Surtis’ love for diamonds now sparkle on masks!

Surat: There is something in the bling that Surtis can’t seem to resist and find all convenient spots — from tooth to lenses — to get one fitted for the extra sparkle. So, now in Covid times’ new ‘sanitized’ normal, they found a ‘tod’ to add swag even to a humble protective gear — diamond-studded face masks!
Masks with N95 rating certification and 3-ply protection, studded with real and synthetic diamonds, are the latest craze in the Covid market.
According to the jewellers, diamonds — both real and synthetic — adorn the borders of the N95 masks. That’s not all — some even have an extra dangling diamond strip on the side for that extra bling!
Dipak Choksi, owner of D Khushaldas Jewellers in the posh Athwalines, told TOI, “The idea for designing diamond-studded masks came up after a few customers wanted something unique for the weddings that took place last month. We designed masks for both the bride and the groom with hanging diamond strip and the borders studded with diamonds.”
Choski further said that N95 and 3-ply masks are ideal for studding diamonds. “We also embellish the designs on the masks with diamonds. A thin gold casket is first fitted on the mask and then diamonds are studded on it. The synthetic diamond masks are sold in the range of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh, while the real diamonds costs around Rs 4.5 lakh,” said the man who owns his own manufacturing unit and has also sold about eight such glittery masks till date and counting orders from the city and outside.
“Each mask could be studded with 150 to 400 diamonds depending on customers’ budget,” Choksi added.
Another jewellery manufacturer, Nainesh Pachchigar, said that it’s a challenge to keep innovating designs to please the demanding customers. “It is very difficult to stud diamonds on the N95 masks and special care has to be taken to ensure there is no damage even when the masks are washed for the reuse,” he said.
Pachchigar said that his firm has used lab-grown diamonds for designing the face masks, which are then cost-effective. “They are more than 60% cheaper than real diamonds. These masks costs anywhere between Rs 60,000 and Rs 1 lakh,” he added.
Salim Daginawala, president of Surat Jewellers Association said, “The coronavirus pandemic and high gold prices have reduced jewellery business by 20%. Jewellers will have to come up with such unique ideas to attract consumers.”