RL1854 takes up industry reform for 1gm gold jewellery

I was surprised to know that 1-gm (imitation) jewellery trade too was under the same attack as precious metal jewllery is. In precious metal jewellery customers were being undersold, whereas the reverse was happening in imitation jewellery. Consumers were being oversold. Fortunately for gold and silver sold in any form/caratage of jewellery BIS has taken the right step by coming out with Hallmarking guidelines and implementing them through Assay labs. The immitation jewellery sector was not so lucky as the base metal in that category is made of metals other than gold/silver.

There was an opportunity lurking and most retailers grabbed it the wrong way. So this sector became a money spinner for the retailers and the consumer was being fleeced. It also meant an opportunity to comeout and standardize the sector. Amrish Jain of Aarel Jewellers Pvt Ltd. rose to this occasion. Aarel bought out advertisement in quite a few national dailies and started blogging to educate people on the current state of affairs and thus in one fell swoop became the undisputed leader in immitation jewellery.

It takes a lot of guts, conviction and vision to stand out from the crowd. Its tough to say 'STOP' to a practice in which the entire industry is consumed. And when you can do that , thats when you are reckoned as a leader.

We need few more jewellers to recognise its an opportunity to believe in 'It's profitable to be ethical.'

Disclaimer: Kathana Jewellers does not stock 1-gm jewellery.

Bolo Tie: What is it?

When a regular customer visited us for a customized jewellery order. It was another day at work. What he asked us to make raised our eyebrows. He asked us to craft a bolo-tie in gold and diamonds. Not that we couldnt do it. Our issue was more fundamental. We didnt know what a bolo-tie is? Bolo-tie is a necktie used by horse riders (cowboys) usually to keep the hat on their head. A search on the internet threw many examples. Wikipedia has an interesting story on the origin of this neck wear.

The customer happens to visit the US quite often and had planned a gift to his american counterpart. He obviously had a certain budget in his mind. An all diamond studded piece would have shot his budget. So to cut costs we kept the outer and inner most edges in diamonds and the middle was crafted and rhodium polished to give it the look of baguette diamonds. This was further accented with bunch leaves on the edges and centre to complete the look. The black cord which is used to hang it around the neck or tied to the hat was provided by the customer. The result is for all to see below.

Bolo-Tie in Gold and Diamonds.

Do Diamonds in diamond jewellery have no resale value?

.......was a simple question posed by Poonam who stumbled on our blog recently. I was on the phone with the enquirer who is getting married in March 2009. She wanted to know this because thats what she heard from her friend. That diamonds are worthless in an old diamond jewellery.

Diamonds in diamond jewellery are usually very small in size compared to a solitaire ring. Often called melle or star in industry lingo. These diamonds are usually cut and polished from the fragments(leftovers) of cutting bigger diamonds.

When returning to the same jeweller where you originally bought the diamond jewellry from, the best practise is deducting 10% of the entire value and making charge. The 10% deducted is on account of losses due to broken diamonds. Yes even though diamonds are the strongest natural substance known to humans, they do break when jewellers try to salvage whatever they can from the scrap(old gold ornaments).

The severe competition among jewellers discourages a common shopper to try selling the old diamond ornaments purchased elsewhere. Any jeweller is reluctant to pay you the price you paid to another jeweller. Otherwise a diamond is a diamond and even a small diamond dropped on the floor in our manufacturing unit leaves the Karigar scurrying for a broom to sweep it in.

Awesome response to our Diwali Festive Offer

Thank You! Rohini , Thank You! Pitampura for the jampacked response to our Diwali Festive offer. Our festive offer which is also advertised in the post: Diwali Wishes and Offers from Kathana was well received by the denizens of pitampura and rohini.

We distributed close to 40,000 flyers in most of the rohini sectors and some areas in Pitampura. The result: For most of the evening on the day of Dhanteras I was restricted to a 2-3 feet of space busy welcoming guests and keeping a watchful eye inside.

While gold and silver coins formed the staple for those out for just the dhanteras. Among the serious shoppers Chains(Indian and Italian) were the hottest selling, followed by light weight jewellery items like earrings and rings. Some came back for more with their relatives who didnt want to miss the bargain while others placed orders from the catalogue. We had 1 walk-in from the internet who walked out as our customer. Oh and if you think you have missed it we have extended it by another week just for our online visitors. And the time of this posting, it happens to be the last day for the offer.

One thing that was missing was the line outside the store. Sigh! We will aim for that the next time :)

Photo credit: johnnyalive via Flickr

Happy Diwali Wishes and Offers from Kathana Jewellers

Kathana family wishes everyone a very Happy Diwali. May this Diwali bring health and prosperity to you and your loved ones. Just like last year, Kathana Jewellers would urge you to make a pledge for a 'Smoke Free diwali' this year too. Delhi can be much better off without the smoke we have to inhale after Diwali Celebrations.

'Sone Pe Suhaga' Offers for Diwali 2008.

We have slashed making charges for Chains and Bangles at our store.The offer runs from (25th Oct-2nd Nov, 2008, Extended!)

Chains/Bangles : Rs 85/gram
Italian Chains : Rs 130/gram
Antique Bangles: Rs 130/gram

Gold prices have already sent people scurrying for the jewellery stores. And you shouldnt be sitting in front of your computers staring at the screen anymore either.

Gold prices bring back smiles in time for Diwali 2008

Diwali is around the corner and gold prices have fallen just in time to something which will bring smile to your face. Today i.e. as of Oct. 22nd, 2008 the gold prices for 24K is Rs.12,450 per 10gms. Which means for 22K the prices of gold are Rs. 12,050 per 10 gms.

Prices just a week ago made the predictions of a gold-less diwali come true. Prices were 13,350 on the 15th Oct. Which means there has been a fall of 1000 rupees within a week.

Most of the year has been lacklustre for the jewellers owning to high gold prices. And Diwali a traditionally auspicious season to buy gold was much anticipated by both shoppers and jewellers. Shoppers were looking to make the important purchase for their weddings/gifting while jewellers are trying to meet their sales target.

More smiles coming next with our Diwali offers.

Photo Credit : Sean-b

Asking the right questions to your jeweller.

Oh the bad news doesnt stop flowing for the financial markets turmoil. It took its toll in India too with ICICI bank sending out SMSes to its customers saying everything is fine with the bank. Our FM and prime minister frequently assuring the nation. For an average Joe on the street it does create some uncomfort in his/her mind, no matter how resilient we might claim our economy is. Couple that with the festive season around who wouldnt like a deal.

Below we have compiled a list of readings from our previous posts to help you ask the right questions when you go shopping for gold this diwali.

1) In your zeal to get a good deal do not bargain for Non-Hallmarked jewellery and low making charges. Ask for hallmark jewellery.
What is Hallmark Jewellery?

2) Making charges continues to be "THE" criteria for making a purchase. Infact it should be one of the criterias to look for.
Low making charges could be a trap. Learn how to evaluate it here.

3) Does your jeweller use local terms to explain attributes of diamonds and gold?
Jewellery SHoppers: beware of these 5 pitfalls on Ebay India
5 more things you should know when shopping for jewellery


4) Are you over looking buy back policies?
DOnt let it be the last and least criteria

5) Buying gold from Bank?
It could be your trusted bank but is it offering you value?

