Jewellery

Buying gold on Akshaya Trithiyai is a recent phenomenon.I don't remember the day being touted as auspicious for buying gold until some years ago. However the craze has caught on, due to some clever advertising by jewellers. They now even ask people to place an order for a jewel, which will then be delivered to them on Akshaya Trithiyai, so that they do not have to brave the crowds to make their purchases on Akshaya Trithiyai.

In the past, families had their own trusted jewellers, who would bring home their catalogues, and the women would, in the comfort of their homes, place an order for a piece of jewellery. Some people in my family had even learnt how to check the quality of diamonds. We have with us some of the instruments they used for checking the size and quality of the diamonds. One of them is a stand that can be fixed at different angles, to enable one to look at the diamonds from whatever angle was convenient.Another is a set of gauges that help you to judge the size of the diamonds. (see pictures).

Whether one is talikng of a cell phone, or a car, one inevitably hears the word 'accessories'. But did you know that Maharajahs used diamonds as accessories for their cars?