Rituparna Sengupta shows off a platinum necklace gifted to her by her mother on Akshay Tritiya

WHAT? Platinum is not a new metal. It is derived from meteorites. The ancient Egyptians, pre-Incans and Spanish civilisations knew about platinum WHY? 95 per cent pure and better for sensitive skin; durable and resistant to wear-and-tear; easy to work on as setting for precious stones HOW? Check for the hallmark before buying. Once bought, store separately in a box or bag so that it doesn’t scratch. Clean with soap and warm water using a soft cloth. Polish to maintain lustre PRICE? A platinum ring starts from Rs 15,000 (approx) (Courtesy: Platinum Guild)

Businessman Sandeep Gupta, 31, wanted a different look when he was picking up a ring for himself. He decided to go for platinum. “Platinum looks different, looks cool and goes well with diamonds, which is what I wanted,” he says.

White is one of the colours of shine this season with platinum finally catching on in the city. The precious metal is in growing demand, especially in rings or as setting for solitaires. The price of a platinum ring starts approximately at Rs 15,000.

“The demand for platinum jewellery has been going up in the past three years at the rate of 15 to 20 per cent annually. Rings are most in demand, followed by pendants and earrings,” says Bachraj Bamalwa of Nemichand Bamalwa & Sons. More than platinum alone, the combination of platinum with diamonds is a popular pick these days.

The efforts of the Platinum Guild of India have created awareness about the metal.

“Traditionally Indians favour the yellow metal. Also many would shy away from platinum because they were apprehensive that it would be mistaken for silver,” says Bamalwa.

“Retailers have told us that business in the October-March period has been 30-40 per cent more than during the same period the previous year,” says Vaishali Banerjee, country manager (India), Platinum Guild.

She is especially optimistic of trends in the city, “because customers here value purity and quality”. The guild entered the Calcutta market with four stores in 2003-2004 and now has 18 stores retailing platinum jewellery.

Who prefers platinum? “The demand is mostly from the 20-40 age group, those who are well travelled and aware of trends abroad,” says Bamalwa.

Siddhartha Sawansukha of Sawansukha Jewelers, who makes platinum jewellery only on demand, agrees: “Platinum has always been big in the US, then in the UK. Now it’s caught up in India too.”

But there’s still a distance to go. “As of now, platinum constitutes only 1-1.5 per cent of my total sales,” said Bamalwa, putting things in perspective.