The city’s wholesale market for ‘shaadi ka bartan’ gets an haute makeover as a fashion jewellery bazaar. Rows of stores housing imitation jewellery in Begum Bazaar packed with shoppers, are testimony to the fact. The stores here also supply costume jewellery to leading Telugu banners and television houses.
With artificial jewellery sourced from Jaipur, Mumbai and Kolkata, as also Korea and China, the options are varied. Popular are polki, kundan and crystal jewellery. There is a wide range of temple jewellery as well - a stone-studded ‘kireetam’, necklaces for the deity and more. Pendants and drops in pure rubies, emeralds, sapphire, corals and pearls are also available. The baffling element is the price tag.
A 300 milligram gold plated necklace and earrings set looking as good as 22 carat gold and priced at Rs.2,500 can be a steal. For diamond buffs, the elegant Cubic zirconia and American diamond studded impressive neckpiece comes for a mere Rs.18,000.
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“We are suppliers to other retailers in the State. We also sell the jewellery here at wholesale prices, which attract buyers from various parts of the city. Shoppers throng before festivals and during wedding season,” explains Mohammed Mansoor of Shalimar Fashion Jewellery.
With an unending list of events in a wedding – ‘sangeet’, ‘mehendi’ and so on, purchasing a few artificial jewellery sets for occasional wear is the new trend. Wedding collection in these stores comprise ‘jada’, ‘Vaddanam’, arm bands, ‘chand bali’, hair accessories such as clutches and clips, ‘maang tikkas’ and more.
“The cost of gold is sky-rocketing. One gram gold jewellery set is a better alternative that offers an elegant antique look and costs as less as Rs.1,000. Also, there is more variety in artificial jewellery, which makes it popular. Today there is a great demand for fancy jewellery,” says the showroom manager of Zaara Designer Jewellery, Begum Bazaar. The near stampede of fashion buffs braving the rain and traffic to come here just proves the point.
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