India’s love for Gold is legendary. Gold, in India, is viewed to be homogenous and indistinguishable and having no expiry date. Every Indian starts collecting gold for the next generation as soon as a baby is born into the family. An Indian woman’s trousseau is hard to imagine without the Glitter of Gold. Gold or ‘Aurum’, which literally means ‘Glowing Dawn’ not just lures women but also captures every man’s heart for it denotes long-lasting power, status and wealth. Gold is expensive no doubt, but the serpentine queues outside jewellery stores in the city, stand testimony to its never diminishing popularity.
Glitter of Gold
Gold is a rare metallic element known for its excellent conductive properties. Its inability to react with water or oxygen makes it stable for everyday use. It is one of the most reflective materials known (when polished) and retains its own unique colour. Infact the name gold has been derived from the Indo-European root word for ‘yellow’. The other colours of gold are white, rose and green which are alloys of gold with other metals like nickel (white), copper (rose) and silver (green). Antique is a finish that is given to age gold and should not be confused with a colour.
Purity & Pricing
Each karat of gold is a standard metric weight of 0.2grams and over a period of time, 24 carats or 24K has come to denote pure gold. 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of another metal(s), making it 75% gold. The purest form of gold (refined) available is 99.9% pure but this pure form cannot be directly made into jewelry and thus arises the need for alloys. So to protect the public against the fraud of adulteration and to oblige manufacturers to maintain legal standards of fineness, The Government of India has made it necessary for jewelers to get their products certified by the BIS hallmark. In simple terms, Hallmark is a purity certification of gold articles in accordance with Indian Standard specifications.
With the falling value of the US dollar, Gold prices have risen to astronomical standards as people are not just buying but hoarding gold as they believe it would maintain its buying power, thereby making it a safe investment. Though many people buy gold as jewelry, coins or bars these options do not provide current income like Gold Exchange Traded Funds or the ETFs
Rose gold topaz earrings
Akshaya Trithi
The word “Akshaya” means imperishable or eternal – that which never diminishes. Initiations made or valuables bought on this day are considered to bring success or good fortune. Akshaya Trithi falls on the third day of the bright half of Vaishakh/Vaikasi month (April-May). This is when the Sun and Moon are in exaltation, i.e., they are simultaneously at their peak of brightness. Buying gold is a popular activity on Akshaya Tritiya as it signifies a never diminishing good fortune.
Caring for Gold Jewelry:
Gold is stable and doesn’t tarnish much like silver. However, excess contact with soap and salty water makes it dull and lifeless. Hence it is preferable to remove your gold jewellery before bathing. Don’t let your gold jewelry come in contact with chlorine bleach when you are doing household chores because it can damage jewelry over time. Also removing your jewellery before applying perfume and make-up, keeps it shiny for a long time.
One day, man’s dream of turning other metals into Gold (Alchemy) will come true. Till then it is back to the store for the Glitter of Gold.
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