Bollywood bling comes to London

Simer Virdee and her daughter-in-law Elaine are going about one of their favourite activities - Jewellery shopping. They're not on Bond Street, but in East London at PureJewels.

Green Street is where curry houses mingle with Sari shops. And even though it's in a London borough where unemployment runs around 11 percent, the street is fast branding itself as the up-and-coming jewellery quarter for shoppers who love South Asian style.

SOUNDBITE; Elaine Virdee, shopper saying (English):

"As you see today, I'm wearing just casual jeans and a T-shirt. Bangles and necklaces. Yeah its very easy to wear, dependent on the clothes you are choosing. Still mix and match. I much prefer this type of jewellery."

The Virdee's have been Harish Raniga's customers for over 30 years. The family set up shop in 1975. It now owns three stores, and along with other fine jewellers in the street, exemplifies the significant economic contribution the British Asian community has made to the UK's economic progress.

Harish runs PureJewels and is a member of the Green Street Jewellers Association which is working hard to get recognition from the city's traditional jewellery districts.

SOUNDBITE; Harish Raniga PureJewels, shopper saying (English):

"Now I think designs, the various transitions, the patterns, designs and the various requirements of the customers needs which are catered for. The transformation has been from the predominately 22 carat jewellery, the traditional jewellery, has now changed over to diamonds, white gold, platinum."

The reason for that trend is young British Asian women prefer lightweight, casual items which go with both jeans and saris.

Next door at Raniga's specialist costume jewellery shop a group of ladies from Ethiopia are looking for trinkets, while another customer is busy matching glass and gold coloured bangles with a scarf.

Green Street's Jewellery Association says the number of fine jewellers here has doubled in the last 10 years.

And despite the high cost of gold and other commodities, they've seen no let up in demand.