The Hindu Business Line : Silver is everywhere

With a whole gamut of accessories — necklets, bracelets, anklets, pendants, chains, ear-studs and danglers, and sets (neck and ear co-ordinates) — sporting a contemporary and youthful look, silver is what catches the fancy of the fashion-conscious today.

Silver is the colour of the season. Wherever you turn, you see the trend-conscious sporting silver jewellery. It's on the street, it's on screen, small and big, it's on the pages of fashion magazines. TV vamps have been sporting ear-rings which would rival small chandeliers, film actresses have been appearing in things delicately silver, fashion journals are full of silver jewellery. It's official: silver has finally become a fashion statement.

And that makes for a huge change: till even five years ago, if you were on the edge of fashion, you stayed away from silver, which was meant only for cash-strapped college girls, and the lower-income groups, for whom gold was a distant dream, and the only affordable metal was silver.

It's not just teenagers who are buying cartloads of silver, it's working women, and middle-income homemakers who have gold and diamonds, but who wouldn't mind buying more for less: a slender silver chain can cost around Rs 100, depending on the purity and the making; a similar gold chain would cost you at least Rs 1,000, and above. Silver is, and has always been, within everyone's reach, price-wise.

Though an average Indian woman's acceptance of silver is much lower than her Western counterpart, where silver jewellery has been flaunted by fashionistas for decades, it's now growing. And what is good news for her is the entry of branded players in the Indian market, who are providing classy, stylish silver jewellery at highly affordable prices.

There's Tanishq's FQ, there's Oyzterbay, a Tanishq breakaway group, and there's the latest entrant, Taraash: of these only Taraash is currently focusing totally on silver; the rest also do other metals.

Apart from the brands, there is a whole host of stand-alone jewellers who crowd the market, catering to this huge amorphous demand for their ware. Practically every upmarket location in the bigger metros comes with a silversmith. And because the intrinsic value of silver is so low (its wholesale price is Rs 8 per gram, and for that much you can't even get a decent roll of mints!), most buyers do not bother to ask questions about purity. So be aware that what looks wonderful on that street stall may not be pure silver, but just white metal, and you could end up with allergies, and metal burns.

One brand which is pushing the purity angle, and rightly so, is Taraash, which launched early this year, and is currently available at specialised counters in shops at Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai. An off-shoot of Agra Chains Pvt Ltd (ACPL), a 50-year-old family held firm which pioneered the silver jewellery movement in India, and which entered the domestic market 10 years ago after creating a solid base in exports, Taraash is backed by production facilities, and a global sense of fashion. In two years, they plan to be available across the country, especially at Archies outlets, whom they've just tied up with.

Most of its range — and it covers the full gamut of necklets, bracelets, anklets, pendants, chains, ear-studs and danglers, and sets (neck and ear co-ordinates) — is contemporary and youthful, and priced between Rs 200 and Rs 1,200. Some of it is designed metal; some of it is studded with colourful crystal, and semi-precious stones: a set with pretty pink crystal is eye-catching (Rs 870): I see another elegant one in an aquamarine marquise cut, which could hold its own even among snooty diamonds.

And it comes with a guarantee of purity: 92.5 per cent, which is the accepted standard globally. A lot of it is rhodium-plated, which means that it stays tarnish-free for a longer time (the property of silver is that it tarnishes — any contact with air, and it gets oxidised, and acquires a blackish tinge). To get around this, manufacturers are always on the look out for procedures to make the metal tarnish-free: either they deliberately oxidise their silver, or they rhodium-plate it.

The latest technology which Taraash says it is planning to introduce soon is e-coating, something which both hardens the metal, and keeps it shining. Says Umesh Gupta, Managing Director, Taraash, "You don't have to be a Preity Zinta to wear our products. They are for everyone, and they are for all kinds of wear, daily wear, at the workplace, and for party wear. The USP of our jewellery is that it is fusion — Indian styling with global styles. It is also pure, and affordable."

At the other end of the spectrum are individual creators like Neena Berry, a self-taught designer, who is passionate about the metal and creates exclusive pieces under her brand, `Ananya'. Neena, who began three years ago by making a few pieces for her sister and close friends, is now supplying to stores in Mumbai and Delhi, and is also happy to provide collections to people abroad who like to sell her stuff. But what she really loves to do is to make individual pieces for customers, whom she likes interacting with closely to get to know their preferences and tastes.

She has a wide, eclectic range, and she uses a lot of semi-precious stones such as turquoise, peridot, amethyst, topaz, mother-of-pearl, and so on, to offset the silver. Priced between Rs 150 and Rs 7,500 (except for made-to-order stuff like studded belts and necklaces which she has to source expensive stones for, which can go to Rs 20,000), her jewellery is funky and good-looking.

Her on-the-job learning has involved a stint with a gemmologist, and watching her kaarigars (workpeople) with a great deal of care. So she does a mix of sourcing her raw material as well commissioning to get pieces done according to her specifications. What's great about her stuff is that however variable your choice, you can find something to complement your personality.

Says Neena, as she shows off an interesting-looking garnet-studded watch, which she has just designed (the batch will be ready soon, each priced at Rs 3,000), "I've often toyed with the idea of going into retail. But on balance, I prefer to stay small, and keep everything under my control."

Either way, whether you pick up your silver jewellery from a retail counter, or from individual vendors, you need to know that it is high-maintenance. Even with the hardest lacquer coating, or with rhodium-plating, it is liable to tarnish. So clean it once in a fortnight in a soft soap solution. And when you take it off, store it in an air-tight box.

Response can be sent to life@thehindu.co.in

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