India, Oct. 19 -- LUCKNOW As Diwali festivities began with Dhanteras on Saturday, the sale of gold and silver clocked good numbers in terms of money, but the quantity sold was lower compared to the previous year. Jewellers attributed this to the dip in prices of precious metals earlier this week which led to people restricting their purchases to smaller quantities in anticipation of a further dip.

The reduced price of 10 gms 24 carat gold was Rs.1,32,400 while the price of 1 kg silver came down to Rs.1,71,000. About 42 kg gold worth Rs.55.61 crore was sold in the market during the day, which was less than 52kg gold worth Rs.42.12 crore last Dhanteras. But in terms of business, it was the second highest in 21 years with the highest being ...