I'm from India and let me tell you that gold jewellery is primarily viewed as a store of value and not as a romantic gesture.

Buying gold is the main way that Indians save.

I initially came here to disagree. My argument was that if someone was going to give something "pretty and shiny" to someone, at least gold holds its value second hand over diamonds. However, I think of the Cash4Gold type scams out there and cant help but think that selling jewelry of any type second hand is going to get you screwed.

Who says there's a single justification? And how would you carry a gold bar about on your person? Part of the security of gold jewelry is arguably that you will have it with you in an emergency, or if you have to flee quickly. The gold bars sitting in your vault will be much harder to access quickly.

Depending on the legal system that one finds oneself subject to, jewelry is often considered a "personal effect" rather than an asset to be seized, such as gold bars, coins, or currency - and is therefore not subject to forfeiture.