INDIAN JEWELLER (IJ) Dec - Jan 2020

Editor’s note 

thE Past, PrEsEnt 

and FuturE 

The ever evolving gems and jewellery industry has been through 

the ringer in the recent past. To say it has been tough would be 

stating the obvious. However, the resilient and determined nature 

of jewellers has brought forth a slew of opportunities and the industry 

has proved its mettle. Be it gold prices at an all time high or the changing 

nature of jewellery consumption globally, the industry has seen it all. The 

cover story of this issue focuses on the highs and lows witnessed by the 

gems and jewels space that has shaped the industry as we know it today. 

As we step into 2020, the future certainly looks bright. A new year 

brings with it new goals, new possibilities and most importantly new 

opportunities. We speak to the top ten retailers in the country and try 

to find out their business resolutions for the coming year. It often said 

that the first rule of business is to know your consumer. The issue puts 

retailers through the litmus test to ascertain exactly how well they know 

their primary consumers- women. 

You will also find highlights from the Jaipur Jewellery Show along with 

the star studded gala that was IJ Awards in this issue. Enjoy! 

editor 

Alok Kala 

Diamond necklace: Varda Goenka 

Fine Jewels by Diagold 

44 | december 19-january 2020 | INDIAN JEWELLER

A WhirlWind 

of A YeAr! 

Everything that’s gone 

wrong & what lies ahead 

The Face oF The indian jewellery indusTry 

Vol.10 Issue.3 December 19-January 2020 300 

Plus 

BIG Vision 

Retailers share 

their key goals 

for the year 

How are jewellers 

wooing women? 

JJS 2019, Big Winners 

of iJ Awards & more! 

Cover Jewellery courtesy: Khurana Jewellery House, Amritsar 

The Year that Was 

OnE HELL 


Vol.10 Issue 2 

october-noVember 2019 

Editor and Publisher: Alok Kala 

Associate Publisher: Arpit Kala 

Senior Editor: Vijetha Rangabashyam 

Business & Marketing: Gunjan Jain 

Features Editor: Shreya Thakur 

Features Writer : Sanjana Parikh 

Graphic Designer: Dhananjay Kokate 

Columnists: Gunjan Suri, Aftab Bandukwala 

Subscription: India 

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Website: www.indianjeweller.in 

Communication and Editorial Office: 

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E-mail : mumbai@indianjeweller.in 

Indian Jeweller, a bi-monthly magazine is 

printed and published by Alok Kala, Proprietor, 

Gem & Jewellery Information Centre, Journal 

House, A-95, Janta Colony, Jaipur-302004, 

Printed at Payorite Print Media Pvt. Ltd., 

Jaipur-302006. 

Published from Gem & Jewellery Information 

Centre, Journal House, A-95, Janta Colony, 

Jaipur-302004. 

Editor - Alok Kala 

Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers 

for India under No. RAJENG/2010/50179. 

© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be 

reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without 

prior consent. 

The Big Story 

A HELL of a Year 

This has been by far the toughest year for the industry in over a decade. Exports 

are on the decrease, job losses are rampant and the industry has been punished 

with a high import duty not to mention the banks’ unwillingness to support 

them. A looming economic crisis and weak rupee has further led to soaring gold 

prices, which further hit an all time high after the tension between U.S. and Iraq 

took a sudden turn. While consumers are forced to walk into the store because 

of weddings and special occasions, the demand for jewellery has otherwise 

remained subdued. Vijetha Rangabashyam speaks to jewellers to find out how 

they are surviving and what the need of the hour is 

66 

Special Feature 

BIG Business Resolutions! 

Renowned retailers spill the beans on 

their business resolutions and what 

one can expect from the market in the 

coming months 

80 

of A YEAr 

How Jewellers are 

Catering to the 

Women of Today 

Market analysts have spent 

long periods of time studying 

their various moods, desires 

and demands and are still 

sometimes befuddled as to 

what women really want. The 

story conducts a litmus test 

to ascertain how well retailers 

know their clients. 

88

IN FOCUS 

Sleek & Subtle 

132 

Stacking & layering have caught everybody’s fancy these days 

Pin it Up! 

134 

Brooches have become a jewellery staple across the board, 

don’t miss out on these 

Fun, Flirtatious & Finesse 

136 

Deepika Padukone’s taste in jewellery is eclectic, find out how! 

