It’s the ultimate festive time of the year when the wealthy and even the not-so-privileged open their purse. Diwali nights are lit up by Cartier blinkers and the air is filled with swish of satin fills. Elaborate card sessions, dazzling diyas, and crackers are the flavor of the season.

The party circuit perks up irrespective of economic conditions and recession. Every host wants to exude splendor. The venue resembles literally ‘mini-wedding’ scene. The food is served on shiny silver plates, and the gifts are hand-painted for that personalized touch. Invites with glittering gold-embossed logos are sent with beautiful boxes of choco-truffles. The guests are treated to an era and aura of royalty.

From designer kaftans to gazebos by the poolside, the pomp and extravagance reaches its crescendo. A touch of flamboyance is evident in everything in Diwali from designer playing cards to handcrafted boxes filled with pearl chocolates and edible diamond. This is the occasion when everybody who matters tries to ‘make a statement’. Baskets of imported Belgium chocolates, rare honey, gourmet snacks, and oysters for gifts are imported. The jazzier the offering, the better…

In gifting, giving and partying during Diwali, signature style is considered important as it is expected to reflect one’s personality. Those with exquisite taste and money in their pockets do things in a real classy way. There are Diwali melas that offer unusual stuff including Baklavas and Swarovski-studded candles.

Amidst all the ostentatious display and pomp, there are few who harp on tradition with old world décor and authentic Indian cuisine. For them celebrating Diwali is about reviving the spirit of Indian-ness. The hosts hence try to keep everything from the food and flowers to gifts traditional. On the other hand, glitzy glitterati gifts could comprise anything from a custom-made Louis Vuitton bag to a Cartier watch.

Have money, will spend, is the mantra this Diwali!

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Here is an opportunity in the offing for those keen on gifting exquisitely crafted, classic and glittering gold items. According to media reports, the World Gold Council is all set to explore spiritual connection of the popular yellow metal with India’s heritage and mythology. 

WGC, as is known, has developed into a worldwide organization funded by the leading gold mining firms. The council apparently is searching for the precious metal’s intrinsic value beyond prices. It is thinking of appointing an expert on Indian mythology, Dr Devdutt Pattanaik, as a consultant.

The famous writer of several research based books comprising ‘The Book of Ram’, Dr Devdutt Pattanaik will be mandated to come up with innovative ways for fitting gold in spiritualism. As reported, the council is likely to engage him for the project by October. The first glimpse of the concept is slated to be offered by as soon as April 2010.

Now, gold is considered more as a valuable asset for future. Primarily stored more for its ornamental value in the past, people now hold it as an investment. However, WGC is trying to look at gold beyond just market price. For this it will try to strike a mythological chord with those spiritually inclined. The council is planning to work with leading temples trusts like Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to manufacture jewelry items, either by themselves or by engaging local manufacturers.

Ajay Mitra, MD (India sub-continent) for WGC, has been quoted as saying: “The concept has immense potential; the metal will not only accumulate all the known forms of mythology like forming symbols (such as trishul, om), rituals and telling story, but will also bridge the gap between the ancient art of story-telling and rituals as of today.” 

These gold artifacts with a spiritual connection, once they are released, are bound to make a popular gifting choice. 

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This post will offer more details on the concept of gold ETF and how this instrument can be an indirect opportunity for buying gold bullion to the person whom you gift it.

Generally, the price of one unit of gold ETF represents roughly one gram of gold. These are passively managed funds hence their NAV will basically track the gold price in the open market.  The holder can buy and sell the units just like one would buy and sell shares.

Despite recent correction after a sustained rally, gold prices are expected to firm up further over the coming few years. This will lead to a corresponding increase in the NAV of gold ETFs. Especially owing to the debasement that many countries are subjecting their respective currencies to, bullion would emerge as a valuable asset.

