SILIGURI - Forget gold, wear imitation nick-knacks to look trendy and beat the recession. This is the latest mantra of ladies in West Bengal’s Siliguri district, where non-gold and imitation jewelleries are fast disappearing from the shelves of an exhibition.

Most of these items are available in metal, semi-precious stones and American or Australian diamonds, which are not only cheaper than their original counterparts, but also enhance the beauty of women.

These jewelleries are proving a hit with women who are fashion conscious and want to have a treasure trove of them to go with their dresses or ethnic costumes without shelling out a big sum at this time of recession.

“Buying gold jewellery is so expensive. Here you can buy a variety of imitation jewellery in less money. These days women match jewellery with their saris and dresses, so you can get a good choice to match out here,” said Bily Roy, a local resident.

These fast selling ornaments, including rings, bangles, necklace and earrings, are available between Rs 30 and Rs300.

Owing to good demand, the week-long exhibition, organised by American Diamond Jewellery based in Maharashtra, has been extended by five days till August 8.

“The rate of gold has shot up. People are buying imitation, including the American diamond, jewelleries. They come in all designs like gold jewelleries. So there is a good demand for them and people are happily buying these ornaments,” says Montu Paswan, an organiser. (ANI)