More than One 

130 

Detachable jewellery that can be worn in more than ways are 

in great demand 

Bold & Beautiful 

128 

Take your look from minimalist to statement maker with large 

pendants and juicy gemstones 

Store Insider 

Reaching for the Stars 

146 

Maliram Jewellers’ Jalandhar showroom epitomises luxury and 

opulence with its stately interiors and carefully curated pieces 

of jewellery 

Epitome of Class 

138 

The latest venture by Khurana Jewellery House will be a 

one-stop-shop for all bridal needs including fine jewellery and 

designer apparels 

Designscape 

Royal and Elegant 

94 

Devashish Kamdar reveals his everlasting love for Indian 

heirlooms through his brand Occasions Fine Jewels 

Gold Jewellery Summit 

3rd India Gold Jewellery Summit shines in 

New Delhi 120 

Held in New Delhi, the two-day summit ended with some 

insightful and interesting discussions regarding the gems and 

jewellery industry 

Expert Column 

Interactive design 

154 

Gunjan Suri sheds light on interactive design, calling it an 

extension of one’s own self 

The jewellery store chronicles part 2: Rome 

wasn’t built in a day.... 152 

Aftab Bandukwala continues his tale of his latest project 

IJ Awards 

A Glitzy Affair 

98 

Indian Jeweller (IJ) hosted a one of a kind glittering award 

ceremony the “JJS-IJ Jewellers’ Choice Design Awards 2019’ 

which saw the attendance of the who’s who of the industry 

Show Report 

16th Edition a Splendid Success! 

112 

16th edition of Jaipur Jewellery Show brings strong business 

to the Pink City 


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more log into 

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Jaipur 

Special 

IIJS 

SPECIAL

The Big STory 


The Year that Was 

One HeLL 

of a Year 

This has been by far the toughest year for the industry in over 

a decade. Exports are on the decrease, job losses are rampant 

and the industry has been punished with a high import duty not 

to mention the banks’ unwillingness to support them. A looming 

economic crisis and a weak rupee has further led to soaring gold 

prices, which further hit an all time high after the tension between 

U.S. and Iraq took a sudden turn. While consumers are forced to 

walk into the store because of weddings and special occasions, 

the demand for jewellery has otherwise remained subdued. 

Vijetha Rangabashyam speaks to jewellers to find out how they 

are surviving and what the need of the hour is 

There are very few people in this industry who have 

good things to say about 2019. While the economy 

and geopolitical climate have been affecting all sectors, 

the gems and jewellery industry has been affected the 

most. Right from an unfavourable budget announcement 

to a steady increase in gold prices and an average demand 

from the consumers during festivities, jewellers have 

been caught in a vicious cycle. However, with the kind 

of policies the government has been implementing across 

sectors and hallmarking being made compulsory, one thing 

is very evident – the jewellery industry is not a space for 

unorganized players anymore. We could deliberate on all 

the things that have gone wrong over the year, but fact 

remains that organized players have weathered the storm 

and are in a better position to tackle the issues as opposed 

to those who are not willing to change. 

INDIAN JEWELLER | december 19-january 2020 | 67

The Big STory 

Not a good budget; Industry still batting for a 

decrease in import duty 

As the gems and jewellery industry was 

looking forward to some relief from the 

budget announcements that were made 

in July last year, Finance Minister Nirmala 

Sitharaman shocked the industry with a 

move that saw an increase of customs duty 

to 12.5 per cent from 10 per cent. With the 

implementation of GST, the industry was on 

its way to a complete overhaul, but a 2 per 

cent increase meant that gold was going to 

get cheaper in the grey market, leading to 

smuggling. With this move, many of them 

were expected to smuggle their money back 

into the system through gold with a 10 per 

cent premium. While the council and the 

industry have been in constant talks with 

the government for more favourable policies, 

the announcement made it rather clear that 

the industry is in for a tougher game laying 

roadblocks for players especially where exports 

are concerned. “The government has to bring 

down the customs duty from 12.5 per cent to 

6 per cent. When they do that, imports will 

automatically increase. When imports increase, 

foreign exchange will go up. We have already 

suggested to the government to appoint 

jewellers as agents in the gold monetisation 

scheme and allow every married woman to 

bring in 500 grams of gold to be deposited. 

Once that is allowed, there will be tonnes of 

gold in the market and in the next 2-3 years 

they will be able to collect enough imports,” 

adds Anantha Padmanabhan, Chairman, GJC. 

The increase in customs duty has led to job 

losses across the sector and has led to capital 

blockage for exporters. The FM also reduced 

corporate tax on companies with a turnover 

of up to Rs 400 crore to 25 per cent. To 

discourage cash payments, the finance minister 

had proposed a TDS of 2 per cent on cash 

withdrawals exceeding Rs1 crore in a year 

from a bank account. The FM also scrapped 

monthly GST return and estate or gift taxes 

from the existing tax structure. 

The government has to bring down the customs duty 

from 12.5 per cent to 6 per cent. When they do that, 

imports will automatically increase. When imports 

increase, foreign exchange will go up. We have 

already suggested to the government to appoint 

jewellers as agents in the gold monetisation scheme 

and allow every married woman to bring in 500 

grams of gold to be deposited. Once that is allowed, 

there will be tonnes of gold in the market and in the 

next 2-3 years they will be able to collect enough gold 

Anantha Padmanabhan, Chairman, GJC 

Indian 

consumers 

are price 

sensitive. 

A sudden 

increase in 

price will 

definitely 

affect demand and they will 

definitely postpone their 

purchases. Looking at what’s 

happening globally, the gold 

price might further increase. 