Investment expert Sandeep Shanbhag noted in a recent article: “In times of turbulence, gold has gained over almost 57% in the last couple of years. The moot question is: does it really make sense to invest in the metal at current levels? Look at gold ETF as an investment essentially as a hedge against inflation and its virtue of negative correlation with other asset classes such as fixed income securities, commodities and stocks during uncertain times.

When markets are erratic and unpredictable, the wise thing to do is just to step up exposure to an asset, which would infuse a semblance of strength and stability to the portfolio. The simplest and probably the most efficient way to do this is investing in a gold ETF.”

However, you should weigh its pros and cons. For example, investors should not look at gold on the basis of returns in a small time frame. Give them a long enough period to multiply your wealth. This won’t happen overnight. Someone looking to give a meaningful gift sure should consider gold ETFs.

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As we checked in the previous blog post, gold ETFs are very much similar to a diversified mutual fund plan. Instead of investing the corpus in equity, the money is invested in gold. We learnt about gold ETF schemes on offer from UTI, Quantum, SBI mutual fund, Kotak and Reliance.

Just to elaborate and simplify the concept further, ETFs are essentially mutual funds that are listed on the stock exchange. Here, the underlying core asset is standard gold bullion. You can use this instrument to buy gold bullion on someone else’s behalf, and present a meaningful gift. Corporates can consider gifting them to their employees as well.

Let us check the various features of gold ETFs and how they are managed:
• As for denomination, one can buy even one gram at a time. With Quantum, you can purchase half-a-gram at one time.

• When one wants to sell back the gold in physical form, the making charges of jewelry are wasted as they cannot be recovered. In fact, the gold in physical form is mostly sold at a discount to its original price owing to depreciation. Coins and bars suffer from similar issues. On the other hand, units of gold ETFs can be sold by either with a few clicks in case you have an online trading account or by a call to your broker.

• Tax benefits is one major advantage of gifting gold in the electronic form. It’s free of wealth tax. It attracts just 10% long-term capital gains tax as against 20% in case of physical gold.

• Again, there is absolutely no doubt on the count of purity because impurity risk is non-existent with gold ETF. This can be an issue with the gold in physical form

• Security is of course taken care of by the fund, unlike in the case of jewelry or other forms of physical gold where the threat of theft always looms.

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The market has been in an uptrend since hitting a bottom in the month of March. However, when the stocks were beaten down, one asset class that had drawn huge attention was gold ETF. This particular fund was in spotlight because gold prices had zoomed. Since then they have lost their shine just a bit!

For savvy investors this offers a good opportunity to enter these schemes at a lower price level with their NAV (net asset value) having fallen. You can sure consider gifting someone gold ETFs.

ETFs are quite similar to a mutual fund scheme. Instead of investing the corpus in equity shares, the money collected is invested in gold. There are schemes on offer from Kotak, Reliance, UTI, Quantum and SBI mutual fund for buying gold ETFs. Unfortunately, investors are still unaware of buying and gifting gold in the electronic form. If you strike early, it will make a worthwhile present.

Buying gold in electronic form requires a shift in mindset, something which shouldn’t be difficult considering most of us already possess other valuable assets in a similar form. As tax consultant Sandeep Shanbhag mentions in a recent article, ‘Think of the money lying in a bank account. Whether Rs 10,000 or Rs 10 lakh or a crore, it’s your bank passbook that indicates the amount you own.

“Similarly, not too long ago, physical share certificates were required to be delivered and kept. Then we gradually shifted to electronic holding. An investor’s life thus became more convenient. Similarly, gold too can be owned in the dematerialized, electronic form. It is a safer and more efficient way to own it.”

As we have mentioned above, there are many good schemes on offer from reputed fund houses. If you can gift gold ETFs to someone dear to you, the glitter of gold will remain with the person forever and add to his or her wealth as well.

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Easter is the historic day when Jesus came back to our land from the grave to vindicate his teachings and justify to the Romans the ideologies handed down to us. Those who opted to follow this ideology remember this occasion as one, which signals the end of Lent - a period of abstinence from material pleasures when one returns to the old adage of piety.

