Patna: With Dhanteras just days away, jewellery showrooms across Patna are seeing a steady rise in advance bookings as customers look to beat volatile gold prices. Jewellers are offering rate protection, discounts on making charges and diamond value, and old-gold exchange schemes to attract festive buyers.At a branded showroom on Fraser Road, jewellery worth around Rs 5 crore has already been booked for Dhanteras delivery. Store manager Mayank Jain said gold jewellery was leading demand, as buying the precious metal remained a Dhanteras tradition. “The dip in gold prices has also encouraged customers planning weddings to start shopping earlier than usual,” he said.Wedding collections are particularly popular among those with ceremonies planned in the coming months. The store has also introduced its Adhyayan Tara collection, inspired by the Milky Way and the cosmic world. It features polki and kundan-inspired designer jewellery, including sets, bangles and finger rings, Jain said.Manas Kumar, sales manager at a jewellery store on Bari Path, said customers could avail themselves of discounts of up to 20% on gold making charges. Diamond jewellery comes with discounts of up to 20% on diamond value, alongside an old-gold exchange offer.“Light-weight products such as chains, finger rings and earrings are in high demand because customers can easily wear them for daily use, offices and parties,” he said.Pranay Kumar Mazumdar, store manager at a branded showroom in Lodipur, said diamond jewellery was seeing stronger demand than pure gold, particularly for daily wear. “Most of the bookings so far have been for diamond jewellery. The store is offering 100% discounts on making charges of diamond jewellery, while gold jewellery also has product-specific discounts,” he said.Binod Kumar, a jeweller and president of Patliputra Sarafa Sangh, expects the market to outperform last year. “Gold and silver prices are at relatively lower levels compared with the past 9-10 months, so we expect Dhanteras sales to be stronger this year. With the wedding season also approaching, this is a good time for customers to purchase their wedding jewellery,” he said.