Bonus:
Looking for actual deals through multi-purpose jewellery.
Sensible Jewellery


A little above half an hour spent here will go a long way in getting the right bargain this diwali. Don't they say: You are known by the question you ask and not the answers you give.

Image Courtesy: MdCruz

What is 1-gm jewellery?

This is more of a FAQ type post on 1-gm jewellery.

What is 1-gm jewellery?

An inexpensive way to indulge in your passion for gold. Here an inexpensive metal like brass or copper is plated with a thin film of gold. So the resulting ornament gives the impression that you are wearing a gold ornament, by spending far less than a real gold ornament. It is also popularly known as imitation jewellery.

Does it actually use 1-gm of gold?

The plating is very thin film of gold. And depending on whether its an earring or a necklace it could use anywhere from 0.5 gms to 3 gms of gold.

Does it have a resale value or Can I use it for investment?

You need to find out from the vendor what its resale value is. Unlike real gold ornaments which can be melted and recast into other forms of jewellery. Not much can be salvaged out of a gold plated jewellery when melted. So it cannot be really thought of as an investment.

Is the 1-gm jewellery hallmarked?

Hallmarking is an indication of the purity of a gold ornament. Since the base metal of 1 gm jewellery is either brass or copper hallmarking is not applicable to it. Its an easy way to identify the vendor's credentials.

DIsclaimer: Kathana Jewellers does not stock or deal in 1-gm jewellery.

Free mobile updates on Gold prices, Jewellery trends and new offers

Google has a knack for freeing the use of some fundamental needs of businesses today. We have felt the need to provide gold prices update to people who desire to keep a close tab on it even when they are mobile. Enter google with their SMS channels.

Kathana Jewellers have started their own SMS channel called GoldNews . Through this we can now provide you updates on gold prices on a day to day basis, new jewellery trends, new offers right on your mobile for free.

How to subscribe:

1) Send an SMS 'on goldnews' to 9870807070.
2)Thereafter you will receive a confirmation message and a message to accept the terms and conditions of the service. This service is completely managed by google.
3) Send an SMS 'Accept' to 9870807070.
4) Thereafter you will start receiving gold price updates right on your phone.
5) You can unsubscribe to this service by SMS 'off goldnews' to 9870807070.

Surveying the market

Yesterday was a fun day. It was almost the last but one day before the Shraadh concludes and I was out with another female friend to check out what other jewellers in the market had to offer. I don't know how ethical it is to snoop into other stores and see what is doing rounds in the market but then its an age old trade practice..something I personally find a little hard to break. We will dwell into the ethical part later, first let me share the good, the bad and the ugly I found.

So lets start of with the good part first :) Of the three stores we visited (I will omit the names) one of them was THE jewellery store of Delhi, the other one was quite a popular choice with the people of our locality and the third one was one of the stores whose ad I had heard so many times in the radio that I HAD to visit it.

Our first stop was the store which has been making a mark in the Pitampura area for the last few years. And I found good reasons for it. They had great sales girls: the warm, smiling kinds who would make your shopping experience a complete bliss, the kinds who would dig out 100's of boxes to find out just the right piece for you. I was truly impressed. In addition there designing was the best amongst the ones we have seen so far, in physical stores or online. They had an extensive range of jewellery catering to the needs of both- the masses and the classes. And the best part was that all of it could actually fit into your budget (btw, ours was 2-2.5 lac for a diamond set). Over the odd half hour that we spent there we forgot that we were undercover and were so fascinated by the jewellery that we had half a mind to buy it!

The only thing that stopped us were the prices. And that is kind of the bad part of the store. I personally found that there was a lot of disparity in the prices, so much that it looked ridiculous. And heres how: so, we had zeroed down on a diamond set which was estimated around 5 lac by the sales girl but when one of the owner was asked to give his best price he brought it down to a little over 3 lac. Now, a 40% discount on the mark up price was really new to me and set me thinking. I don't know about others but with me if someone offers a discount more than 10% it always sets me thinking...and I end up feeling that there is more I should have bargained for! But then there are quite a few that I know of, who feel that an out of the blue big discount is a deal to steal!

Now the ugly part of it: I know this goes around a lot in our fraternity but I feel there really is a need to educate your customers more than mislead them. So when we spoke to the owners about the return policy they had a simple one on cash refund or exchange: 90% of the diamond's cost + gold's current rate - labor charges. When prodded on why not give the diamond's current value too, the reply was that diamond is not a commodity and no one returns the appreciation in prices of diamond. I would beg to differ here because I know of at least one store that does this (and no it is not us), though I am not 100% sure, so once I have verified my facts on it I would put it down here. I guess the gist of the return policy boils down to: Diamond is not an investment. It looses 10% of its value the moment you step out of the store. Unfortunately thats the policy every one follows, including us. And thats something we should talk about more on in our later topics.

I would cover up my experience in the other two stores in the later posts, but I hope that this was an interesting read for all of you.

Btw, the Navratras are to begin tomorrow: So happy navratras, and happy shopping.

Navratra Festive Offer: 50% off making charges, 15% off diamonds.

Now being Internet savvy pays. Kathana Jewellers is offering a exclusive discount on our store wide jewellery collection for all the website/blog visitors only.

Internet is fast becoming a place to look for information in India. We know that with the increasing blog visitors. We believe it should be the place to hunt for deals too this festive season. After all who doesn't want to know a place to find the best prices on jewellery. That is why we are offering it exclusively to our site visitors.

Another not to be missed reason. Gold prices may have bounced back to the Rs. 13,000 levels. Leaving your mouths gaping wide open( and ours too). So we are trying to turn them into smiles.

About the Festival: Kathana Jewellers is celebrating the Navratras with a bang. We are offering 50% discount on making charges for entire gold and diamond jewellery. Additionally a 15% off on diamonds too. Our entire collection for the upcoming wedding season is now available. We have new designs in Mangal Sutras, Filigree work Bangles from Calcutta, light necklaces, pendants, tanmaniyas, italian chains and indian handmade chains. The exclusive internet offer is valid from Sept 16 to Oct 10, 2008. To avail the offer just mention that you saw our the discount offer on our blog, at the time of payment.

Gold prices firm up, Is it speculation or US financial markets?

This just in. Its almost 10:30 pm on Wednesday night. And it pulled me out of my bed. Gold prices have shot up to cross Rs.12,500 at MCX(the commodity trading exchange). What looks like the first thing that comes close to explaining this is the melting US financial markets. The LEHMAN brothers and Merrill lynch being the leaders of the pack. On closer look one sees this as a belated effect. Isnt the Lehman story 24 hrs old? So why did this knee jerk reaction take so long? Could it be finally that the speculators have grouped together and taken the gold markets on a ride.

This is a slow period for the commercial markets especially in India with sales picking up during the festive season beginning with the navratras. Navratras start from Oct 1. So a lot of jewellers were planning to ramp up stock for the festive season now. And looks like the speculators have had eyed this opportunity. This can make the festive/marriage season bitter not just for shoppers but jewellers too.

