The J Mag Debut Issue TheJMag Debut Issue | Page 47

Feature In Kerala there are around 6000small scale as well as around 10 very large scale players in this industry. Most of popular jewellery brands of India are based in Kerala. Gold is part and parcel of the life of keralites. This metal is an inevitable one in all the major functions of the people of this land. Even then there was a small setback in the sale of this metal in the pre GST era. But after the introduction of GST the demand for this yellow metal has been recouped. Not just an investment… it is an emotion Price of gold over the decades has risen sharply. Since the past 10 years the rate of gold has shown an increasing trend of around 120%. This has made it a strong means to invest in. Most of the middle-class people of Kerala usually set aside a small percentage of their salary to invest in Gold. This is the reason why major jewelleries in the state had implemented gold purchase scheme with regular and small instalments starting from Rs 1000/-. Such schemes have created great acceptance among the middle class and lower middle class customers. Even the youngsters have started following the footsteps of their immediate predecessors in investing a small percentage of their savings in gold. A normal trend which is seen in this state is that once a girl child is born her parents start investing in gold as they know that gold has a quality which would transpire a women’s life into eternal bliss. The recent crashes and the inherent risk in investing in the stock markets also push people to invest in this metal. Like a land which has lots of jewellers Kerala is also a land of many micro finance companies which accept gold as securities for lending. This also has impacted in the increased demand for Gold in Kerala as it proves to be an investment which can be converted in to money at any time. Unparalleled a�finity for gold The recent developments in this industry like that of online gold trading, light weight gold ornaments, affordable diamond jewellery etc has also resulted in the acceptance of gold jewellery among the youths of Kerala. Kerala also features one of the most transparent methods of gold trading in the country. It is here where the 100% barcoding system, rate tags, 100% hallmarking etc has been implemented first in this country which has attracted many customers even from other states to Kerala. Kerala has always been and will be always ‘Gold’s Own Country’ An exclusive knowledge sharing series from Bhima Jewellery www.bhima.com