Dear Sankar, I have seen "some" of the "rich-brahmins"(?) - do wear a 'pavithram - ring' made of gold - in place of the Dharbai-pavithram - just to dispense with the process of wearing the dharabi. They do the rituals with the gold pavithram - and not with dharbam - thus do not remove that whenever the "pandit/sasthrigal" instruct to remove the pavithram during the course of rituals. Is there a significance in replacing dharbai with gold ? or is it just to exhibit one's wealth? Is it better to substitute dharbai with gold? Kindly clarify this point with the scholors you meet on this sunday.