Gold prices have been firming up over the last week( you can look at the last weeks prices in the right column under the heading Today's Gold prices), which confirmed a see-saw pattern in gold prices. But this is a roller coaster, what can I say, Buckle Up!

Funny thing life is: I cannot help but contrast my mood between the last post and this one. Read it for yourself and compare.

Gold prices may fall further by Rs.600

More good news for consumers and jewellers alike. Gold is slated to fall by another Rs. 600 in the coming week. It will hover around Rs.11,000 for 24K gold. This fall has been a resultant of strengthening dollar and falling crude.

We know from first hand experience that when the gold prices recently fell. Their was a huge shortage of raw metal and gold fetched a premium over the prevailing prices. With India's festive season of Diwali ahead gold demand is slated to rise. This would again push the prices up. So this looks like a momentary dip. It would be prudent not to wait for gold prices to fall beyond this level.

Branded jewellery: Is it a good investment?

The Traditional Equation:

You know the moment you drive out a brand new car from a showroom its value depreciates massively. You are prepared for this. And there is nothing you can do about it. Until and unless its a limited edition production. Same goes for anything like furniture, electronics, clothes ....whatever. These things are created in assemblies and as long as there is demand, it can be met. On the other hand expenses in gold and land/property is considered an investment which appreciates due to lopsided demand supply equation. You can only produce so much gold which is economically viable and land cannot be produced (unless you are dutch).

Enter branded jewellery:

India is seeing branded jewellery in droves. Adora, asmi, nakshatra, ddamas, gili, orra, ishi's, kiah, nirvana, sangini and sia are some to name. Perhaps one for every letter in the english alphabet. The launch of these brands are the result of 2 key insights. One, a lot of expendable income available to the young adults. Second, the globalizing tastes of the Indian middle class. Branded jewellery turned the traditional jewellery market upside down with their star studded marketing campaigns. They woo the younger generation with star power to make a point. Their designs in gold and diamond jewellery start at couple of thousand rupees.

Is it an investment?

The value of your investment is the money it will fetch in the market when you go selling it. Branded jewellery gets that wrong in 2 ways. Most of the branded jewellery available at store-in-store or even exclusive showrooms have a very clear cut return policy. A consumer loses anywhere from 15-30% of the value, depending on whether you have exchanged or wanted your money back. Much more then the making charges of such an ornament. This makes branded jewellery an accessory rather than a store-house of value. In other words : It epitomizes the culture of use and throw which is slowly seeping into the indian mindset. Secondly the appraised value depends on the price you bought it at and not the day of selling it. So the benefit of any rise in gold eludes the consumer. A fact not liked by many investors in gold. These reasons combined explains why branded jewellery hasn't made inroads into the mind of the older generation of consumers( quite likely the parents of this young generation).

India is the biggest market of gold and diamond jewellery and Indians consider every bit of gold an investment. Branded jewellery in India has not been able to keep in tune with this investment philosophy. And any amount of star power cannot put that value in it. What is your take on branded jewellery? Leave comments below.

India 2012: Loose diamonds/jewellery retailing hub

Update 20/3/2010: We have launched India's First hybrid model of diamond retailing by an independent jeweller. Its a momentous occasion as we are living a dream we have talked about in this very post. Find out more here.

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This is the second post in the Blue Ocean Opportunities in Indian gems and Jewellery sector series. My first post is here.

This post has various inspirations. Medical tourism, e-commerce and sramana mitra's posts on India 2020, a query from a finnish visitor to our blog, india's unique position as a diamond processing hub. I know it looks like the opening of a thriller from a future Tom cruise's science fiction movie. So hold on to see the outcome.

For all the naysayers who think Internet is still in its infancy in India, this can be a perfect antidote. An e-commerce initiative not just for Indians but the whole world visiting India.

Imagine a certain Mr. Hakkinen from Finland plans to pop the question with an engagement ring. He logs online and chooses from thousands of diamonds online before settling for a 1.5 carat , asscher cut, fancy yellow , SI2, ideal cut . Not just that , he also orders a setting /style of the engagement ring. He chooses the delivery option of faraway India. No his girlfriend is not Indian, infact, He is visiting delhi for a business trip and plans to mix some personal shopping with it. As he chooses New Delhi airport among various options within the city for the delivery of his ring.

At the New Delhi airport which has been upgraded for the recently concluded Common Wealth games in 2010, he walks into a swanky store to pick up the ring, gift wrap it and also the diamond certificate that comes with it.

Mr. Hakkinen is assured of the best priced diamonds in the world. Thanks to india's dominance in polishing 90% of the world's small diamonds. India enjoys a crucial position in the world diamond supply chain. With 9 0ut of 11 diamonds in the world polished here. These diamonds are then shipped everywhere in the world. Mr. Hakkinen knows this and thats why no other international site (bluenile.com, abazias.com or amazon.com) offers to deliver loose diamonds or their jewellery in India. In fact the diamonds are priced at atleast 20% less than these websites. Enough to pay back for the airlines ticket. And at the heart of this reasoning lies the logic of making that purchase.

This can be a reality for millions of visitors coming into India as tourists, business persons, patients etc. In each of these cases a trip to India can be redeemed for more.

Related Articles:

Blue Ocean opportunites in Indian Jewellery Industry

Shri Krishna pendants in gold and diamond at Kathana

Janmashtami is around the corner, on 24th August. On this day Krishna was born and widely celebrated by devotees across India and world. Special programs are held at ISKCON also.


A pendant featuring Shri Krishna and Radha in gold and diamonds. The crown, clothes and the aura are made of diamonds. The garland is made of ruby stones. Colour to the clothes is provided by meena work.



Wondering why Shri Krishna's skin is blue? Krsna means black, blue or dark blue, More on this at wikipedia. Kathana has more than 2 dozen idol pendants of various Hindu deities in gold and diamond including Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha and symbolic OM.

Meghana of Asklaila.com has captured the celebrations of this day very exhaustively.
Catch the spirit of some worldwide celebrations at this blog.

Update: 3/9/2008
Ganesha in Gold:


This pendant is made of pure 18K gold and diamonds.

In this stylish pendant ganesha is a part of the symbolic OM. Agian in pure 18k gold and diamonds.

Updated : 2/3/2010

Watch it in a video:

Kathana Jewellers turns 4.

Celebrations time at Kathana Jewellers as we turn 4 this day. Who thought 4 years ago that we would be so taken by this thing called blogging that we will share all our thoughts and milestones with everybody like this.

Moreover in the last 4 years the Kathana Family have grown big enough that its tough to even get all of us together. Here are some pictures of most of us. And 4 of us are still missing.


Meenu,Ruchi, Aditya, Anubhav, Ritu and Ritu.

Ruchi ,Ritu, Ranjit, Kapil, Jitender, Meenu, Ashok, Ritu, Ankur, Ramesh.

The trio again

From left to right: Ramesh, Dad, Ranjit, Ashok, Ritu, Ruchi, Ritu, Aditya, Sunil.

Finally the dominos guy are also here.

The entire store was decorated with colorful ballons and a pizza, dahi bhalla party ensured everybody carried that energy through out the day.

