Abu Sazzad :
All that glitters is not gold. But the city’s imitation ornament sellers are doing a hefty business just ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr as the business of gold ornament marked comparatively dull due to sky-high price.
The sale of imitation ornaments has attained momentum in the city markets, particularly in footpaths. The sellers are making a booming business.
On Monday, this reporter visited a number imitation jewelry makeshift shops at Gulistan, Motijheel, New Market, Farmgate and Mirpur areas. Imitation ornaments sellers of Eastern Plaza, Bashundhara City, Rapa Plaza, New Market, Gausia, Chandni Chawk, Karnaphuli Garden City, Twin Tower as well as of roadside shops said that they are receiving numerous consumers everyday.
Many shop owners said their best selling period is the last week of Ramzan, when female customers buy fancy ornaments matching with their dresses. The customers are now buying various trendy imitation ornaments, like ear-rings, finger-rings, necklaces, bracelets, toe-rings, armlets and anklets.
Abdul Alim, an imitation ornament seller on the footpath near Gulishan Market said his sale has increased manifold during the month of Ramzan. “Generally, I could sell ornaments amounting to Tk 5,000 per day, but now I can sell worth Tk 20,000 a day,” he said.
Sales of imitation jewelry in the local market have increased by more than 80 per cent during the last couple of years due to skyrocketing price of gold ornaments, said Md Osman Ali, a vendor of Mirpur-10.
The yearly demand of imitation ornaments in domestic market has reached Tk 2.0 to Tk 3.0 billion during the last couple of years, according to concern stakeholders.
“Unfortunately, the quality of local imitation jewelry is very poor. For this reason importers bring jewelry from India and China to meet the demand. Around 80 per cent of imitation jewelry is imported from India, and the rest comes from China,” the vendor said.
The golden-coloured ornaments, like bangles, ear-tops and rings, necklaces, chains, nose pins, toe-rings, armlets, anklets, bracelets and others items are brought from India. On the other hand, the silver-coloured, wooden, plastic, junk and other ornaments are brought from China.
Abdul Halim, another vendor at Farmgate said, now the people of upper, upper-middle and middle-classes largely depend on the imported imitation ornaments, as design and quality of these products are fine and their prices are also reasonable. The poor people still depend on locally-made low-quality imitation ornaments, he said.
Besides the big wholesale market at Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka, the city dwellers buy imitation ornaments from different markets, like Eastern Plaza, Bashundhara City, Rapa Plaza, New Market, Gausia, Chandni Chalk, Karnaphuli Garden City, Twin Tower as well as from roadside shops in front of Eden College, he said.
Rupa Haque, a customer of imitation jewelry said that once upon a time people purchased gold ornaments on the occasions of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha but nowadays marriage is the only occasion when the middle-income group people buy gold.
She said women also prefer using imitation instead of gold for the security reasons. Following the high price of gold, the sale of imitation ornaments has gradually increased during the recent years, she also said.
All that glitters is not gold. But the city’s imitation ornament sellers are doing a hefty business just ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr as the business of gold ornament marked comparatively dull due to sky-high price.
The sale of imitation ornaments has attained momentum in the city markets, particularly in footpaths. The sellers are making a booming business.
On Monday, this reporter visited a number imitation jewelry makeshift shops at Gulistan, Motijheel, New Market, Farmgate and Mirpur areas. Imitation ornaments sellers of Eastern Plaza, Bashundhara City, Rapa Plaza, New Market, Gausia, Chandni Chawk, Karnaphuli Garden City, Twin Tower as well as of roadside shops said that they are receiving numerous consumers everyday.
Many shop owners said their best selling period is the last week of Ramzan, when female customers buy fancy ornaments matching with their dresses. The customers are now buying various trendy imitation ornaments, like ear-rings, finger-rings, necklaces, bracelets, toe-rings, armlets and anklets.
Abdul Alim, an imitation ornament seller on the footpath near Gulishan Market said his sale has increased manifold during the month of Ramzan. “Generally, I could sell ornaments amounting to Tk 5,000 per day, but now I can sell worth Tk 20,000 a day,” he said.
Sales of imitation jewelry in the local market have increased by more than 80 per cent during the last couple of years due to skyrocketing price of gold ornaments, said Md Osman Ali, a vendor of Mirpur-10.
The yearly demand of imitation ornaments in domestic market has reached Tk 2.0 to Tk 3.0 billion during the last couple of years, according to concern stakeholders.
“Unfortunately, the quality of local imitation jewelry is very poor. For this reason importers bring jewelry from India and China to meet the demand. Around 80 per cent of imitation jewelry is imported from India, and the rest comes from China,” the vendor said.
The golden-coloured ornaments, like bangles, ear-tops and rings, necklaces, chains, nose pins, toe-rings, armlets, anklets, bracelets and others items are brought from India. On the other hand, the silver-coloured, wooden, plastic, junk and other ornaments are brought from China.
Abdul Halim, another vendor at Farmgate said, now the people of upper, upper-middle and middle-classes largely depend on the imported imitation ornaments, as design and quality of these products are fine and their prices are also reasonable. The poor people still depend on locally-made low-quality imitation ornaments, he said.
Besides the big wholesale market at Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka, the city dwellers buy imitation ornaments from different markets, like Eastern Plaza, Bashundhara City, Rapa Plaza, New Market, Gausia, Chandni Chalk, Karnaphuli Garden City, Twin Tower as well as from roadside shops in front of Eden College, he said.
Rupa Haque, a customer of imitation jewelry said that once upon a time people purchased gold ornaments on the occasions of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha but nowadays marriage is the only occasion when the middle-income group people buy gold.
She said women also prefer using imitation instead of gold for the security reasons. Following the high price of gold, the sale of imitation ornaments has gradually increased during the recent years, she also said.