Decrease in purchase will 

definitely affect jewellery 

manufacturers as well, so there 

will be loss of jobs 

Mansukh Kothari, Convener, 

GJEPC 

The increase 

in gold price is 

encouraging 

people to buy 

more gold 

jewellery. 

They 

realise that 

gold will always be a good 

investment. Jewellers have 

to be more in tune with what 

consumers want and spend 

time and finances in wooing 

the consumers. Major buying 

happens during weddings 

and this tradition will never 

diminish. What they are buying 

is changing – they are going for 

smaller pieces 

Surendrapal Singh, Neelkanth 

Jewellers 


The gold flux 

Throughout 2019, the price of gold has 

witnessed a seismic wave of fluctuations. 

While the year began with gold hitting 

Rs 34,600 per 10 grams in January, prices 

gradually stabilized after the Indian General 

Elections. Sales in May during Akshaya 

Tritiya saw a 25 per cent increase, thanks to 

the marriage season that boosted consumer 

sentiment. Considering the previous couple 

of years witnessed a lackluster demand during 

Akshaya Tritiya owing to demonitisation and 

GST, jewellers saw a steady footfall, with 

more consumers investing in gold coins and 

lightweight jewellery. However, in August, a 

weak rupee made import of the precious metal 

dearer, making the price of the yellow metal 

costlier. Geopolitical climate affected by trade 

tension between the U.S. and China coupled 

with volatility of the India economy led the 

price of gold to climb steadily in the course 

of the next few months. “Indian consumers 

are price sensitive. A sudden increase in price 

will definitely affect demand and they will 

definitely postpone their purchases. Looking 

at what’s happening globally, the gold price 

might further increase. Decrease in purchase 

will definitely affect jewellery manufacturers 

as well, so there will be loss of jobs ,” says 

Mansukh Kothari, Convener, GJEPC. 

The increase of gold prices through 

the year was also indicative of the fact that 

there is an impending global recession. The 

increase in gold price is encouraging people 

to buy more gold jewellery. They realise 

that gold will always be a good investment. 

Jewellers have to be more in tune with 

what consumers want and spend time and 

money in wooing the consumers. Major 

buying happens during weddings and this 

tradition will never diminish. What they 

are buying is changing – they are going for 

smaller pieces, says Surendrapal Singh of 

Neelkanth Jewellers. The yellow metal was 

considered recession proof as compared to 

mutual funds, equities, real estate, and fixed 

deposits. However, this has been no good 

news for jewellers as the demand for gold saw 

a 10 per cent drop through festive season – 

faltering rural demand and liquidity crunch 

have also played a role in weakening gold 

demand in India. “The sentiment has been 

affected temporarily for sure. It is hard for 

anybody to digest such a hike in gold price. 

However, because it is the wedding season, 

people are compelled to buy. But otherwise, 

people are waiting for prices to fall back ,” 

said Mahesh Jagwani of Mahesh Notandass. 

In January 2020, gold price hit a fresh record 

high of Rs 41,987 per 10 gram, the highest 

in the last 7 years. This was an aftermath of 

tension between U.S. and Iran after a top 

Iranian commander was killed in an airstrike 

by the U.S. in Baghdad. “This year, till the 

U.S. elections, the gold prices are going to 

fluctuate. Consumers have to make peace 

with rise in gold price and whenever there is 

a slight drop, they should make the purchase,” 

adds Padmanabhan. However, organized 

players and chain stores remain positive 

as they believe that the sudden jump may 

temporarily affect the business but eventually 

the demand would stabilize due to extended 

wedding followed by Akshaya Tritiya. “This 

is definitely had an impact on jewellery 

demand. The price is definitely not going to 

go back Rs 30-32,000 range. It will be over 

Rs 35,000 for sure and probably touch Rs 

42,000. Eventually people will resolve to the 

fact that gold is going to be expensive. While 

increase in price will have a negative effect 

for some time, it will also increase the desire 

in people to own pieces of gold jewellery, 

as it will always give a good return,” adds 

Himanshu Shekhar of Manoharlal Jewellers. 

“If there is a wedding or some other special 

occasion in the family, they are buying 

because of compulsion. Otherwise, people 

are waiting for the prices to come down. We 

supply big ticket items so we are not affected 

by the rise in gold price,” adds Senthil Kumar 

of Sumangali Jewellers. 

The sentiment has been affected 

temporarily for sure. It is hard for anybody 

to digest such a hike in gold price. However, 

because it is the wedding season, people 

are compelled to buy. But otherwise, 

people are waiting for prices to fall back 

Mahesh Jagwani, Mahesh Notandass 

If there is a wedding or some 

other special occasion in 

the family, they are buying 

because of compulsion. 

Otherwise, people are waiting 

for the prices to come down. 

