Culture
Egyptians abandon gold gifts as prices soar
Egyptians getting married have to cast gold gifts aside because of rising prices, but this appears to be a blessing for imitation gold traders.
CAIRO — Taxi driver Khaled Hussein had a hard time convincing the woman he intended to marry to drop the gold gift, a decades-old custom for engagement in Egypt.
"She refused at first, but after learning the price of gold she realized that it would be very hard for me to buy her any gold gifts for the engagement," Hussein told Al-Monitor.
Instead, he bought two silver rings with his name and the name of his fiancee engraved.
Not buying gold engagement gifts is a new trend in Egypt, one fueled by rising gold prices in the local and international markets.
