Record high prices of gold have failed to dent its consumption in India – the world's largest market for the precious metal.
黄金价格一再飙升并没有削弱印度民众购买力。印度是贵金属黄金在全球最大的市场。
R.K. Garg, 50, and his wife are shopping for gold earrings at the Gold Souk Mall in Gurgaon, close to New Delhi. Prices are up by 25 percent since he bought gold jewelry for his daughter's wedding last year, but he says he has no choice except to buy another piece.
55岁的加格和他的妻子一起在新德里附近的古尔冈黄金市集选购黄金耳饰。自他去年为女儿的婚礼购买金首饰以来，黄金价格已经上涨了25%。但加格说，他除了再选购一件金饰以外，没有别的选择。
"For the first anniversary we have to give some gift to her," Garg said.
他说：“这是(女儿)结婚一周年，我们不得不送点什么礼物给她。”
A centuries-old tradition of gifting gold at marriages and other occasions and buying it during festivals is keeping the gold market buoyant in India, although prices are hovering around $1340 an ounce – an all-time high.
印度数百年以来的一个传统是在婚礼和其他重要场合赠送金饰，并且在节庆日购买黄金珠宝。这个传统使得印度黄金市场持续走俏，尽管黄金价格已经飙升至每盎司1340美元左右，创下历史新高。
The economic recession and a drought had led to a sharp fall in demand, last year. But those memories have faded as the Indian economy grows briskly once again and good rains this monsoon season boost farm incomes.
去年的经济衰退和干旱导致印度国内需求急剧下降。但随着印度经济再次迅速增长，那些记忆已经渐渐淡去了。印度今年雨季的几场好雨也促进了农业收入增长。
Wedding season, new designs
As the main festival and wedding season gets underway, jewelers are getting ready with new designs and attractive offers to lure customers.
随着主要节假日和婚礼季节的迫近，珠宝商正准备以新的设计和具有吸引力的促销优惠招徕顾客。
Rajinder Bhola's jewelry shop at the Gold Souk is buzzing with customers. He says he sees fewer casual customers walk in to buy pieces of jewelry, probably due to the high prices.
波拉开在黄金市集上的珠宝店挤满了顾客。他说，可能由于价格高昂的缘故，他很少看到进店闲逛的顾客会购买珠宝。
But Bhola says demand for jewelry to be presented at weddings remains consistent. And, in a country where two-thirds of the billion-plus population is under 30, the number of marriages is on the rise.
但波拉也说，用于婚礼的珠宝需求却一如既往。而且印度十几亿人口中有三分之二在30岁以下，结婚率正在持续上升。
"The growing population, and then the weddings, and then very basic needs like all women in India wear a chain, and ring and bangles, these are the primary things which people have to buy," said Bhola.
波拉：“不断上升的人口，然后是结婚，还有像是所有印度妇女都要佩戴链子、戒指和手镯的一些基本需求，这些都是促使人们不得不购买金饰的主要因素。”
Good investment
It is not just the cultural affinity with gold that continues to fuel demand.
当然，不仅仅是印度文化中对黄金的青睐促使了这种需求持续上升。
In Mumbai, Associate Director at the World Gold Council in Mumbai, Keyur Shah, says the massive jump in prices in recent years has only reinforced the centuries-old belief that gold is a time-tested asset.
在孟买，世界黄金协会副主席沙阿说，近几年来黄金价格的飙升更强化了人们数百年来所坚信的，黄金是经得起时间考验的财产。
"Indian consumers are not afraid of the price level," Shah said. "In fact it reiterates their confidence if prices consistently go up in gold. They always feel they made a wise decision to buy gold say two years back and wish they had bought more."
波拉：“印度消费者并不是很担心价格水平。事实上，这更坚定了他们认为黄金价格会持续上升的信心。他们总觉得，比如说两年以前购买了黄金，是一个明智的决定，并且希望当时再多买一点就好了。”
Belief that gold is a good investment is also spurring the sales of gold coins and gold bars. And, it is not just prosperous, urban centers where gold is selling. Demand is also high in rural areas where other investment options such as banks and stocks are limited. Rural areas account for nearly two-thirds of gold purchases in the country.
黄金是一种良好投资品的信念也刺激了金币和金条的销售。而且黄金不仅仅在繁荣的城市中心畅销，在其他诸如银行产品和股票投资有限的农村地区，黄金需求也居高不下。在印度全国的黄金销售中，农村地区销量高达近三分之二。
A report by the World Gold Council says India and China are set to be the driving force behind gold demand.
世界黄金协会的一份报告显示，印度和中国市场的黄金购买力最为强劲。
The World Gold Council's Shah says prosperity is driving demand in these countries.
沙阿说，这两个国家的繁荣经济正在拉动需求。
"If you look at the retail demand globally, consumption in India and China is on the rise and it is mainly due to rising incomes of the middle class," he added.
“如果你看看全球的零售需求，印度和中国的消费正在不断增长。这主要是由于中产阶级的收入不断上升。”
That includes people like Somya Misra, who will be getting married in January. She is going around jewelry shops to decide what she would like to pick up. The bride-to-be is not worrying about prices, but what pieces she wants.
即将于1月份步入结婚礼堂的米斯拉正是其中一员。她正在各家珠宝店物色她中意的饰品。这位准新娘并不担心价格，她更在意挑选的款式。
"If marriages are happening, people are buying gold, irrespective of price, so I think till the time marriages continue in the same spirit in India, the purchase of gold is going to be high," Misra said.
她说：“如果要结婚的话，人们无论什么价格都会购买金饰，所以我觉得只要印度一直有这种对待婚姻的态度，黄金销售就会一直走高。”
That is what jewelers across the country are hoping will happen, helping them pull in good profits.
这正是全国珠宝商们所希望看到的，能够帮助他们获取高额利润。 |