We supply big ticket items so 

we are not affected by the 

rise in gold price 

Senthil Kumar, Sumangali 

Jewellers 


The Big STory 

Industry nods to compulsory hallmarking; 

expects more time to sell old stock 

In November last year, Union Minister 

for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public 

Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said that 

of hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts 

will be made mandatory across the country 

from January 15, 2021 to ensure purity of the 

precious metal. The decision will come into 

effect after a year, making it compulsory for 

all the jewellers to register with the Bureau of 

Indian Standards (BIS) and sell only hallmarked 

gold jewellery and artefacts. Gold hallmarking 

is a purity certification of the precious metal 

and is voluntary in nature at present. The BIS 

is already running a hallmarking scheme for 

gold jewellery since April 2000 and around 40 

per cent of gold jewellery is being hallmarked 

currently. Jewellers and retailers will be given 

one year time to exhaust their existing stocks. 

The decision was taken in light of protecting 

consumers’ interest, mainly in small cities and 

villages to ensure that they purchase pure 

gold jewellery. “We welcome compulsory 

hallmarking but our only request is to give us 

more time. Right now they have given us 12 

months, but we would require 18-24 months, 

so that every jeweller is able to dispose off his 

non-hallmarked jewellery. It will take close to 

2 years to replenish old stock with hallmarked 

pieces. Along with hallmarking for 14, 18 and 

22, it should be made compulsory for 20, 23 

and 24 as well. We also have to have a dialogue 

with the ministry of consumer affairs as to 

how it will be implemented as there are not 

too many hallmarking centres in the country 

yet,” adds Padmanabhan. 

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 

has formulated standards for hallmarking 

gold jewellery in three grades -- 14 carat, 

18 carat and 22 carat. The minister also 

informed that government may make 

it mandatory for retailers to display 

prices of these three quality grades at 

their shops. At present, there are 877 

assaying and hallmarking centres in 234 

district locations and 26,019 jewellers 

have taken BIS registration. However, 

the government targets to open more 

hallmarking centres in all districts of the 

country and register all jewellers during 

this one year window. “Mandatory 

hallmarking will affect small players in 

a big way because they are not quality 

conscious. In any of the big shows, there 

is still a huge demand for gold jewellery 

which is not 22 kt as is. There are people 

who sell jewellery with 80 per cent purity 

saying that it is only 80 per cent pure, 

and there are people who sell 22 kt gold 

but with a melting purity of 80 per cent. 

Though there is full disclosure, one thing 

is clear – you can’t fool people anymore 

,” adds Shekhar. Consumer awareness as 

far as hallmarked gold is concerned is still 

very low, especially in rural areas. There 

are around 200,000 jewellers in this 

country and approximately only around 

26,000 jewellers are registered with BIS. 

Making hallmarking compulsory is set to 

give way to more consumer awareness 

and also decrease the extent of fraudulent 

practices wherein jewellers are selling less 

carat jewellery in the pretext of them 

being hallmarked. “We have been selling 

hallmarked jewellery for so many years. 

Making it compulsory only has positive 

outcomes,” adds Jagwani. 

Mandatory hallmarking will affect small players in a big way because 

they are not quality conscious. In any of the big shows, there is still 

a huge demand for gold jewellery which is not 22 kt as is. There are 

people who sell jewellery with 80 per cent purity saying that it is 

only 80 per cent pure, and there are people who sell 22 kt gold but 

with a melting purity of 80 per cent. Though there is full disclosure, 

one thing is clear – you can’t fool people anymore 

Himanshu Shekar, Manoharlal Jewellers 


Job cuts rampant; artisans to 

further lose jobs 

The increase in import duty has led to many problems in the 

industry. As people have been embracing a wait and watch 

approach to buy jewellery, jewellers are looking at cutting down 

their workforce. The reduction in demand for gold jewellery has led 

many jewellers to lay off karigars as they are unable to pay them. 

Almost 1 crore workers are employed by jewellery manufacturers. 

Owing to the ongoing issues, many manufacturing units are closing 

down. Almost 10 per cent of the workforce has already left the 

industry in search of other livelihoods and this is not a number that 

is negligible. “The small exporters are not interested in all the paper 

work involved when it comes to exporting and because of that their 

businesses are affected and hence they are not able to maintain their 

workforce,” says Sabysachi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC. Close 

to 1.5 lakh workers who handcraft gold jewellery left to their native 

places from Gujarat right before festive and wedding season. Increase 

in duty coupled with high gold prices and weak rupee has led to this 

recession – the approach is quite simple, where 6 workers are required, 

3 are retained instead and those who are retained don’t have enough 

work. The jewellery industry is going through a dilemma – whether 

to retain their workers or to sustain themselves. Without government’s 

inclination to help with the policies and unless the gold price stabilizes, 

the industry will witness more job losses. 

Liquidity remains an Issue 

The industry has been facing a large liquidity 

crisis as banks have not been forthcoming 

in lending loans to jewellers. Banks are not 

exposing themselves to small and medium scale 

companies due to insufficient collateral for working 

capital loans. The lack of funds has really pushed 

many small and midscale players in a bottleneck 

situation, as they are not able to operate in an 

efficient way. “The industry is perfect. It is only 2-3 

per cent of players who defaulted that too not in the 

gold jewellery industry but the diamond industry. 

