[1]Aishwarya Prashanth, 24, does not have a weakness for gold. However, when it came to her wedding trousseau she preferred to go in for antique jewellery for that traditional look.
Many young brides like her are now opting for classic antique jewellery in gold for their bridal ensemble.
“Everybody wants to sport a new look, especially on their D-Day. As people cannot go on creating new designs, the older and classy jewellery is making a comeback,” says Aishwarya.
After completing a full cycle, jewellery designs of the 18th and 19th century are back in vogue with addigai, mangamalai, poo thaali, jo mala and guttapusal becoming a part of the personal collection of most young women.
Young brides these days take pains to do research about the jewellery they want to wear and pieces like Kantasaram, a 19th century choker-type unit and kudai jhimmikki and jada nagam are becoming popular, says wedding planner Preetha Rakesh.
This has led to jewellery retailers hoping that these centuries-old designs whip some excitement into the market to boost sluggish ornament sales.
“Antique jewellery is becoming rarer these days and is even difficult to acquire from artisans,” says Princeton Jose, MD of Prince Jewellery. The firm conducts an annual antique jewellery show called Ancient Secrets around July. “These days many families refuse to part with their heirlooms even if we promise a good price,” he says.
With gold prices increasing, such innovations are expected create a buying frenzy among people. “Our collection is popular with NRIs and we schedule our sale around July when most of them visit India for summer vacations,” Jose says.
With the rupee losing steam against dollar, better sales are expected in this year’s exhibition from June 29 to July 15.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/jewels0jpgcropdisplayjpg-711