At Indian weddings, celebrations are celebrated for days, eaten and above all: gold. It stands for tradition, status and security. But the record -high gold price endangers this tradition.
In the south of New Delhis, shop manager Gaurav Chandra presents a necklace with rubies, diamonds and a golden trailer-as big as a walnut. “This kind of jewelry is made for weddings,” he explains. Polki jewelry, opulent and handmade, is firmly part of the traditional bridal equipment. Every piece of jewelry is staged here. It is wedding season – and in the coming weeks it will be married all over the country. A big show. But not everyone can play along.
Kalpana Mathur is sitting a few kilometers away and looks worries at the coming weeks: her son will get married – but the costs for the jewelry are heavily burdened by the family. “The appointment is clear, but the gold price has risen so much. We now only get half for our money,” she says.
In fact, the digital scoreboard in the air -conditioned jewelry shop shows a record value: 97,460 rupees – over 1,000 euros – cost ten grams of 24 -carat gold. And jewelry gold is also hardly cheaper: 22 karat, the standard for high -quality bridal jewelry, is only slightly below. Geopolitical uncertainties and a fluctuating US customs policy raised the price.
A tradition under pressure
Kalpana Mathur still wants to stick to the tradition, but has to improvise. Your daughter -in -law should receive a small chain for engagement – the big gift is only available for the wedding. She will probably also have to contribute a piece from her own collection, she says.
In India, many parents are already starting to buy gold with the birth of their child – especially when it comes to a daughter, explains gold expert Shekhar. But especially for younger generations, it is becoming increasingly difficult to build your own reserves in the form of gold. With every further increase in price, the question arises: How long can this tradition last?
“In the past, you simply gave away ten grams of gold at the wedding,” says Shekhar. “Today the budget has remained the same – but the money is now flowing into smartphones, brand fashion or electronics.” If gold remains priceless, the loss of a cultural symbol that has embodied security, pride and status threatens in India.