Questions around falling gold prices

Gold prices make news when they rise or even when they fall. And last weeks crashing gold prices didnt just sent consumers on a buying spree but also a topic of hot conversations on both sides of the counter.

A few topics of conversations around this phenomenon which I was a part of or over heard my colleagues take it in the store.

Consumer: Is this a good time to buy gold or should I wait a little more?
Aditya: Remember what happened in stocks. People thought sensex will touch 25,000 and refrained from profiting when they could. It tanked and touched 14,000 instead. Similarly when gold was on an upswing there were rumours it would touch 15,000 per 10 gms. It tanked to 11,000 and now people think it will touch 8,500. I would beg to differ. Any kind of investments should be done in phases and thus making a median gain than trying to hit the bottom.
Consumer: Kyun Bhaisahab! Fall in gold prices must be hurting jewellers?
Aditya: No. Not Really, In fact quite the opposite.
Consumer: With eyeballs popping out. hows that?
Aditya: When the gold prices were sizzling hot at Rs. 13, 600 or so, the flow of customers had slowed to a trickle. People weren't sure if this is the benchmark price they should get used to. For a lot of people it made their budget go haywire. Now when the prices have fallen people are queuing back to jewellery stores.
Consumer: What about the jewellery/gold bought at higher prices. Aren't they of lower value?
Aditya: Sure it is, but every time a piece of jewellery is sold, the equivalent of gold is brought the same day at the same prices. I have a post on this. So a jeweller's margin(that of making charges) is intact.
Consumer: But why this sudden fall in gold prices?
Aditya: One aspect is sure that US dollar has become stronger vis-a-vis Indian rupees. And as a thumb rule they move opposite each other. Both gold and US dollar vie for the Big hedge funds, Financial institutions' money. And as dollar shows promising signs of beating the inflation, a lot of money is taken out of gold and put into them. The opposite happened when dollar was tanking. Gold rose. How its related to crude is not clear. Visitors to this blog are welcome to comment.

Attractive time to buy gold

Look at whats happened to gold. Its touched a low of Rs. 11, 860 per 10 gms for 24K on 08/08/08 in Delhi. And no ones complaining: Neither the buyers nor the jewellers.

Our sales personnel haven't heaved a sigh of relief for the last couple of days. When they are not attending customers they are making calls to our existing customers informing them of the current gold prices. I am personally calling up friends, relatives and acquaintances.

This time of the year is usually slow in sales for the jewellery industry. But this fall in gold prices has been a shot in the arm for the sales of both gold jewellery and gold bars/biscuits. So much so that people are planning ahead and buying gold for the marriage season. As gold prices are expected to rise again during that time.

So, Should you buy gold now? There are both sides of the line still. You will find experts advising to buy gold now and not really wait for it to hit bottom. While some are of the belief that gold prices are slated to fall further to Rs. 11, 000.

Whatever your call. You can not blame prices not being within reach for your important gold purchases anymore. Be it investments, marriage or gifts.

Raksha Bandhan Special Offer - Aug. 9 - Aug.14

Raksha Bandhan Special Offer: Kathana Jewellers is celebrating the festival of brother-sister bonding with a special discount for the week long period leading upto the festival. There is a 50% off making charges on store-wide collection of Gold and Diamond Jewellery.

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on Aug16th. The discount runs from 9th Aug to 14th Aug. This is valid for our entire jewellery collection except gold coins and customized orders. So be it a earring or a gold bangle you want to splurge on we have our entire collection for you to choose. And the icing is, that gold prices are way below Rs.12,000.

So go ahead and shop and just ask your brother to accompany you. I am sure he wouldn't want you to dip in your wallet.

Jewellery shoppers: Beware of these 5 pitfalls on Ebay India

A newspaper story and a couple of blog mentions caught my attention and I thought I will chip in with my thoughts on this.

The newspaper story that ran in ET about ebay selling 1 product a min and the most selling category online is jewellery must have certainly frowned a few brows. Ebay sells a jewellery piece every 7 mins, more than any other category including cellphones, cameras, coins, stamps etc.

That is definitely a shot in the arm for the entire e-commerce industry in India.
But before you jump with both feet in it. Here are a few things you need to look for when shopping online at ebay India.

1) Home grown certificates for diamond authenticity.Most of the sellers on ebay provide their own certificates for the authenticity of diamonds. There isnt any standardized GIA, EGL certificates offered. which means these certificates dont hold water when you go selling them offline.
2) There is no true exchange/refund. Online shopping entails making a purchase decision looking at the pictures provided by the seller, which are often not so good quality. When a user is not satisfied with the actual product the return costs the consumer 10%- 25% or more as 're-stocking fees'. I found a seller which claimed - 100% satisfaction guarantee and yet had a 20% restocking fee if the item was returned.
3) The gold purity is 14K in most cases. Offline stores rarely sell jewellery items in 14K. This translates into good savings.
4) None of the jewellery is hallmarked. There are studies published by BIS on the prevalent purity of most gold items sold offline. Why cant the same happen online?
5) Adjectives like "full cut" and "premium white" describe the quality of diamonds.When internationally its an accepted norm to use the 4Cs namely cut, colour, carat and clarity.

These are early years of ecommerce in India and the biggest draw of online commerce has been the low prices. So the consumers are throwing caution to the wind and not asking as many questions as they would ask the offline stores. Both consumers should start asking for more and sellers should be prepared to offer more as this mode of shopping has to gain mainstream acceptance.

Bangles Mania

Last week was spent photographing a few of our in store designs. As our website is in the process of a upgrade where more pictures will find a place. This series of bangles mania showcases some our well received designs in handmade, and machine made 22K hallmarked gold.

A handmade bangle.

A antique look handmade bangle


Another beautiful antique look bangle. This is enamelled ( meena work) in various colours.


A machine cut bangle.



An unusally designed antique looking bangle with meena work and semi precious stones. This is designed by craftsmen from Calcutta.


A classic bangle with 'drops of gold' design. It is embellished with Semi precious stones.

A Bangle Stack.

Fighting the Goliath - Tanishq

Talking to a friend over dinner a few nights ago. One question that came up was how are the family jewellers going to fight the onslaught of Big Retailers in the future.

Family jewellers have ruled the indian jewellery retailing for centuries now. So far, so called "organized retailing' was non existent or just a miniscule share of the more than $12 bn. jewellery market in India.

But now the big jewellers are upping the ante. The goliath in the jewellery industry -Tanishq recently opened its storefront in Pitampura. Goliaths being goliaths are deep pocketed and omnipresent rivals.
In the jewellery industry , its safe to say loyalty among consumers drives the family jewellers. But shifting loyalty is just a "so low making charges" away. So, is there scope for innovation beyond loyalty that can keep the family jewellers flags flying high.

With the impending big retailers push in the jewellery sector. What are the options for a family jeweller? How can they fight the onslaught? So what is it the davids can do the goliaths cant?

In this post I try to dig deeper to analyze some of those options.

