How a kada is engraved by hand in our workshop
From a plain gold band to a creeper pattern: six days at the bench with our engraver, Murugesan.
Buying gold for Akshaya Tritiya and Deepavali
Why the two busiest gold days crowd every shop, and how to plan a calmer, cheaper festival purchase.
Two days in the year bring the most customers through our door on Big Bazaar Street: Akshaya Tritiya in April or May, and Dhanteras, the day before Deepavali. On both days, many families buy a little gold for luck, and the shop can see four times its usual footfall.
If buying on the day itself matters to your family, plan ahead. You can choose and pay for a piece up to two weeks earlier, and we hold it in our vault until the festival morning. Collection that day takes ten minutes instead of an hour in a queue. The price is fixed on the day you pay, so you do not need to wait for the festival rate.
Small purchases make the most sense on these days. A gold coin of 2, 4 or 8 g, a pair of studs, or a plain chain carries the lowest making charge, from 3% on coins to 8% on chains, so most of what you pay is gold. Elaborate pieces are better ordered in quieter months, when our karigars have time and you have time to try them.
Also remember that gold rates often rise in the weeks before festival days, because demand goes up across the country. If the purchase is an investment and not a ritual, buying a few weeks earlier, or in June or July, can work out cheaper. We send the morning rate on WhatsApp so you can watch it before deciding. On Akshaya Tritiya and Dhanteras we open at 8 am and close at 10 pm, with extra staff at the scales.
