Beyond gold: The wedding jewellery alternatives brides are opting for

Amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, PM Narendra Modi recently urged citizens to cut non-essential spending, including refraining from buying gold for a year. With the upcoming wedding season – a time when gold remains an essential purchase for both investment and its auspicious significance – jewellers share what consumers may choose instead if they are planning to get married this year.While gold remains deeply rooted in Indian weddings, this may be the moment when labgrown diamonds and gemstones finally have their turn in the spotlight. Not just this, heirloom jewellery, passed down from one generation to another, is also expected to have a major moment this wedding season.What can you buy if not gold?Consumers today are increasingly exploring alternatives that balance aesthetics and affordability. “This includes diamond jewellery, lightweight statement pieces, coloured gemstones, polki, and contemporary fine jewellery that can be worn beyond weddings as well. There is also growing interest in heirloom-inspired designs that offer emotional value and versatility,” says Bharti Bangur, owner of Bharti Bangur Fine Jewels.The shift in consumer behaviour has been building for some time, but the current situation has accelerated it further. “With rising import duties on gold, global uncertainty, and elevated prices, consumers in India are becoming increasingly mindful and practical in their approach to jewellery purchases,” says Sharad Arora, Co-Founder, Ethera, a BlueStone-backed lab-grown jewellery brand. He explains, “While gold remains deeply rooted in Indian weddings, traditions and celebrations, we do not expect buyers to completely step away from jewellery purchases, especially during the upcoming wedding season. However, there is a clear shift in consumer mindset today. There is a growing preference for pieces that can be worn regularly even after the wedding, rather than jewellery that simply sits in a locker as an investment.” He further adds, “At the same time, new-age brides and younger consumers are increasingly gravitating towards lab-grown diamond jewellery as it offers a strong mix of affordability and design flexibility.”‘This shift has given Indian consumers the cultural permission to look beyond gold’The government’s decision to increase customs duty on gold from 6% to 15% in an effort to protect India’s foreign reserves and strengthen the rupee has also intensified conversations around alternatives.According to a spokesperson from Verlas, a fine jewellery company, the current situation has given Indian consumers “the cultural permission to look beyond gold. Diamond jewellery, especially lab-grown diamonds crafted in 14K and 9K gold – which are now BIS hallmarked – are emerging as an attractive alternative, particularly as lifestyle choices evolve,” the spokesperson says, adding, “For wedding buyers, lab-grown diamonds offer something traditional gold currently cannot : the visual grandeur of fine diamond jewellery at a far more approachable price point. The Indian buyer, particularly the urban millennial, is increasingly asking: ‘Will I actually wear this after the wedding?’”‘We do not foresee a decline in wedding jewellery demand altogether’Earlier, buyers were still questioning whether lab-grown diamonds were “real”. Today, questions are increasingly centred around certification, buyback policies, and design preferences – a possible sign that awareness and acceptance have matured. “This could be the wedding season in which lab-grown diamond jewellery stops being a niche category conversation and becomes a more mainstream bridal choice,” comments the Verlas spokesperson. “We are likely to see traditional jewellers, not just specialists, actively merchandising lab-grown ranges more prominently.”Even so, jewellers do not believe gold will lose its central place in Indian weddings anytime soon. Instead, they expect bridal jewellery purchases to become more thoughtful and balanced.“We do not foresee a decline in wedding jewellery demand altogether,” says Bharti. “Instead, we expect a shift towards thoughtful buying – investing in timeless, versatile pieces with long-term value rather than purely volume-driven purchases.”