Metal at the Bench, Counted in Grams
A hundred and twenty grams went to Ramesh on Tuesday for bangles. Some of it comes back as jewellery, some as scrap, and some of it does not come back at all. That last part is the whole problem.
By Diwali the register is short
Metal goes out to the bench and returns as finished pieces, with wastage allowed by habit rather than by rule. Nobody adds it up through the year. Then the yearly count comes, the numbers do not meet, and an argument starts with a man who has worked for the family for fifteen years.
What the bench account holds
Issued against an order
Weight, purity and the design it is for, given to a named karigar on a date. An issue without an order can be blocked if you want it that way.
Wastage allowed on that design
Filigree is not a plain chain. The allowance is set per design or per karigar, so the rule is agreed before the metal leaves.
Received back, piece by piece
Finished weight in, scrap in, and the date. Each return goes against the issue it belongs to.
Wastage used against wastage allowed
The two figures sit side by side on his account. A bench that runs over month after month becomes visible early.
A running balance in grams
How much metal stands with each karigar right now. It is a number on a screen, not a feeling the owner carries around.
Who may see it
The karigar account is the most sensitive book in the shop, so it sits behind its own permission. A counter salesperson bills all day without ever opening it.
- Metal balance with each bench, oldest issue first
- Orders sent out and not yet received back
- Wastage used against allowed, by karigar and by month
- Opening balances weighed in and agreed with each man before go-live
Frequently asked questions
Can a karigar hold metal for more than one order?
Yes. Several issues can be open against the same bench, each with its own order, design and allowance. The balance is the sum of what is still out.
What about stones given along with the metal?
Stone weight is recorded on the issue and on the return, alongside the metal. What is not handled here is a stone-by-stone inventory of loose diamonds, and we say so rather than pretend.
Does it pay the karigar his making charges?
It does not run a payment account for the bench. What it holds is the metal: what went out, what came back and the wastage between them. Paying him happens the way you already pay, and those entries reach your accountant with everything else.
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