Easter is a great opportunity for a get-together and gifts! The first thing that strikes one’s mind when you are wished Happy Easter is a toss-up between Easter Eggs and Easter Bunny. Home-made Easter Eggs can be packaged prettily and presented to office colleagues wrapped in cute baskets.

Easter Eggs are wonderfully chocolate-y with a colorful (gold being the main color) surface. Arranged well they make for great decorative items for the desk. If your colleague is married, gift enough eggs for everybody.

Rope everybody else in the office and make a gift hamper for the boss. Make it complete with bunnies (either the soft toy variety or the edible variety), large eggs in a suitably big basket, with a dashing bow.

Keep the right colors and patterns in mind. Opt for a deep color for the bow and for the wrapping material – pick stripes and checks and muted colors.

Opt for an Easter hamper – a beautiful basket, two or three dozen eggs, depending on the number of people in office, confetti, popcorn, sponge balls, or your choice of filling. Get a small gift each for your colleagues and of course, the Easter Bunny. Order a bunny cake, too.

There are options in form of Le Meridien and Patchi for Easter Bunny! Almost every patisserie and cake shop will have its fair share of Easter goodies to select from for every budget.

Tags: Cheap corporate gifts, promotional gifts, Gifting occasions, gifting etiquette, Best business gifts, Best corporate gifts, low cost gifts, corporate gifts companies, Corporate gifting, Business Gifting
Corporate gifting

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Discover the world of sizzling Swiss Military and Alpine Club products that embody both functionality and quality.

Writing Instruments
The Swiss military collection of Writing Instruments is known for the excellent quality and unique design elements. The Limited Edition line is created to impress the receiver. It is constructed from the finest and the best quality components.

Ergonomic, functional design of the line sure will leave a user wondering why he or she did not write with this genuine Swiss Military Writing Instruments before. If you happen to run out of ink, you can buy an exclusive Swiss-made ink refills to continue enjoying writing with your well-crafted SM pen.

Their features are Swiss Made Refill; Gold Plated Parts; Scratch Proof Lacquer; Black Metal Finish Body and Top Swiss Cross Logo with Epoxy. There is Shining Black Lacquer Barrel with Gold Plated Parts.

The SM/Alpine Club travel Gear
The travel Gear series of SM/Alpine Club has something for everyone to meet diverse needs of travel and vacation that includes hiking, protecting your laptop during travel, or dashing through the airport.

Durability and high performance are their features. The bags will make sure that your valuables safely reach the destination. A recent addition to their selection is laptop trolley bag. It features individual compartments for storing your personal possessions.

Their waist belt pouches and leisure bags are perfect for families and individuals respectively. These ready to use bags are suited for carrying Cameras, tickets, Passports, etc. while you are on the move.

They come with features like a Mobile Holder and Pen Holder. They are easy to handle and adjustable. Built from tough material, they also have a large Storage Capacity and multiple pockets. 

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The tradition of gifting on the eve of Christmas seems to have started with the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus. As mentioned in the Bible’s book of Matthew, “On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshipped him. They then opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, incense and of myrrh…” There are some curious gift categories that we came across, including teachers’ worst Christmas gifts, popular gifts, etc. 

Usually teachers love to get pressies from their pupils on Christmas eve, but often what they get is a bit weird, a BBC NEWS report points out. It mentions a golden horse statue, a raw chicken and a glass fish among the stranger gifts they have been given.

For those planning to buy a present for their teacher, and wondering what they should, BBC Newsround spoke to a cross-section of teachers in the UK to find out the worst things they  can or have received at Christmas.

It noted: “Among the worst things teachers said to get was perfume, which smells really bad! Another was chocolate, particularly if it is out-of-date, or one that is half-eaten! And the worst thing that pupils can possibly gift their teachers on Christmas eve are some really tacky ornaments. But do not worry if you are not planning to give your teacher a pressie, or perhaps you cannot afford to get much.”