1) Design is not a commodity:

No matter how big the giant be, no matter how deep their pockets are . Design will never be a commodity. And precisely thats the reason when you don't like something you have the option to go to another shop. A big retailer can only have so many designs which will appeal to so many users. Designs at a big retailer are mass produced to satisfy the lowest common denominator. And this leads to a distaste when you see someone else wearing what you are wearing.

2) Owning a niche:

Travelling through Chandni Chowk one cant help but notice how single product businesses are flourishing. People from all over delhi flock to the bylanes of this part of delhi for its savories. Whether its the dahi bhallas of natraj or the kachories of the corner shop past the paranthe wali gali. These businesses have held their own despite the biggies like haldirams and are just a stones throw away.
The remarkable thing these businesses have done is own a niche in the food sector. Similarly owning a niche whether its custom diamond engagement rings, moissanites or just polki jewellery has its own rewards.

3) Going the extra mile err... kilometer:

Its good to have certain processes which a company follows and have pre-determined rules in place. Often that helps in resolving conflicts later on. The sales person is trained to handle situations like this in a text book fashion. In a big retail store , Professionals have little incentives to make a one to one relationship with the clients.

When a customer needs a little bit of extra service or explanation. Can your 'processes' handle it? For example we have a 30-Day 100% money back on all our stocked jewellery. What if a customer came with a peice of jewellery on the 31st day or 35th day or maybe even the 40th day after the purchase? We will still be able to offer the same guarantee whereas the stringent 'processes' of the retail chain might not be able to extend that courtesy. Or schedule a payment collection from home? Can they open the store on a holiday to allow you to make that last minute gift purchase for your wedding anniversary?

4) Taking the best from the competition.

Besides Tata's reputation behind it, it was the standardization at Tanishq. Consumers knew that the gold purity was assured and so was the quality of craftsmanship. And this wouldn't vary if you went from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Quickly comply with the BIS hallmarking standards. The sooner you do the better. After all "its profitable to be ethical".
Side Note: Tanishq follows its own certification and not the BIS certification.

5)Being a part of the community:

We have been in the north west delhi for 15 years and that has helped us to understand this neighbourhood better than a lot of other people. A lot of small businesses have been in their respective neighborhoods for that long or longer. Take that and mix it with social responsibility(CSR). For E.g. you can support certain causes with school like no-firecrackers-this-diwali. You can adopt a road divider and green it up. You can sponsor cultural events in your neighborhood. No retail chains can be a part of your community like you can.

Goliaths like Tanishq has access to huge amounts of fund which are used to buy more designs, a better shop ambience and a scientific Karat-o-meter(to verify the purity of gold). Ofcourse, the Tata brand brings in unrivalled brand equity.

Davids are nimble they can 'change' fast and any change by goliaths will require innumerable meetings among their directors, they need to take care of cultural issues(being pan india) , logistics becomes a nightmare and sometimes their computer systems wont be able to handle it.

In the storybook outcome, David wins. Lets make that story come alive in the jewellery sector.

Image Courtesy: DNA- The third mobile operator

Lightweight Jewellery flavour of the season

There arent a lot of jewellery shows happening in the capital. So when Reed Exhibitions came to town with the JCK jewelry exhibition last weekend, you surely cant miss it. The markets in a large part of Delhi remain open on weekends so Monday, being off, seemed the right time to make that beeline for the hall no. 10 in Pragati Maidan.

This was JCKs 3rd edition of their B2B show in Delhi. And if you are wondering about the timing then let me tell you that this is the appropriate time for retailers to replenish their stocks just before the wedding & festive season.

A special note of thanks to the marketing manager of reed exhibitions(yes they understand what role bloggers play) who allowed us to take pictures of the galleries inside the hall. We were told not to take close ups of the jewellery items or the sales staff to which we honestly adhered.

The show featured wholesale jewellery manufacturers from around India and international jewellers from Italy, Dubai and Hong Kong. Gauging from the mood of the exhibitors it was clear that the high gold prices meant most of the jewellery was light weight. And this was visible across the exhibition hall, except for the wholesalers from South India who still displayed chunky jewellery designs from your neckline to midriff.

Another trend visible at the show was the apparent shift of precious metal jewellery from a 'storehouse of value' to a fashion accessory. Especially the Kundan Polki jewellery designs reinforced that paradigm shift from value in favour of design.

We at Kathana Jewellers are taking note of such shifts in consumer trends and appropriately making changes which will reflect in our store this coming diwali of 2008.

In the picture from left to right. Ankur Gupta and Yours Truly Aditya Gupta.

Jewellery Code for Professionals, Angadia and the Economics of Gold Digging

Jewellery Code for Professionals
Are you getting ready for an interview? Not sure what jewellery to wear. As we adopt western attire at work we might as well pick some cues on how jewelry laden one should be. Virginia Tech has a simple guide on Interview Attire with excerpts here(via Jewelry Design Depot).


Jewellery code for Men:
Wear a conservative watch. If you choose to wear other jewelry, be conservative. Removing earrings is safest. For conservative industries, don't wear earrings. Observe other men in your industry to see what is acceptable.

Jewellery code for Women:
Wear a conservative watch. Jewelry and scarf styles come and go. Keep your choices simple and leaning toward conservative. Avoid extremes of style and color. If your industry is creative, you may have more flexibility than someone pursuing a conservative industry.

Angadia: Couriers of the Diamond Industry

If dabbawallas of Mumbai have attracted the attention of western media then angadias are next in line for their jaw dropping reliability in delivering diamonds across India.

Packets of diamonds called 'parcels' in industry lingo are carried on-person by these 'Human couriers' from the diamond hub of Surat and brought to major jewellery markets of India like mumbai, delhi, Kolkata and elsewhere.
For the value even a small diamond carries one would be hard pressed to believe that human couriers with not much of personal safety equipment can deliver reliably every day, every time and every parcel. It might seem archaic in these times to think of transporting these valuable goods without any lock and key but no ones complaining. Read more on JCKonline.


The Economics of Gold Digging
And finally, a must read from NYTimes' Freakonomics blog co-autohored by Steven D. Levitt talks about a different twist to The Economics of Gold-Digging. Enjoy.

Answers to the test

Ok time to go through the answers for the previous test. For the uninitiated its answers to the questions in the post below this one. I remember how I used to feel in my school days where soon after giving the test I would like to know the answers. Friends would huddle together to discuss them, of course now you have the internet to turn to.

One reason to give this test is to see how 'jewellery aware' the visitors or stumblers to this site are. I have no clue how many took the test and how many were even right. With not much actvity in that dept. I guess we are all left with wild guesses to make. I have a better response to the poll that is going on right now. The findings of that poll would be analysed in a post after this one.

So quickly the answers

1) c : there are 5 signs needed to identify a hallmarked jewellery. They are BIS logo, Purity fineness, Assaying or hallmarking centre's logo, Year of hallmarking and finally the jeweller's logo

2) d: the survey found 90% of the ornaments tested for the claimed purity to be grossly deficient in purity. More articles here.

3) b: The corresponding hallmark sign for 18k purity is 750. Want to know whats the sign for other purity levels? Read here

4) a: Hallmarking ascertains the purity of only the gold used in the ornament be it gold jewellery or diamond jewellery.

