighter versions, making them more practical for buyers. On the festive offers, Bamlwa said purchasing precious metals on Dhanteras was traditionally associated with wealth and prosperity. He added that the store, like every year, was also offering discounts on making charges, while focusing on providing customers value for money. "Buying on the day of Dhanteras brings wealth and prosperity, so that is the best thing. Secondly, like every year, we offer discounts on making charges. And we are well known for believing not in discounts, but in value for moneythat your money goes further with us," he said. The Dhanteras festival is expected to generate business worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore across the country on Friday, with gold and silver sales alone estimated to contribute over Rs 60,000 crore, according to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). The trade body noted that festive buying enthusiasm remains strong, with consumers continuing to purchase jewellery, silver coins and traditional gifts during the festival. (ANI)
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