COIMBATORE: While facemasks have become unavoidable due to the pandemic, a Coimbatore based goldsmith has come up with masks made with strings of gold and silver.
The goldsmith, Radhakrishnan Sundaram Acharya of Thoppampatti in the outskirt of the city, has made a gold mask with 46.5 grams of 18-carat gold which costs Rs 2.75 lakh. Also, he has designed a mask using 40 grams of 9.25 sterling silver at the cost of Rs 15,000.
Speaking to TNIE, Radhakrishnan, who has been a goldsmith for 35 years said, “As the pandemic has affected human beings across the globe, now the facemask has become inseparable. To make awareness among the public, I have designed two masks with gold and silver strings."
“Making of mask in gold strings, it took me seven days and six days for the silver masks” he added.
After seeing the creation of mask in valuable metals, Radhakrishnan claimed that nine orders have been received from five jewellers and three individuals from parts of Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and New Delhi.
“To exhibit their prestige at events, three businessmen have given the order to make masks in silver strings. The other six has also ordered silver masks. We are negotiating with customers demanding gold masks as well,” he said.
Earlier Radhakrishnan has made many waistcoats using gold strings based on orders. He said that his name has been entered in India Book of Records, 2019 for making a waistcoat for a five-year-old female child with 5.3 grams of gold in it.