Most players are hardworking and disciplined, 

they pay their taxes, yet we are punished for our 

honesty by the banks. Even though the finance 

ministry has been asking banks to lend money to 

this industry, banks have completely ignored the 

gems and jewellery industry. A few jewellers have 

gone bankrupt, some have declared insolvency and 

some have committed frauds – there have been 

some defects in their audits. We are willing to sit 

with the banks and discuss how we can streamline 

the process, but they are not ready to hear us out,” 

adds Padmanabhan. 


The Big STory 

Exports tumble, Commerce Ministry seeks budgetary relief 

The overall gross exports of gems and 

jewellery declined by 5.30% to $27.69 

billion during April to December 2019 

as compared to $29.23 billion during the 

same period in 2018. The overall gross import 

of gems and jewellery in April to December 

2019 showed a decline of 6.52% to $18.68 

billion from $19.98 billion registered during 

April to December 2018. “High import 

duty is an issue. Whenever I buy gold from a 

nominated agency, I have to export it within 

90 days and the money has to come within 

180 days from the day of exports. So it is a 270 

day cycle. So the day I buy the gold, I have to 

pay 12.5 per cent plus 3 per cent – so I have 

to pay 15.5 per cent of the total gold price to 

the bank. So essentially, the money is blocked 

for 270 days. If every 30 days, I do one export, 

within say 5 months, my entire capital is gone 

to just the banks. So if the import duty doesn’t 

decrease, the issue of capital blockage will 

continue to affect the jewellers. Nominated 

agencies are also not willing to give gold to 

the exporters, because it is a very tedious 

process and there is a lot of paper work . So if 

these issues are addressed, then there is a huge 

potential in the export front. Banks should 

also give more gold metal loans to exporters,” 

says Ray. The commerce ministry has sought 

reduction in the import duty on gold in the 

forthcoming budget with a view to pushing 

exports and manufacturing of the gems and 

jewellery sector. In its budget proposals, the 

ministry has suggested its finance counterpart 

to consider a significant reduction in the 

import duty on the yellow metal. India’s gold 

imports, which have a bearing on the current 

account deficit (CAD), fell about 7 per cent 

to $ 20.57 billion during April-November 

period of the ongoing financial year, according 

to the commerce ministry data. Imports of 

the yellow metal stood at $ 22.16 billion in 

the same period of 2018-19. Industry experts 

claim that businesses in the sector are shifting 

their manufacturing bases to neighbouring 

countries due to this high duty. Gems and 

jewellery exports declined about 1.5 per cent 

to $ 20.5 billion in April-November this fiscal. 

The country’s gold imports dipped about 3 

per cent in value terms to $ 32.8 billion in 

2018-19. The CAD narrowed to 0.9 per cent 

of GDP or $ 6.3 billion in July-September, 

2019-20 from 2.9 per cent or $19 billion in 

same period last year, according to the RBI 

data. 

High import duty is an issue. Whenever I buy gold from a nominated agency, I 

have to export it within 90 days and the money has to come within 180 days 

from the day of exports. So it is a 270 day cycle. So the day I buy the gold, I 

have to pay 12.5 per cent plus 3 per cent – so I have to pay 15.5 per cent of the 

total gold price to the bank. So essentially, the money is blocked for 270 days. 

If every 30 days, I do one export, within say 5 months, my entire capital is gone 

to just the banks. So if the import duty doesn’t decrease, the issue of capital 

blockage will continue to affect the jewellers. Nominated agencies are also not 

willing to give gold to the exporters, because it is a very tedious process and 

there is a lot of paper work 

Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC 


A further hike on GST is on the cards 

After the GST Council meeting in 

December last year, there is a rumour 

that GST may be further hiked from 3 

per cent to 5 per cent. If GST is increased, 

the effects on the industry will be disastrous 

according to jewellers. “They should reduce 

the GST rate or leave it at what it is. If they 

decide to increase, it will be a total catastrophe. 

The current GST is amounting to 100 Rs 

per gram which itself is a lot ,” adds Senthil. 

According to World Gold Council (WGC), 

there has been a 32 per cent decline in India’s 

jewellery demand at 101.6 tonnes for July– 

September 2019, against 148.8 tonnes for the 

corresponding quarter last year. WGC also 

reported an overall decline of 5.3 per cent to 

395.6 tonnes for January–September 2019, 

against 417.9 tonnes reported for the same 

period last year. If more GST is levied, the 

overall tax incidence will work out to 15.5 per 

cent, a portion of which in turn will be levied 

on the consumer, making them more skeptical 

about buying jewellery. “There is already a 

12.5 per cent duty and 3 per cent GST. Gold 

from banks is always expensive and even 

the organized players are feeling the pinch. 

Consumers are already looking at GST as a 

dampener, a further hike will keep them away 

from stores and this will lead the industry to 

not comply with the policies,” adds Mansukh. 

