As gold prices soar out of reach for the middle class, artificial and gold-plated jewelry are seeing an unprecedented boom in Pakistan.
The Affordability Crisis
With a basic 22K bridal set now costing upwards of Rs 1 million, the traditional gold dowry is becoming an impossible burden for average middle-class families. This has led to a massive cultural shift toward high-quality artificial jewelry.
The Quality of Imitation
Modern artificial jewelry, utilizing brass bases with heavy 1-gram gold plating and synthetic moissanite, is virtually indistinguishable from real gold to the naked eye. Brides are increasingly choosing to wear artificial sets on their wedding day and investing the saved cash into property or mutual funds.
How Jewellers are Adapting
Traditional Sarafa jewelers are adapting to this trend by either launching their own premium artificial lines or offering extremely lightweight 21K and 18K hollow designs that give the illusion of volume with a fraction of the gold weight.