5) a: A consumer should lose only the making charges on return of gold jewellery.

6) a: Yes diamonds mounted on jewellery are certifiable . Thanks to the opening of diamond grading labs like IGI it is now possible to know the clarity and color of diamonds 'embedded' in gold.

7) b: A certificate by a reputed grading lab like IGI, GIA or EGL only indicates the characteristics based on 4Cs. It doesnt indicate the value of the diamond.

8) a: The 4Cs of a diamond are cut colour, clarity and carat. Diamonds sold with names as white, super deluxe or eye clean are a clever way of hiding the other qualities of a diamond.

Take this test to determine your jewellery quotient.

I have put up an impromptu test for you. Actually I thought of this test yesterday afternoon but decided on questions just now. What better way than this to quickly replenish your knowledge in jewellery 'must knows'. Leave your answers and email ID in the comments section.

Answers to this test will be revealed/explained in the next post. Here it goes:

How many marks does a hallmark jewellery have.
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6

A survey conducted by BIS found how much(in percentage) jewellery were deficient in purity claimed
a) 20%
b) 50%
c) 75%
d) 90%

What is the corresponding hallmark for a jewellery made in 18k gold?
a) 916
b) 750
c)585
d) 958

Hallmarking ascertains the purity of
a) Gold
b) Diamond
c) Gemstones
d) Alloy

Best Practise Question: When returning gold jewellery how much does a consumer lose?
a) Only making charges
b) making +10%
c) making +5%
d) Nothing

Are diamonds mounted on jewellery certifiable?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Depends

A certificate of diamond also indicates its value
a) Yes
b) No

The main characteristics of a diamond are
a) Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat
b) Cut, Colour, Eye-Clean, Carat
c) Shape, Colour, Clarity, Carat
d) Cut , Colour, Clarity, Deluxe quality

Let me give you a hint: Only one choice is correct in the above test.
You can use the internet and our blog to find answers to this test but you wouldn't know your real jewellery quotient then. So don't cheat.
More than one question is India specific and doesn't indicate behaviour/patterns in other countries.

Photo credit jubea via flickr.com

New Poll : Most important aspect when buying Jewellery

Dear Visitors to this blog. We have a new poll displayed on the right column. The poll 'Most important aspect when buying Jewellery' takes into account various reasons people shop at a jewellery store. You can select multiple options if you like.

The results are out. I am listing out the choices and the number of votes they received.

Purity --------7
Designs -------0
Occasion ------1
Gold Price ----1
Certification --2

The results indicated that the most important aspect while buying jewellery was Purity. Some kind of certification for the bought jewellery not just for the gold but also diamonds came in second. The occasion and price of gold tied for the 3rd place. And it seems it didn't matter so much as far as designs are concerned.

I am sure its not the same order for most of the people as jewelers like tiffany's have built business with their exclusive designs. You can be assured of the purity of gold by insisting on a hallmark jeweller. Gold and diamonds have different certification criteria. Gold is certified for its purity using 5 hallmark signs which are laser-carved on the ornament and doesn't come with an explicit certificate from the assay centre while diamonds are graded on 4Cs and should come with certificates from reputed institutions like GIA, IGI, EGL.

Customer Service: Stepping in their shoes

Came across this great youtube video via Himanshu Sheth's blog.



Now, how many businesses do you come across that make that much effort to win new customers or even retain their existing ones?

The Great Chain Festival - May 20th - June 20th

Summer is upon us and the thunderstorms and squalls might provide some relief but delhites know better. Fortunately Gold hasnt take a cue from the searing weather of Delhi. Gold hasnt breached the Rs.12,000 mark for 22k in quite some weeks now. So, you can say that we are celebrating that.

The GREAT CHAIN festival at Kathana is just that. With more that 200 designs in Italian and Handmade Indian chains this festival boasts of designs recently featured in jewellery magazines.
The festival features some very light chain just perfect for summers. Dual color chains with white gold and copper touch in Italian designs look very unique and desirable. Then there are enameled(meena) handmade chains which bring a tinge of colour to the selection.

The Italian chains are 18K gold and Indian ones are 22k gold. Also the festivities will last a month. Though slated officially to launch on May 2oth our blog visitors get to know in a little in advance

A special note of thanks to all our sales staff for banding this all together just in time, given just 2 weeks of notice to select design and place orders.

Sone Pe Suhaga is 1 year old

Woohoo! we recently completed a year of blogging. What looked like a fad has sustained beyond that. Thanks to all the visitors who keep coming everyday which really inspires me and Ruchika to keep going.

Your numerous questions either on comments of various posts or to the info@kathana.in ID shows there is a lack of credible source of information. And we are filling in those gap in our small way.

As we write, a lot of issues become clear to us and helps us step into the shoes of our customers. Honestly if this didn't happen to us we would be a lot poorer in understanding what drives this business and what consumers want.

This blog has not only grown leaps and bounds by number of posts but also in features, insights and number of visitors.This past year regular readers would have noticed constant changes from introducing feeds to regularly updating gold prices.

Blogging to us has also been a strategic way of getting our word out inexpensively( though it does take a lot of time and energy so its expensive by that measure).

And as we head into Year 2 of our blogging journey we will continue writing about issues that are of relevance to consumers of jewellery especially in India. We would urge you to drop small words of encouragement so we know our efforts are appreciated. Thanks for stopping by.

Akshay Tritiya : Kathana offers gold coins in 5gm and 8gm

Check out our Diwali Festive Offer for 2008 here.

We (Indians) love gold. And if there is a festival which gives us a reason to indulge in it then its surely Sone Pe Suhaga. Akshaya Tritiya is on 8th May and is believed to be a very auspicious day to buy gold. If you want to learn the significance of this based on our Hindu calendar wikipedia is a good place to start.

It could be an opportune moment to buy gold in any form be it jewellery, gold coins or bars for 2 reasons. One,this festival is believed to be a harbinger of good luck and never ending wealth and Secondly, So far gold prices as of today have been among the lowest after reaching upto Rs.13,500 per 10gms.

The gold prices earlier had been a dampener to the sales of every jeweller. If a jeweller says otherwise he/she is lying:) But that momentum fortunately didn't last long and gold prices have tapered just in time for the festival.

At Kathana Jewellers we are offering gold coins in 5gms and 8gms denomination. The coins will be 22k pure and hallmarked.

5 more things you should know when shopping for jewellery

Some homework you should do before you venture out shopping for jewellery. This only intends to make you more informed. Asking the right question will save heart burns later on.

1) 'Extra Charges' to get your jewellery hallmarked.
This is a little more complicated than other myths mentioned here. For jewellers following the BIS standard of hallmarking( you can identify them if they advertise 'hallmark jewellery available here'). After the ornament is manufactured its sent to a BIS certified assay centre to verify its purity( BIS only certifies purity of gold and not the grade of diamonds). This service costs the jeweller a nominal amount of money which is passed on to the consumer as making charges. The assay centre charges a minimum fee whether a jeweller sends 1 item or multiple items. Now if the jeweller only stocks hallmark jewellery then they will send multiple items to the assay centre for verification and subsequent hallmarking stamp. This in effect distributes the charges over multiple items, making it very nominal per item hallmarked.

