By Majd Othman
KUWAIT: Despite the great harmony between communities in Kuwait, there are some cultural differences that govern several aspects of life, and one of these differences is gold-buying preferences among Asian communities. Kuwait Times visited downtown Kuwait City to talk to Asian nationals to learn more about the reasons why they prefer to buy gold jewelry from specific places in the country.
"I think it's about the taste and culture. For example, if I want to buy jewelry for a senior member of my family or for someone who is more into traditional pieces, then I would come to downtown Kuwait to buy 22 carat gold. But for someone aged between 18 to 45, they will prefer something of 18 to 21 carat gold, and the best place to go then would be to Mubarakiya or Hawally gold markets," said Jumana Vir, an Indian customer.
"Prices differ between downtown markets that sell Indian designs and other gold markets in the country that have other designs due to several reasons -other gold markets price their pieces based on the manufacturing country, in addition to brands that are sold at a higher price, while in downtown markets they charge less," she added.
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"Asian people and Indians in particular come to downtown gold shops due to two reasons - the price difference and different designs from other gold shops around the country. Regarding prices, people in this place can bargain with the salespersons unlike other markets, where the salesperson could be from another nationality and it would be hard to communicate comfortably with him," said Shaik Shemran, another Indian customer.
"The designs in downtown Kuwait are very familiar to what we Asians like, so we go to places that provide us with the things we prefer. If we would like to buy something else for a change, we would go to Mubarakiya or Salmiya, which mostly sell Arabic and international designs," she added.
"Since I live in Salmiya, I went to nearby gold shops. But after visiting several shops there, I couldn't find designs that suited my taste, so I thought to check the shops in downtown Kuwait after I heard they have a wide collection of Indian designs," said Shapna Shameem, an Indian customer. "The gold prices in GCC countries are more reasonable than other Asian countries, and it costs us less compared to our countries as well," she pointed out.
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Mohammad Shareef, another Indian customer said: "I prefer to buy gold jewelry exclusively in 22 carat in Indian designs. Most Indians do not prefer buying 21 carat gold due to the difficulty they could face when they decide to sell their pieces in India and the low price they could get." He said he prefers to buy from downtown markets due to the wide collection and designs he would find. "The making charges are lower in downtown than other gold shops around the country, so it is better to buy from here."
Kuwait Times also spoke to gold shop employees in downtown Kuwait and asked them about the preferences of Asians in buying gold jewelry. "People from Asia (Indian in particular) prefer to buy gold pieces from downtown markets due to the traditional designs they are mostly looking for, as these designs connects them to their culture, not to mention that it allows them to sell the items in their countries later, as it matches the public taste there too," said Sayed Asif Ahmed, who works at a gold shop. He pointed out that it is almost impossible to find 21 carat gold jewelry in downtown markets, where the majority of the Asian community is concentrated. "Indians mostly prefer 22 carat gold; therefore, gold shops won't sell any other type of gold. Other nationalities make up a small percentage of customers here," he said.
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"People from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan only buy 22 carat gold, and that's why you can find these communities frequent specific markets such as those in downtown Kuwait City, while other nationalities prefer 18 carat gold, such as Filipinos," said Vinod Kumar, another gold shop employee. "Usually, middle-aged people come to downtown markets to buy 22 carat pieces and ask for traditional designs," he added, pointing out that the prices are mostly the same between downtown shops and other gold markets in Salmiya or Hawally, for example.
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Zameel Thidid, who works at a gold shop, pointed out: "Despite most downtown gold market customers being Asians, we also have some Arabs and Kuwaitis who come to us asking for traditional Asian gold designs due to the convergence in tastes."
Dave Panchal, another worker, said: "Most Asian customers frequent this gold market because the majority of gold shops here sell 22 carat jewelry. The market for 21 carat gold is in Mubarakiya. In addition, Asians prefer the gold market in Kuwait due to the expensive prices of gold pieces in their countries, as well as the fact that gold in Kuwait is purer."
He added: "I think Asians are not looking for traditional designs in particular. If you bring them 21 carat gold pieces in traditional designs, they won't buy them, because they are looking for the carat and not the design, which it is due to two reasons - a kind of investment and the Asian mentality that is set on 22 carats. They won't accept anything other than 22 carat gold."