Gold wins heart yet again. Love is in the air as lovers are lost in thought – “what is the best gift to bring a smile on her face?” – for the special occasion of Valentine’s Day. History be history, love is love, and it comes for a price. The latest survey sums up gold jewellery as the most preferred gift for women across the globe.

“The higher gold price has added to gold jewellery’s desirability despite these challenging economic times. Gold’s perceived value and enduring emotional appeal are not mutually exclusive and sets it apart from other traditional gifts and apparently, holds the key to women’s hearts on Valentine’s Day,” World Gold Council’s (WGC) 2008 jewellery survey said.

“In contrast to jewellery, which has clear financial value, other luxury consumables were viewed as having short-term aesthetic appeal and, therefore, lacked the investment value and the longevity of gold.”

Even the younger generation who are “typically more interested in spending money on gadgets such as mobile phones than spending their disposable income on jewellery, appreciate the romance of gold jewellery.”

Women and gold have a long association. They would love to have gold jewellery if gifted on special occasions – birthdays, wedding anniversary, and festivals to name a few. And they also buy for themselves as and when situations are opportune.

On a more serious note, women especially Indians, regard gold as “an indicator of emotional ties”.

According to the survey, “81 per cent women claim that the amount spent on gold jewellery reflects how valued someone is.”

For women in the USA and China, there is more of romantic sentiment behind buying gold as a gift. To them gold “is a symbol of love”.

Probably on a more practical note, women in Turkey and Saudi Arabia cite a key reason for buying it as a gift is because “gold will not lose its value”.

The perception of women regarding gold varies across the world. In fact the prized possession is more about the psychology of women. It is therefore, a crucial phase for both the gold jewellery trade and the gold market as a whole to understand the consumer.

Valentine’s Day is an important occasion for receiving gold jewellery for women in different regions around the world. The yellow metal reiterates its power not just as a dead investment but also a matter of pride and heart. Reason: “it is everlasting”.

Published in Merinews.com; Gold Wins Valentine by Deeya Nayar-Nambiar