BHUBANESWAR: After two years of Covid-19 shadow on Akshaya Tritiya, gold sales in the Twin City gained pace this year. Almost all jewelry outlets in both Bhubaneswar and Cuttack saw brisk business of gold, silver and diamond jewellery on Tuesday to mark the day which is considered auspicious to buy precious metal or start something new.
On Tuesday, the price of 22 carat gold of 916 hallmark certification was Rs 48,200 per 10 grams while 24 carat sold at Rs 51,500 per 10 grams. Last year, the price was Rs 49,500 per 10 grams and in 2020, the price of the yellow metal was hovering over Rs 50,000 per 10 grams.
Jewellers said following a slump in the gold sales due to the pandemic, there was an almost 30 to 40 per cent rise in the sales this time. President of Odisha Jewellers Association Sourav Roy said the sales have picked up because of three factors - price drop, return of normalcy to the markets and the ensuing wedding season.
“Today despite the heat, all the shops witnessed good footfall. People usually buy bulk gold during Akshaya Tritiya due to the discounts on the gold price and making charges,” he said and added that the sales have not reached the pre-Covid level though. There are around 300 shops in Twin City under the association. The trend of buying light jewellery continued this year too.