Gold and silver are not all that glittered on Dhanteras. From phones to fast cars, Calcuttans welcomed a myriad varieties of “dhan”. Metro took stock of the market mood on Monday.

Zip, zap, zoom

The dealers of fancy cars sported broad smiles this Dhanteras. Mercedes-Benz dealer Benchmark Interkrafts had 26 deliveries lined up from the Topsia showroom for Monday.

“The numbers have gone up by eight to 10 per cent since last year,” said Nilmani Sharma, the CEO of Interkrafts. The Mercedes-Benz GLC emerged the favourite.

Vijay Kr Agarwal, 58, had booked a milk-white Mercedes-Benz C Class, more than Rs 48 lakh on road, a week ago for delivery on Dhanteras. “I used to ride a Honda City before this. Dhanteras is the best time to get something new,” said the Salt Lake-based businessman.

Celica Automobiles, the dealer of Jeep automobiles, had 30 deliveries — all different models of Jeep Compass — scheduled on Monday.

Anand Nahata, a businessman from Bagbazar, was one of the buyers. Nahata had booked the SUV a fortnight ago but wanted it delivered on the auspicious occasion. “I used to drive an Honda Amaze before this. I always wanted an SUV and am a big fan of Jeep,” he said. Nahata paid just over Rs 24 lakh on road.

Premium and budget car showrooms also reported robust sales.

Dazzle dazzle

From the traditional gold lane in Bowbazar to jewellery showrooms on Camac Street, the crowd peaked and queues spilled onto the streets as the evening wore on.

Buying gold on Dhanteras is an age-old tradition but the demand for diamond was on the rise this year, jewellers said.

“The purchasing power of women has increased because most of them are working now. Diamond ornaments are sleek and hence suitable as workwear,” said Anargha Chowdhury, the director of Anjali Jewellers. Diamond rings and earrings were the pop picks.

The wedding season is about to start and several families bought the first wedding ornaments on Dhanteras.

Subhankar Sen, executive director of Senco Gold, said golden chains and bangles were the fastest-moving items besides diamond jewellery.

Unlike jewellery, bullion traders saw a relatively cooler demand for gold. A city-based bullion trader said his sales this Dhanteras had seen a drop of 12-15 per cent from last year.

Home sweet home

A dip in the sale of television sets was a common feature at most stores. Dealers blamed it on the FIFA World Cup earlier this year.

“Most people who were planning to buy TV sets bought during the World Cup,” said Pulkit Baid, the director of Great Eastern Retail that owns a chain of stores.

Refrigerators, microwave ovens and mixer-grinders were the fast-selling items. “We have sold over 300 fridges over Sunday and Monday,” said an employee of a Great Eastern store in Dalhousie. Double-door fridges, with a capacity of 200 to 250 litres, were the top picks, he said.

An employee of a Khosla Electronics store at Beckbagan also said microwaves, fridges and mixer-grinders sold more than TV sets.

Hello festivities

Vikas Pandit gifted an iPhone XR to his sister for her wedding in January. The phone has a glass back but an aluminium frame. “The metal frame was the saving grace,” said the 32-year-old employee of a tech multinational in Rajarhat.

Sanjay Chordia, the owner of Imagine stores across the city, said over 200 iPhones were sold since Saturday.“The iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR, the newest models, are on a par with India’s best stores,” he said. XS Max costs over Rs 1 lakh and XR comes with a pocket pinch of Rs 76,000 and above.

Vijay Kumar Agarwal and his family cut a cake after buying a Mercedes-Benz C Class. Sanat Kr Sinha

Shoppers throng Great Eastern Trading, a consumer durables store, at Dalhousie around 9.30pm. Pradip Sanyal