Has gold jewellery lost its allure?

A disheartened craftsmen laments his dying profession

KARACHI: The art and craft of jewellery making has flourished in the Subcontinent since long. Gold jewellery, in particular, holds not only symbolic value within South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures but also has a long trajectory embedded in tradition, history and societal norms.

Karachi too has its fair share of gold jewellery markets complete with retailers and craftsmen who have been in the profession since generations. It has been common practice for craftsmen to immerse their sons in the same profession.

However, Farhat Ali Khan, who has been in the industry for over three decades says his three sons will not be joining his business. The 51-year-old craftsman says the industry has changed and jewellery-making is now a dying profession.

A disheartened goldsmith
Khan believes the art of jewellery-making in Karachi is now barely surviving. According to him many craftsmen have abandoned the profession as it is difficult to earn even Rs15,000 a month. The veteran craftsman claims that in the past, gold jewellery craftsmen were high in demand, jewellery retailers would seek them out but now craftsmen are forced to knock on doors looking for work. Nearly 60% to 70% workshops in Karachi have shut down.



Gold jewellery workshops in Karachi have been shutting down while the craftsmen are selling their tools and taking up odd jobs in factories, setting up stalls for different items such as food or driving rickshaws to earn their living.

This is disheartening as Khan explains, the craft itself is not an easy one to master. He says the process comprises multiple phases including moulding the gold, carving out the design, fitting in precious stones and polishing the final product. Each phase requires different skills and most of it is intricate work which takes days to complete.

In the past, workshops would hire several workers, different ones for each phase, but now there are many craftsmen who are experts in the field but have been rendered jobless as the demand for their product has dropped significantly.

According to him, while India has adjusted to the shift in the market and its industry has adopted new technologies, catering to changing trends and benefitting from the export market, Pakistan has not managed to do the same successfully. While in the past the export of 15 kilogramme to 20kg parcels was common now even the biggest retailers in Karachi export barely 1kg of gold jewellery and that too is not on a regular basis.

He further laments that shifts in market trends and the decreasing purchasing power of the people have rendered the profession redundant even during the wedding season which used to be peak time for new orders.



Although jewellery retailers are still operating in Karachi and figuring out new ways to expand their business, the craftsmen have borne the brunt of the declining industry. Khan says goldsmiths would present their daughters with traditional gold jewellery sets on their weddings but are now forced to give silver jewellery merely polished with gold.

This is quite a blow as within South Asian cultures gold has also been seen as a status symbol. The affluent and wealthy still hold gold in high regard even if they prefer their designs to be less laden with gold and more intricately crafted. That trend has trickled down to the other sections of society as well but older generations continue to attach sentimental value to gold.

Dying art
According to Khan, the decline began in the industry 20 years ago. Worsening security conditions in the city affected both the customers and suppliers of gold jewellery. Many craftsmen relocated to other cities as their clientele reduced significantly. People were afraid of wearing jewellery, other than on special occasions, as the number of street crimes and robberies increased in the city.

By the time security conditions improved the younger generation had embraced artificial and silver jewellery and preferred simplicity over the traditionally preferred heavy gold jewellery. Imported artificial jewellery also provided customers with cheaper options.

Once a cherished tradition and a respected profession, the craft of jewellery making, especially gold jewellery making, is now slowly fading away in Pakistan in the face of shifting trends, struggling economy and modern technology. The flailing security situation does little to help.