On the other hand if a jeweller does selective hallmarking or hallmarking on-demand. At this point the jeweller has to pay a minimum charge for a single item of gold/diamond jewellery hallmarked. This is passed on to the consumer. Now when the consumer notices these 'extra hallmarking charges' it is bound to raise suspicion.

Their are 2 ways for consumers here. If its the only jeweller in town who can guarantee a hallmarked item, its better you pay up the extra charges and ensure hallmarked jewellery. If you are in a town/city where you have a choice of other jewellers you should exercise that.

2) After repeated use gold and diamond turns black
A gold/diamond ornament will lose it shine over the years due to dirt, grime, moisture etc. but a normal wash with soap water should bring back the shine on your diamonds and make your gold look almost as good as new. If you see black marks which cannot be removed even after repeated washing. Its an indication that the gold is impure.

3) 100% Lifetime buy back is a trust guarantee.
Though 100% lifetime buy back can be a good thing, it not a guarantee of purity or quality of craftsmanship. Infact it only indicates that the retailer will buy it back for sure. One should always ask how much of your money will you lose on returning. We offer a unique buy back program called 30-Day 100% Money back guarantee. This is very different from 100% lifetime Buy Back Guarantee. Please visit the difference here.

4) (Super)Deluxe Quality Diamonds.
Diamonds are characterized by their 4Cs no matter where you buy them from. They are cut, colour, clarity and carat. But unscrupulous elements will try to sell you home grown names like deluxe quality diamonds, eye clean diamonds etc. Always ask how these (super) deluxe quality diamonds fare against globally recognized 4Cs.

5) No wastage, No Polish:
The simple fact is that manufacture of gold ornament results in wastage and polishing charges. Now most of the time it is clubbed into making charges or price of gold to avoid the consumer knowing it. Any jeweller advertising int he above format could actually make up for it by selling non hallmarked jewellery.

Phot Credit: Davepatten via flickr.com

Pitampura: A jewellery shoppers' Paradise

Check out our Diwali festive offer for 2008 here

I do not represent the Traders' Association of Pitampura or even the jewellery retailers here. Pitampura, in North West Delhi was famous for only and only its T.V. tower. Arguably the tallest structure in Delhi. Life was slow moving as everywhere else. Its only recently(isn't that a pan India phenomenon)that the changes around this area is noticeable and worth mentioning.

Especially, for gold jewellery shoppers, Pitampura has emerged as a complete shopping destination in North-West Delhi. It has clearly emerged as the most sought destination among nearby areas like Rohini, Shalimar Bagh, Ashok Vihar, Paschim Vihar and Punjabi Bagh

You can easily count the who's who of the jewellery world having an outlet here.
Here you will find tons of family jewellers like Goel Jewellers, Goelsons, Rawalpindi, Sona jewellers, Hira jewellers, Vasundhra Jewellers, Hiraq Jewellers, Pytex Jewellers, Baba Jewellers, Champalal Jewellers and Jewellery store chains like Tanishq, Bholasons, Joy Allukkas and P.P. Jewellers.

Infact when Gold Souk ( a mall dedicated to only jewellery stores) opened its first mall in Delhi, It was none other than our neighbourhood.

Some of the other well known jewellery hotspots are Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk(Kucha Mahajani), Connaught Place and South Extension.

A few updates on this blog

A few announcements on whats new in this blog. Regular visitors must have noticed the right column has a few new things. We did this for a few reasons.

We cannot predict the price of gold but we can make the internet a better place to search for it. An update reflecting gold prices in our store on a daily basis would be available to our blog readers. We will try to update it after 12:30pm on days the market is open. So keep coming often to check the gold prices. We wish we could RSSize it. I will dig more into how can get them in your blogreader.

Google provides some interesting tools to help us share our knowledge of the jewellery world through the Custom Search Engine. We will keeping adding sites to this so that you get highly relevant search results quickly.

Thirdly, we are online a lot of times and would like visitors to take advantage of that fact by throwing question at us. Though right now I cannot commit on the times of the day and days of the week I will be available. So its going to be a little random. You can always send us your questions on info{@}kathana{.}in(Please remove the parenthesis to get our contact info). I check that on a regular basis.

5 ways to save money on new gold/diamond jewellery

I have been wanting to write this post before the recent drop in gold prices but time not permitting, I kept procrastinating till now. With the current gold prices its never too late I guess.

SO here I am aggregating 5 ways to save money if gold purchasing is on the agenda:

1) Stretch the money thin: 1 gm gold ornaments are a hit and available at many stores. Read more on this here and here.

2)14k Gold: Jewellery ornaments made in 14K contain less gold. I mentioned all the virtues of going for low caratage in your jewellery here.

3) Chains minus the weight: You can find a lot of very heavy looking chains which are actually hollow. "A lot of chains are being made hollow and the reduction in weight is compensating for the rise in gold prices," said Roy Lynch, director of Strictly Gold.

4) Join a loyalty program : Retailers(likeTanishq, Kathana) entice consumers with a loyalty program where points accumulates and can be redeemed for various discounts and sometimes with free gold.

5) Exchange Old gold for New: Read my earlier blog post on this here.

Photo Credits: 24thcentury via flickr.com

And gold came tumbling after....

the stock market meltdown. Gold prices are down to Rs. 12,250(24K) from Rs.13,450 just 3 days ago. Earlier the stock market saw valuations eroding due to profit booking and now the gold investors have followed suit.

Gold buyers can heave a sigh of relief now albeit with some caution. Since the turmoil is going to continue it will be some more days before the dust settles on this.

This news comes almost at the end of the wedding season. So a lot of consumers had resorted to either exchanging their old jewellery or keeping jewellery purchases to a minimum. A lot of jewellers (including us) saw sales going down substantially upto even 85%. So with this news, even the jeweller community can now take off their oxygen ventilators.

Deconstructing a Jewellery Advertisement

This is a picture of a typical ad published in print. It came out in the middle week of February and is a perfect example to talk about the current state of affairs in jewellery retailing. I have deliberately blurred the name and contact of the jeweller because this isn't about finger pointing but more about education. To make it simple I have numbered the issues I will bring up in this post.

But first lets consider the advt. Its really straight out of a thriller and can set your pulse racing by the time you finish going through it.

1)Bombay Rate Showroom
Gold is inexpensive by almost Rs.150-200 per 10 grams in Bombay and if you can get the same price in a Delhi showroom then its clearly a Sone Pe Suhaga(if I may borrow the title from our blog).

2)Today's Gold Rate
The gold rate of Rs. 9590 per 10 grams advertised during the second week of February when the gold rate was hovering close to 12,000 is almost a 20% below market rate. You may rightly argue that you are being passed the benefits of "frozen gold prices". Gold purchased by the retailer when the prices weren't blood sucking.

3)Low, So Low Making Charges
Almost as important as the "frozen" price of gold is the oh-so-low-making charges. So low that its hard for even a seasoned bargain hunter to come up with any reason not to give it a second thought.

