When you think of the city of Jaipur, a few things come to mind. The pink city, haunted forts, dal baati churma, and of course jewellery. While the markets of Jaipur are littered with small and big stores selling all kinds of jewellery items – from oxidised earrings to kundan sets, the city is just as famous for the manufacturers and wholesalers who sell such items.
One among the many variations of jewellery available is imitation jewellery, which has a big market both in India and abroad. Imitation jewellery comes in all shapes and sizes, and at all price points as well. With materials like enamel, coloured stones, varied metals; and styles like Indian, western, fusion and organic, there is no dearth of variety. But what one must keep in mind is that while variety in styles and designs means you can choose freely, a variety in manufactures and wholesalers demands caution.
When there are a lot of sellers in the market, especially in a place like Jaipur, there is strong competition that requires selling the product at competitive prices. But in order to reduce prices, some might compromise on the quality of the product. As a purchaser, what is most important is to choose sellers who are trustworthy, both in the quality of their product as well as the services they provide. A seller who has high standard manufacturing processes, who pays due attention to quality checks and finishing, and who values the trust of their customers is the clear winner from the lot.