You do not spend loads, but simply try to ensure that your gift is as personal and unusual as possible. According to the government, the report mentions in a lighter and literal vein, teachers are not allowed to give pupils higher ranks only because they have given them nice gifts!
 
Try the Christmas quiz 

Incidentally, BBC NEWS published another report on a host of hostile Christmas gifts. All were found to be counterfeit as well as dangerous.

Curiously, Ipod has topped the list of contemporary Christmas gifts. A news report mentions: “Looks like assorted gift givers and secret Santas worldwide have found an easy gift option (the Ipod). It has sold over 150 million units since first launched in 2001.”

Classic diamond earrings came second as the preferred gift item, closely followed by the Nintendo Wii. The popular games console works by detecting the players’ movement is very much in demand. A Tiffany necklace stood fourth. Gadgets are proving to be popular with a laptop, Nintendo Gameboy and Playstation 3 all voted into the top 50.

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Unique and even ubiquitous stationery sets can make a nice gift to give simply because they are useful, highly functional and on top of that, they are not too expensive. They usually come with nice corresponding envelopes and other assortments for official or personal interaction such as sealing wax, stickers and pens or coloring markers. Here are some pertinent things to consider before you decide to give a stationery set:

• What is the style quotient of the person? For instance, is your gift recipient a female and will prefer more feminine styles? Or is it for someone who wants everything sleek and contemporary? Some people might be hesitant to use stationery that does not fit their personality so it is important to select stationary set that is appropriate for the recipient.

• Also, think of your budget. You could probably find expensive paper lined with gold leaf and costly golden-embossed or encrusted pens, but really, in the end, it’s just pens and paper.

• Paper quality is also an important factor. Most stationery sets will probably have good quality paper. However, you want to ensure that it does not comprise flimsy or very thin paper, which can be difficult to write on and looks cheap.

Finally, a nice touch could be added with personalized and monogrammed stationery. Have the recipient’s name or initials printed in fancy fonts on top of each sheet of paper or on pre-printed envelopes, making it a very personal and unique gift. Monogramming can add a classy touch to even a commonplace item. A thoughtfully selected stationery set can be a pleasure to receive.

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Gifts play an important role as they are the easiest way to express your sentiments. The gift should be such that it would make the receive feel special. It becomes even more lavish gesture when it is for high-profile individual from an equally high-profile individual.

Indeed, in case of celebrities, the whole connotation and scale of the gifting exercise changes as we pointed out in the previous blog! Here are more instances from across the globe that indicate what celebrities choose to gift and mark a special occasion.

- In what can be considered as one of the most ‘outrageously’ expensive gestures ever of love, the famed Hollywood Star Tom Cruise gifted his pregnant fiancée Katie Holmes a whopping $20 million Gulf Stream Jet as a present.

- Davaid Beckham, the England soccer star whom we have already mentioned, reportedly gifted Victoria a mere $8 million (going by Tom Cruise’s standard) Bulgari necklace on her birthday. He also reportedly spent $10,000 to fly out a team of chefs from London’s trendy restaurant Nobu to cook delicacies for her in Spain.

- Actor Richard Burton bought a diamond weighing 240.80 carats to gift it to Elizabeth Taylor. Following her divorce, she put one of the world’s largest diamonds up for sale for raising funds for a hospital.

- Hollywood Actor Brad Pitt gifted actress-wife Anjelina Jolie a gold ring that featured the birthstones of their (four) kids. (Incidentally, Angelina Jolie recently spent $65,000 to gift herself a horsehair mattress that would help her sleep well.

- Shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis presented his wife Jacqueline Kennedy her very own private Island in Greece.

On your part, you can let us know about the best gift that you have ever received or given. And also let us know why do you think it was the best?

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