Radhakrishnan S. Acharya, a goldsmith in Coimbatore, announced the sale of masks woven with gold and silver strands a few days ago.
Since then, he says he has been receiving enquiries from different parts of the country.
Mr. Acharya said that he makes the masks with thin strands of gold and silver. He started making jackets and dresses using gold and silver strands three years ago.
“I developed the product three years ago. I like to innovate and wanted to make masks now. However, when people were dying of COVID-19, I initially felt it would not be appropriate. But now, people wear masks for weddings. They can wear ones made of gold or silver,” he said.
The masks have three layers of fabric, in addition to one layer of the precious metal.
“It takes about a week to complete a mask, as 90% of the work is done by hand. About 50g-60g gold or 50g-55g of silver is used for a good mask,” he added.
Only 22 or 18-carat gold can be used and customers ask for hallmark certification as well.
“I delivered one gold and one silver mask today [Thursday]. The gold mask had a hallmark cerficiation,” he said, adding that the cost depended on the weight of the mask.
Multiple enquiries
These masks are flexible and can be washed too. But the mask should not be squeezed while washing. There had been a lot of enquiries from the northern States, Bengaluru and Chennai, said Mr. Acharya.
His entire family works in his workshop and he has made several innovative products.
“I started making dresses for temple idols using this technology. Then I made flowers, garlands, turbans and children’s dresses, among other things. This is a family business and only my family members know how to make these products. If the number of orders are high, I plan to patent the technology,” Mr. Acharya added.
