Your saree border is turning into danglers, bangles

Sold to jewellery makers in TN

No, the soap producers are not buying old sarees, but the craze for ‘one gm gold jewellery’ as they are popularly known, is being propelled by these serials. Just as the gold rate skyrockets, the middle class is increasingly turning towards this kind of jewellry, more than ever before. So much so that there are units in Coimbatore which source out materials from various suppliers to make these jewellery worn by people of all age groups.

What’s your old saree got to do with it? you may ask. Well, the humble old saree, even if in tattered condition, means a lot to the businessmen in Tamil Nadu. City’s traders, big and small, are being commissioned into buying old silk sarees, separating the borders and sending them to jewellry makers in Tamil Nadu.

“We supply to people in Coimbatore. Men from Coimbatore come and buy it from us. It is usually cash-n-carry, unless the quantities are huge,” said Nagendra Shetty, a trader who runs a cyber cafe in Saraswatipuram said. When these sarees get to Coimbatore or other parts of Tamil Nadu, they are melted and used as covering for ‘one gm gold jewellery’ which is turning quite a rage with even traditional minds opting for it. 

Usually, old sarees are bought by select people or shops. But, in this case, the shops most frequented by women across ages and even girls are selected by the traders for their raw material. “The other day I went to a cyber cafe and the owner asked me if I was interested in selling old sarees with gold border.

I did and he gave me a good price for the saree which otherwise would have simply gone bad sitting in the wardrobe,” says Sheela Rao.

Her Mysore silk saree, torn in places, fetched her a neat Rs 1500! She has resolved to sell atleast three more sarees, coupled with some from her mother’s collection to make a tidy sum. Economics sure has different connotation in women’s world!