Buyers embrace lower purity as gold soars

With gold prices hitting record highs, traditional 22and 24-karat jewellery is fast slipping out of reach for many buyers.

- Dipti Sharma [e-mail]

The sparkle, though, hasn't dimmed—it's just shifted. Consumers are increasingly turning to options like 18and even 9-karat gold, which offer the same glam at a friendlier price.

Jewellery retailers are catching on: Titan's Tanishq, for instance, has widened its 18-karat range, particularly targeting the wedding market. Senco Gold says demand for 14-karat and 18-karat pieces is on the rise, with the industry already eyeing a 9-karat future.