National News
Palmonas Makes North India Debut with New Store in Delhi’s Omaxe Chowk
The demi-fine jewellery brand brings its affordable, everyday wear collection to the heart of Chandni Chowk, with Bollywood star Shraddha Kapoor leading the charge.
Demi-fine jewellery label Palmonas has launched its first retail store in North India, opening doors at the bustling Omaxe Chowk in Chandni Chowk, New Delhi. The store showcases a wide selection of lightweight, stylish jewellery designed for modern women and features promotional visuals of Bollywood actress and brand co-founder Shraddha Kapoor.

“Palmonas was born out of the idea to offer stylish, long-lasting, and affordable jewellery for modern Indian women,” said Shraddha Kapoor, India Retailing reported. “Each piece is crafted to complement everyday looks while making a statement. I’m so excited to see our first North India store come to life at such a vibrant location like Omaxe Chowk, Chandni Chowk.”
The new outlet offers a curated range of necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings tailored to Indian shoppers looking for contemporary, budget-friendly jewellery. With its focus on tarnish-resistant, lightweight designs perfect for everyday use, Palmonas has built a strong global footprint, shipping to over 200 countries.
“Omaxe Chowk, Chandni Chowk, with its blend of heritage and modern infrastructure, is emerging as a launchpad for such brands,” said Omaxe Group’s executive director Jatin Goel. “Palmonas’ entry here is not just a store opening—it represents the growing appetite for curated, experiential retail that resonates with the next generation of shoppers.”

Founded in Pune in 2022 by Pallavi Mohadikar and Amol Patwari, Palmonas later welcomed Shraddha Kapoor as a co-founder. With this Delhi debut, the brand joins an elite line-up of jewellery labels at Omaxe Chowk, including Tanishq, Malabar, CaratLane, Kalyan Jewellers, Senco, and Kisna, as it continues to expand its presence in India’s thriving jewellery market.
National News
As gold prices hit historic highs, gold loans surge
For generations, the “locker of the house”—the family’s ancestral gold— was a sacred reserve of last resort. To pledge a wife’s mangalsutra or a grandmother’s bangles was a mark of deep financial shame, the ultimate signal of a family in distress.
But a fundamental shift in the Indian psyche is turning that social taboo into a sophisticated financial strategy. As gold prices hit historic highs, what was once “idle” jewelry is being recast as a high-octane asset class, driving triple-digit growth across the sector and attracting a new breed of affluent borrower.
The shift is most visible in the scale of borrowing. Historically, the gold loan market was dominated by the small borrower, with loans under Rs.2.5 lakh ($3,000) making up 60% of the market.
New data from CRIF High Mark reveals a sharp reversal:
- FY2025: Small-ticket loans dipped to 51% of the market.
- Current Fiscal (8 Months): Small-ticket loans have cratered to just 40%.
The vacuum is being filled by entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) who are using gold as collateral to secure single-digit interest rates for business expansion, often bypassing more expensive unsecured loans.
According to a Morgan Stanley note in Oct 2025, India holds about 34,600 tonnes of gold, valued at approximately ₹550 lakh crore. In comparison, the value of gold loans in India stands at around ₹15 lakh crore, against which nearly ₹25 lakh crore worth of gold is pledged.
Why Monetization Failed Where Loans Succeeded
The trend represents a private sector victory where government policy stumbled. In 2015, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the Gold Monetization Scheme to bring an estimated 25,000 tonnes of privately held gold into the formal economy.
The policy failed largely due to sentimental barriers. To earn interest, owners had to melt their jewelry into bullion, effectively destroying the artistic value and ancestral craftsmanship of heirlooms.
A Structural Change
Banking analysts suggest this is not a temporary spike, but a structural realignment in how India perceives wealth. The modern borrower is increasingly pragmatic, prioritizing the cost of capital over the stigma of the pawnshop.
As banks and NBFCs digitize the process—offering doorstep pick-up and instant credit—the traditional local moneylender is being replaced by fintech-driven platforms and institutional vaults.
The family gold is finally stepping out of the shadows—returning not as ornamentation, but as a powerful line of credit.
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