Buying silver for Dhanteras and Diwali

Dhanteras falls two days before Diwali and is dedicated to Dhanvantari and to Lakshmi. Buying metal on the day is understood as inviting prosperity into the house for the year ahead, and silver — associated with the moon and with purity — is the traditional choice for households that are not buying gold.

In practice this means three kinds of purchase: coins for the pooja and for gifting, idols for the home temple, and jewellery for the family. They are bought for different reasons and judged by different standards, so it is worth treating them separately.

Coins are bought by weight and purity, and the price should be close to the silver rate for that weight plus a modest making charge. Anything far above that is paying for packaging.

• Purity. Coins are usually 999 fine silver — 99.9% pure — rather than the 925 used for jewellery. Pure silver is too soft for a ring but perfect for something that sits in a temple or a locker.
• Weight. 5 g and 10 g are the common gifting sizes; 20 g, 50 g and 100 g are bought as a store of value. For pooja purposes, weight carries no religious significance — buy what you are comfortable spending.
• Design. Lakshmi–Ganesh coins are the standard for Dhanteras. Plain coins are easier to resell later; embossed ones make better gifts.
• Packaging. Buy coins sealed with the assay certificate intact. Breaking the seal makes resale harder and lets the surface tarnish.

Idols are chosen by who is being worshipped and where the piece will sit, not by weight. A small, well-finished idol in a home temple serves better than a large hollow one.

• Lakshmi and Ganesh together are the most common Dhanteras and Diwali purchase, usually as a pair.
• Laddu Gopal is bought for daily seva rather than for a single festival, and tends to be handled every day, so finish and weight matter more.
• Solid versus hollow. Hollow idols are lighter and cheaper for the same size. Neither is wrong; just know which you are paying for, because the price difference is substantial.

Idols tarnish faster than jewellery because they sit out in the open near lamps and incense smoke. Wipe them with a soft dry cloth rather than washing them, and see our cleaning guide before using anything stronger.

Diwali gifting is where silver does its best work, because a modest budget still buys something solid and hallmarked rather than something token.

• Under ₹1,000. A pair of studs, a plain band, a simple pendant, or a 5 g coin. The right level for colleagues, staff and extended family.
• ₹1,000 to ₹2,500. A chain with a pendant, an anklet pair, a light bracelet or a kada. Suits close friends and siblings.
• ₹2,500 to ₹5,000. A matched set, a heavier kada, or a mangalsutra. This is the band most people land in for a spouse, a parent or a new daughter-in-law.

Every piece we send is packed in a signature box with a purity certificate and a cleaning cloth, and you can add a handwritten note — the details are on our gifting page.

Courier networks across India slow noticeably in the ten days before Diwali, and the pieces that sell out first are the ones under ₹2,000. Standard delivery takes 4 to 6 business days from dispatch, and we process orders within 24 to 48 hours — so a week and a half of margin before Dhanteras is comfortable, and three days is not.

Shipping is free above ₹499, and the full timelines are on our shipping and returns page.