A worked example: pricing a pair of polki chandbalis

Every bill from our shop lists the gold, the stones and the making charge on separate lines. Here is how that works for a pair of polki chandbalis like the ones in our window, so you can read any jewellery bill with confidence.

Gold comes first. Suppose the pair uses 18.6 grams of 22K gold. At a day’s rate of, say, ₹6,400 a gram for 22K, the gold line reads ₹1,19,040. The rate changes daily, which is why we write the date and the rate on the bill. Stones come next. Polki is priced by carat, and these earrings might carry 4.2 carats of polki at ₹4,500 a carat, which is ₹18,900. The green beads and seed pearls are listed by weight too, perhaps ₹2,600 for the pair.

Then the making charge, which pays for the chitera’s drawing, the gold work, the meena on the back and the setting. On a pair like this it might be ₹14,500. We show it as a rupee figure, not hidden inside a higher gold rate. Add these and you reach about ₹1,55,040. GST at 3% adds ₹4,651, so the total is close to ₹1,59,700.

When you later exchange the earrings, the gold line is what we value at that day’s rate. Knowing the split helps you compare shops fairly. If another bill shows only one total, ask for the gold weight and rate in writing before you pay.