4)100% Buy Back Guarantee
Usually accompanied with " Hum hain Naa, Behenji". This guarantee will unarm a naive or seasoned customer alike. A 100% buy back guarantee is sure to convince you of the value you are getting.

5)Rs.4000 per Carat Diamonds
Diamonds so affordable. Now who wouldnt give in to that.

Now consider these simple questions YOU as a consumer can ask.

1) Is It HALLMARKED?
Just this question is enough to dilute the positioning, first 3 points in the ad had taken. I have done some back of the envelope calculation to show how this one critical question can make the gold look copper and low making charges look a big sham in disguise. The economics of selling below market price is questionable. I have raised this issue earlier(Check out the related articles).

2) Is Buy Back is equal to Cash Back and not Exchange Back?
It is a guarantee of taking back the jewellery but assuming its going to be a cash back offer can put you in soup. It might well be an exchange only offer. This brings to the next question. If exchanged, Do I lose 10% of the value or 20% 0r even 30%?

3) What color, shade are these diamonds for?
Knowing that you get what you pay for is especially true in case of diamonds. The diamonds at this price are usually brown in shade, which is not clearly evident because they are mounted.

Marketing can be cleverly used to disguise real issues like hallmarking, buy back etc. Hope this makes you a more informed buyer.

Related Articles:

Handling Volatile Gold Prices: A Jeweller's Perspective
Take a hard look at buy back policy
How to avoid the Low Making Charges trap when buying jewellery

Serendipity links for 02/26/08

Serendipity means accidental goodluck and this is how I felt when I stumbled upon these links.

A new feature of this blog I will now start featuring jewellery related links on this blog whenever I find any.Heres my first 2:

Nikhil Muses over a common mallu's penchant for gold in this insightful blogpost. Reminds me of days when I was in Bangalore and all my mallu friends sported a gold chain. Didnt think much then. Gold's Own Country

Neha Bhatt from rediff.com talks about detachable jewellery or rather multi use jewellery as the new trend among younger couples who have begun questioning the age old wisdom of spending tons of money on wedding gold jewellery and then storing them in vaults after that.
Detachable jewellery to suit all times.

We have mentioned a similar trend at this blog some time back in this blogpost titled Sensible Jewellery

Happy Surfing!

Add pearls to your jewellery collection...literally

Pearls ! Almost instantly an image of tens of pearls strung together comes to mind. Pearls among gemstones was synonymous with jewellery of the royalty in earlier times and affluent older women of our times. Undoubtedly they were pricey then. Some of the exotic ones like tahitian are expensive and can really set you back by a few lac rupees but the white ones are as irresistible as ever.

Pearls for ordinary earthlings was synonymous with their teeth. Remember the age old advt. of Dabur Lal Dant manjan which went on to say Raju tumhare daant toh moti jaise chamak rahe hai. They have come a long way from that. If diamonds can be manufactured artificially and become popular as moissanite. So are a lot of pearls artificially cultured in oyster farms. Making them more affordable.

Pearls are back in favor and this time not as estate jewelry but as a must have fashion accessory. Of course they have their place firmly entrenched in the royals heart. But I am talking about the cultured pearls which are finding their place in necklaces and bangles.

So if your jewelry collection was getting monotonous its time you looked at pearls.

Featured above is a pearl bracelet adorned with real diamonds from our store.

New Offering: 14K Diamond Jewellery

There was a time when 10K and 14K jewellery was prevalent in the west but we in India loved our jewellery in pure gold. Shooting gold prices has changed all that. Now, Consumers are demanding stylish design at affordable prices.

Kathana Jewellers has recently started manufacturing 14K diamond jewellery adding to their existing 18K line. This will help our existing/prospective customer base to enjoy the wedding festival and love for gold. In the process they will also end up saving around 22% for an equivalent 18K item.

In 14K the percentage of alloys is higher than 18K and 22K making the ornament stronger and less prone to wear and tear. It will be hallmarked as '585' corresponding to 14K. With all our return policies and buyback guarantees intact.

The times they are a-changin' by Bob Dylan is suddenly ringing in my ears.

Related Posts:
New Offering: Loyalty Cards
New Offering: Custom Made Engagement Rings

Trust Mark: Is it better than Hallmark?

Recently The Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation(GJF) launched the Trust Mark program to help shore up the image of the industry and give consumers confidence.

The govt. proposed Hallmark was limited to purity of precious metals like gold and silver but what GJF proposes with the trust mark is an all encompassing program which goes beyond just hallmarking.

The trade body has proposed a list of criteria like adhering to Hallmarking standards, transparent consumer policies et al.

A few things stand out as one delves into it and compares it vis-a-vis hallmarking:

Confusion in consumers mind:

At the onset it is bound to create confusion in the consumers mind especially when they start thinking of it as equivalent to BIS hallmark ( and/or haven't read this post :) ).

Need for a common playing ground:

GJF has proposed 3 categories to involve the maximum number of jewellers in this program. They are: The top jewellers, the preffered jewellers and the reliable jewellers based on the number of years in the trade, turnover of the jeweller and area of the retail outfit. This choice of criteria is inappropriate.

Since this is a new initiative every jeweller should be given a common playing field. It would be more appropriate that jewellers be chosen based on their customer relevant policies. On the other hand it promotes a certain group of jewellers and has tried to divide the jeweller community based on their number of years in the industry.

We at Kathana pride in the fact that we offer a unique 30-Day 100% Money Back guarantee on all our off-the-shelf jewelry ornaments making us perhaps the only jeweler to do so. Yet with such unique customer centric practises we cannot enter the supposed hallowed circle of 'top jewellers' because we are relatively new to the industry and don't have the requisite floor area.

High fees would be a deterrent:

The fees are for the top jeweller, the preffered jeweller and the reliable jeweller is Rs. 6 lac, Rs. 2.5 lac and Rs. 25,000 respectively.

In fact, its quite ironic that the jeweller community had quite vehemently advocated against such high fees when BIS implemented hallmarking. Sure, the trust mark isnt forced as hallmark was but are these high fees justified.

Lacks teeth:

The GJF's disclaimer:

While stating that a member jeweler has been found to confirm to the strict standards prescribed by GJF under “Trust Mark”, GJF does not assume nor is GJF deemed to assume any responsibility whatsoever with regard to the purity, content or quality of any product sold by such jeweler.

Whereas the BIS clearly states:

Relies on clear rules, delegation of responsibilty, only to those who are certified by BIS and penalties ranging from suspension of license to heavy fines for clear and persistent violation of rules.

Only when the initiating body of such a program take a stringent stand against violating jewellers will this initiative gain public acceptance and hold credibility. Whereas BIS had specified strict guidelines/action against the violating jeweller GJF is relying on self-regulation.

So, to end, trust mark intends to go beyond hallmarking which is good but lacks the teeth in its enforcement . Also It should be a more democratic system keeping the gates equally open for everyone.

Related Article: An Exclusive Club & A Logo To Deliver Consumer Confidence

On a side note: There is a need for a body similar to Better Business Bureau of America so that it addresses all the trade and retailing sectors facing consumers offline or online.

Related Posts:

What is Hallmark Jewellery?
Hallmark Mandatory from Jan 2008...really?