Through the ages, acquiring gold and gold jewellery has been important for the people of India. The love of jewellery was universal but it also had a special status as a medium of exchange. There is no possession more valuable, it provides financial security and its intrinsic value makes it a very good investment. People wear their gold jewellery with pride and almost all of it at the same time, since it reflects their social status and wealth. Hendley refers to the famous missionary, the Abbey Jean- Antoine Dubois (1765-1848) who authored the book Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies:'it is common belief among Hindus that there must always be at least a speck of gold on one's person, in order to ensure personal ceremonial purity.

The vital chakra of the heart is depicted as a golden-yellow colour in Ayurveda, and is associated with the warmth and brightness of the sun, the giver of life. In early sacred texts, gold is seen as operating in synergy with magic and the power of a gold talisman could magically be transferred to the wearer through physical contact. Because pure gold does not corrode or rust, Hindus assign gold an immortal status, a representative of light and the inextinguishable continuity of life. In some areas, the primary ornament denoting marriage is made of gold, because to be ritually pure and sacred to the gods.