When gold prices started rising initially in 2019, 

consumers were skeptical because they thought 

price rise was short lived. So the second quarter 

was very slow for us. The feedback from consumers 

was that ‘the prices will go down.’ As Diwali season 

began people started realising that gold prices are 

here to stay and so the 3rd quarter went really well 

and we were able to cover the deficit of the second 

quarter. Recent gold prices are at an all time high 

and consumers have a little bit of a negative sentiment 

thinking it might go down. But since prices have again shot 

up in January, we had a very good sale. People are coming in, 

booking jewellery as well as gold price, so that they can take 

save on the cost of higher gold prices 

Vaibhav Saraf, Aishpraa Gems and Jewels 

Tech not disrupting; 

consumers still 

want to touch & feel 

their jewellery 

Jewellers in India are not utilising 

data in an effective way. In that sense 

both retailers and consumers have 

not hit the level of maturity to drive 

their entire business to augmented 

reality. While other sectors are seeing a 

significant amount of their sales driven 

by augmented and virtual reality, there 

is still a lot of time till consumers are 

warmed up to the idea of buying high 

value items like jewellery buy merely 

looking at it on a screen. “Because of the 

grey area in our industry, lot of data is 

not captured. Machine intelligence can 

only work if the data is fed in. If you are 

averse to collecting that data, he cannot 

use AI in his favour. Big players have 

been able to tap into it. We use AI in a 

big way and we also use analytics. But 

the problem remains – how to ask the 

end user, who is personally present at 

your store, for information in a manner 

which is not offensive? And then how do 

you feed it in? The entire ecosystem has 

to be created,” adds Himanshu. Indian 

women want to wear their jewellery and 

see. “This is definitely still a touch and 

feel market. Jewellery is not an impulse 

purchase,” adds Senthil. 


Special SpeciAl Feature FeAture 

Business resolutions from top retailers 

Business 

Resolutions! 

Jewellers have witnessed a whirlwind of a year! As they 

enter a brand new year, they share with Shreya Thakur their 

resolutions and strategies for the year ahead 

With New Year comes newer resolutions, however, 

with the on-going slump in the Gems & Jewellery 

industry, it is interesting to observe how the market 

will react in the near future. Gold prices have been fluctuating 

throughout the year hitting an all time high in the month of 

January. Manufacturers and retailers across the country have 

nonetheless braced themselves for the challenges ahead and 

are working on innovative ways to tackle the bottlenecks. 

Renowned retailers spilled the beans on what one can 

expect from the market in the coming months. While some 

believe that the market is going to see a positive change, there 

were others who say it will take some time for it to revive. 

However, each retailer believes that the best way to reach 

their desired clientele is social media. Read on to find out 

their business resolutions and how implementing the same 

can reap higher rewards for your business. 


A larger share, a larger turnover 

Ankur Anand, HSJ Bareilly 

Business resolution of 2020 would 

be to promote the sale of gold 

and diamond jewellery in a more 

positive and ethical way according to the 

government norms. I would want to go 

into higher value and heavier jewellery. For 

me when you are working on the pieces, 

the more we get into heavier jewellery; 

the easier it becomes to capture a larger 

share of the market. A larger share, a 

larger turnover and of course it is for 

the elite. Instead of concentrating on the 

middle class and upper middle class, I 

would concentrate more on the couture 

jewellery. I would like to build on my 

customer database, individually targeting 

my high-end customers. I want to help 

them understand about the processes 

of buying jewellery and guide them on 

how to invest and reap the maximum 

benefits in the future. We are working 

on our social media aggressively for the 

past two-three years. We do intend to 

start our online sales especially in the 

next three-four months. Good jewellers 

should be more aggressive in their stock 

inventory and they should target bigger 

sales. It is the ethical family jewellers 

who will be doing a good amount of 

business compared to people who are 

not selling jewellery ethically so they 

should not start looking for selling 

light weight jewellery and concentrate 

more on higher sales and higher income 

groups that have disposable income. 



Strengthening 

Brand Image 

Anand Prakash, 

Abhushan Diamonds 

Staying Relevant 

Prathap Kamat, Aabaran Timeless 

We are looking to have 

14 exhibitions cum sale 

outlets in tier two cities in 

Karnataka. That’s the plan for this year. 

We are primarily a metro based brand. 

Last year also we did exhibitions 

in tier two towns and we saw that 

people’s propensity and interest to 

spend is much higher in the tier 

two towns and that’s why we 

are looking at showcasing our 

jewellery and in future if possible 

we will try having our own stores 

in those towns. Overall consistent 

effort is what’s important for a 

vision. Being relevant, having the 

right product mix, having the 

right pricing strategy and a strong 

presence on social media is very 

important. Design is the key these 

days. If these things are followed then 

nothing can stop us from growing 

8-10 per year-on-year. 


