Transactions in jewellery shops picking up

Sonia H Moni | Published: July 18, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Transactions in the city's jewellery outlets have started picking up with traders expressing their mixed reaction over this year's sales.
Some of the traders are happy with their sales while luxury shopping malls are waiting for the rush after the 22nd Ramadan.
Traders said diamond-cut, stone-set and gold-plated jewellery top the Eid shoppers' choices while gold and diamond jewellers are sitting idle in different city shopping centres.
They said gold and diamond ornaments are beyond the capacity of people of lower and middle income groups. So the buyers are switching to fashionable diamond-cut jewellery and stone-set and gold-plated ornaments.
The jewellery shoppers prefer to go to different shopping centres like Bashundhara City, Eastern Plaza, Mouchak, Anarkoli, Gawsia, Chadni Chawk, Eastern Mollika, Twin Tower, Rapa Plaza, Karnaphuli Garden City, Tropical Razia and Navana Tower.
Sumaiya Rahman came to Bashundhara City with her sister to buy large earrings at Tk 2,200 and two bangles at Tk 2,000 to wear during the Eid festival. Both of the ornaments are diamond-cut. These are costly but its shine and design are trendy. She said, "We came here as we found latest, trendy and beautiful ornaments at the Bashundhara City shopping mall."    
Lily Begum, a housewife, said she went to the Gawsia Market as prices of different products there are within the buying capacity of the middle-income group.
She bought two stone-set gold-plated bangles, earrings and necklace for her daughter. These cost Tk 800.
Gopal Chandra Das, salesman of Momo Jewellers of Bashundhara City said, his sales are increasing gradually and it will be more. Most of the clients are fond of gorgeous but light ornaments for the Eid festival.
Clients prefer one pair of diamond-cut bangles at prices ranging between Tk 800 and Tk 4,000, gold-plated necklace with earrings varying between Tk 2,000 and Tk 9,000 and single earring between Tk 1,000 to Tk 3,000 and finger rings between Tk 500 and Tk 2,000.
Cosmetics Fair of Eastern Plaza owner Md Monirul Islam said, "We are selling a few ornaments but we expect a large number of buyers three or four days later."
 "Hindi movies and Bangla TV serials of India have influenced the buyers to search for different ornaments which they watched there. So this year, Ashique two, Ramlila, Pankhuri, Astha and IPL earrings, Pakhi anklets and others are now available here."  
The price of new single stone-set earring is between Tk 1,000 and Tk 3,000, three-layer garland with earring ranging from Tk 2,000 and Tk 4,000 and diamond-cut bangles from Tk 800 to Tk 2,000.
The diamond-cut and gold-plated ornaments are cheaper, easy to wear and can be polished after these lose their shine. For this reason, the clients like to wear these products, he said.
Al-Hossain Jewellers salesman Ashraf Hossain said, "I can hardly remember when I sold gold chain during Ramadan. It might be one or two. Once people were interested to spend their Eid bonus on gold ornaments for mother, sister, wife or daughter, but times have changed".
But now gold is so costly and nobody wants to invest his Eid bonus for it. So they go for different imitation jewellery shops for their desired ornaments, he said.  Some diamond jewellers are offering discounts ahead of Eid, but the sales are limited with a small nose pin costing between Tk 1,600 and Tk 4,000 and small earring and small finger ring between Tk 10,000 and Tk 20,000.
Besides, oxidized, copper, beads, crystal stone, zircon stone and other material-based ornaments are also available in the markets and buyers are choosing as per their budget.
Lower income group people are not lagging behind as they also match their ornaments with their dresses from the cheaper roadside shops.