GOLD, THE RARE CONSTANT

THE LURE OF THE YELLOW METAL AS A LUCRATIVE LONG-TERM INVESTMENT AND FASHION STATEMENT CONTINUES DESPITE PRICES GOING THROUGH THE ROOF.

- BY P. B. JAYAKUMAR

IN JULY, Prakash Solkar, an IT professional residing in Mira Road, Mumbai, sold his one-bedroom apartment for ₹42 lakh.

He initially expected the process of upgrading to a larger two-bedroom home in Navi Mumbai to be simple. The family, comprising his wife Prajuktha and their twin boys, had set their sights on a well-furnished flat near the upcoming international airport. But then came the shocker—the flat came with a price tag of over ₹1.2 crore.

Prakash did the math. A home loan of ₹50 lakh meant at least ₹50,000 in EMI for 15 years. With the children’s college expenses looming and an existing car loan, the couple realised borrowing on Prakash's single income wasn’t wise. The Solkars then turned to Indian families’ old and trusted reserve: gold.

“I raised the balance money by selling about 50-60 sovereigns of jewellery and gold bars. Its value during our marriage in 2012 was around ₹30,000 per 10 grams for 22K gold. When we sold it in early October, we got over ₹1 lakh, even after depreciation,” says Prakash. After paying for the house, the remaining amount was used to purchase new jewellery for Prajuktha.

Prakash is not alone. As equities stumbled and volatility crept back in 2025, many Indian households are going the Solkar way to monetise their dormant shimmery wealth tucked away in lockers, leveraging record returns, a rarity in other asset classes. As prices scaled historic highs, the yellow metal once again reminded investors why it’s the ultimate shock absorber.

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