To expand the business geographically whether physically 

or digitally by taking calculated decisions tops my business 

resolution list. To keep belief in the strength of the jewellery 

industry, keeping in mind that whatever recession and slowdown 

may come, jewellery is always going to do well as it is part of our 

culture. Also to believe in our strengths and to strategize around 

the same are other things we will be looking at. One should know 

the core competence of one’s business and build their marketing 

focus around those lines. Also to have a competent team, sales 

and production, is very important to achieve your targets and that 

will give you time for strategizing on your future goals. I believe 

in strengthening the brand image. That automatically gives you 

result in this trust deficient market. That brand building exercise 

could be one to one connects, being on the mind of your target 

customer through doing things a bit differently and I also believe 

every marketing pitch should not be a sales pitch and it should be 

about showing your brand in positive light. I see the coming year as 

even more challenging for the industry, with jewellers facing more 

liquidity crisis, attitude of the banks and the government also not 

being favourable and the challenge for the industry is to train itself 

very fast with the new regulatory system. Despite saying all this , 

this year I see further consolidation of the market in the hands of 

strong retailers, those who have got the fundamentals right. 

Five more Stores 

Saumya Sanjjay, AVR Swarnamahal 

To be very frank, AVR Swarnamahal from the 

beginning has been focusing on quality, design 

and the most important thing for us is service. 

With the kind of exposure and knowledge that we 

have, everything is spoken to everybody. Digital is 

playing a very vital role in our industry, there’s no 

doubt about it. The digital market gives an idea to 

the customer of the products at display but finally 

the customer would like to feel and wear the pieces 

and only then the decision of buying is being taken. I 

want to open five more stores in 2020. 

Get more 

Proactive 

Prerna Khurana, 

Khurana Jewellery House 

It’s my personal plan as well as an 

organizational target to get more 

proactive, even better organised and 

more streamlined as an organisation. 

We at Khuranas also plan to get much 

more engaged with the stakeholders, 

be it the clients, the employees, the 

larger public or the industry as a whole. 

I think the chunky gold pieces, rich 

tones of coloured gemstone jewellery, 

which we saw so much in 2019 will 

spill over into next year. Looking at the 

rise in gold rate, light weight jewellery 

with precious coloured stones will be 

in trend in 2020. We will be working 

doubly hard at KJH to make our client 

dreams come true and keep delivering 

on our promise for excellence. 2020 

being recognized as the year, I feel 

it gives us the motivation and drive 

to set bigger goals as an industry. 

Personally, we at KJH have massive 

new ventures, forays into new areas 

and big announcements planned for 

all our stakeholders. I can barely wait 

to kickstart this exciting new phase. 

Buying jewellery is an extremely 

gratifying, memorable and luxurious 

experience in itself. The entire process 

is dreamy and unforgettable, at least 

we at Khuranas make it our goal to 

provide an outstanding experience to 

every client. I think the online process 

lacks this personalized touch, this great 

service experience and the sheer joy 

and glamour of trying on the new 

piece before taking it home to be 

treasured for years to come. 



Invest 

in more 

lightweight 

pieces 

Provide Innovative & 

Wearable Designs 

Viraj Seth, Batukbhai Sons 

Our business resolution always at the start of the year is to prepare a 

structured game plan as to how we will cater to our clients. We plan 

to be a step ahead by providing our clients with innovative and userfriendly 

designs compared to our competitors in the market. We also plan 

to be updated with global market trends as in an industry like us it is safe to 

go with the market trends as the acceptance level of the customers are then 

usually high. We look forward to providing our clients with hassle free after 

sales services to make their buying products from us a very smooth activity. 

We have opted to step out of our comfort zone and started participating 

in the B2C shows and are mainly targeting the 2 tier cites as they 

have a great business scope. We started with only 1 city last year as 

a pilot project and now we are catering to almost 4 cities, including 

metros and we plan to explore more cities as this strategy has turned 

out to be fruitful to us. This helps us create our brand awareness on 

a national level. We are also planning to improve on our tech and 

inventory management. We intend to go deeper into BAT (Business 

Analytical Techniques) for better understanding of our business 

activities and to make it more efficient as it would help us result 

in less dead stock and study the consumer behaviour. We are going 

to mainly focus on millennials. We are lately facing the ‘no locker 

policy’ trend, so we tend to provide our clients with the products 

that are very user friendly and efficient. Online presence of jewellery has 

become very vital nowadays in the functioning of the business. No matter 

how old you are in the business you still need to have an active social media 

presence. We are getting great business through social media as you can tap 

the clients across the globe, if you have the right product they are looking 

for. I have encountered a lot of NRI clients who visited our store only 

on the basis of our social media profiles and the ratings on Google, as we 

have the highest ratings in our city. The way you portray your products and 

services on the social media speaks a lot about your brand. We get themebased 

photography done of our product and every product has a story to 

tell, this really intrigues our clients and we end up getting great business 

from the social media. 

Ravi Choksi, 

Damodardas Jewellers 

This year, we are focusing on 

lightweight jewellery in diamond 

and gold and we are launching a 

new collection in both soon. Talking 

of social media, it is the chain retailers 

who are making profit out of it but for 

family jewellers to get the hang of it 

will take some time since the delivery 

is the biggest issue. We are also planning 

to focus more on design especially in 

22 carat gold, diamond jewellery and 

coloured stones. We are also planning to 

make light weight jewellery under Rs 2 

lac for people who are struggling with 

the rise in gold prices. 


