By Suresh Soni

Rajkot, Feb.15 : For many jewellery lovers, Gujarat's Rajkot city should be best described as a synonym of gold ornaments. The city supplies over 50 per cent of the jewellery across India and is known for its exquisite craftsmanship.

Over 50,000 goldsmiths and artisans of Rajkot meticulously design some of the most exquisite wedding jewellery and account for more than half of the total trade across the country.

The unique selling proposition of Rajkot's wedding jewellery is that it is hand cut and not machine made. It takes about five to 10 days to prepare a jewellery set.

According to Ashokbhai, a jewellery exporter in Rajkot, the trend is veering towards heavy jewellery weighing between 200-300 grams as against 30-70 grams now.

"Jewellery from Rajkot is famous all over the world. People of Rajkot as well as others from various parts of the country including Ahmedabad, Baroda and Gujarat come here to buy exquisite jewellery. NRI customers, originally from Saurashtra, also flock to purchase jewellery from here," said Ashokbhai.

Not just the various showroom owners but also buyers from all parts of India visit Rajkot city for gold made wedding jewellery.

The goldsmiths here keep an eye on changing trends and customers' liking to ensure this knowledge adds to their novelty in catering the finest and appealing designs. Hence, matching with the changing times, these jewellers are fashioning out ornaments studded with gems or covered with enamel work.

Customers visiting the jewellery showrooms in Rajkot are delighted to find a wide variety to choose from for wedding sets.

"I have seen some of the very good designs here which include a range of Meenakari (enamelled jewellery sets), diamond sets and traditional wedding jewellery. There is a huge range of the jewellery made out of 200-300 grams gold available here," said Ankita Patadia, customer.

Rajkot's gold market has a daily consumption of over 2,000 kilograms.

ANI