Make our jewellery an aspiration for consumers 

Ketan Chokshi, Narayan Jewellers by Ketan & Jatin Chokshi 

First, we need to give more aspirations every year to our 

consumers. As a brand, we have been constantly innovating 

in terms of design and production. Any jeweller can 

broadly be termed as a family jeweller or corporate jeweller. 

Most of the brands in our country are family jewellers and 

everyone is moving towards institutional retail. The consumer’s 

spending intentions are changing, we as Indians always think 

prevention is better than cure and looking at the 

gloomy economy as of now there is no such great 

visibility for the economy to come up from six 

months to one year so we have a mentality of 

spending less instantly. In this, the disposable income 

is not reducing but the intent for disposable income 

takes a back seat. The only way to do this and pull 

out their disposal income will be setting up their 

aspirational value through your jewellery. We need to 

build the industry together and create an aspirational 

value such that everybody is desperate to own a piece. 

Focus on Direct Marketing 

& CSR Activities 

Gaurav Pandit, Pandit Jewellers 

Resolution to increase productivity by 

automating certain key processes and provide 

5 star experience to our customers is our 

priority year. Hard work always reaps its rewards, I, 

however, would want to work hard with strategies 

in place. We as a brand would want to focus more 

on direct marketing and social media and also take 

up some CSR activities. The new-gen customer is 

very aware these days and wants to have more fun 

with their style, hence the need for more wearable 

designs is obvious. Apart from a few online players, 

nothing much is happening on the online sales for 

most of the jewellers. The trust, feel, and emotion 

value attached to our product makes it difficult for 

most women to buy online. They would prefer to 

see and feel the product in reality than virtually. 

Get Newer 

Consumers 

Siddharth Bafna, RC Bafna 

Better design, better variety and better service! 

We have clients looking for bridal jewellery 

and we have clients looking for light weight 

jewellery as well. It’s all about giving a choice to 

everybody and increasing our productivity. When it 

comes to digital marketing, we are pretty active on 

most of the platforms including Pinterest. One of 

the most important things is to get new customers 

in since we have to do a lot of advertising but with 

social media, it becomes the cheapest or direct way 

of interacting with the clients. 



How well do you know women? 

How 

Jewellers 

are 

Catering 

to tHe 

women of 

today 

For ages women have 

loved jewellery. But like any 

relationship, this association 

has evolved and jewellers 

need to reassess how well 

they know Indian women 

when it comes to jewellery 

purchase. Sanjana Parikh 

speaks to jewellers as they 

attempt to analyze what 

women really want 


Stephen Hawking famously said that 

women are the most intriguing mystery. 

Market analysts have spent long periods 

of time studying their various moods, desires 

and demands and are still sometimes befuddled 

as to what women really want. But if there is 

one thing that everyone knows for sure it is 

women and their undying love for jewellery. 

For centuries, Indian women have associated 

weddings with jewellery; and Indian parents 

cannot fathom the idea of marrying off 

their daughters without jewellery. Jewellery 

is considered ‘stree dhan’ which literally 

translates to woman’s wealth and is gifted to 

her upon her marriage. This forms a crucial 

part of Indian culture and thus a vital element 

of Indian ethos and sensibilities. 

Vaibhav Saraf of Aishhpra Gems and Jewels 

says, “Earlier women would feel special when 

jewels were passed down from grandmothers, 

mothers to daughters. But today, they want 

customized pieces that are specific only 

to them. One-of-a-kind pieces that are 

exclusively crafted for consumers are what we 

Aisshpra Gems 

and Jewels 

Earlier women would 

feel special when jewels 

were passed down from 

grandmothers, mothers to 

daughters. But today, they 

want customized pieces that 

are specific only to them. 

One-of-a-kind pieces that 

are exclusively crafted for 

consumers are what we 

are seeing now days. Even 

for brides, parents would 

earlier buy 80 per cent 

heavy jewellery while 20 

per cent would be wearable, 

everyday jewellery. But 

now it has become 50-50. 

Transformative jewellery has 

taken the industry by storm. 

Versatility is the one thing 

women are looking for so that 

they can wear one piece in 

multiple ways 

Vaibhav Saraf, Aishhpra 

Gems and Jewels 



Gold jewellery is an inherent part 

of Indian culture. Since marriage 

is a once in a lifetime occasion, 

brides and families are ready to 

splurge on gold jewellery and 

buy heavy necklaces, oversized 

earrings and chunky bangles. 

The charm and elegance of 

traditional jadau and polki 

continues to this day and will 

also remain timeless. But at 

the same time women have 

become practical as well and are 

also moving toward lightweight 

jewellery featuring intricate 

carving and coloured stone 

studded jewellery 

Arvind Chordia, Saaz Jewels 

When we have millennial 

customers in the store, we 

make sure that the experience 

of buying is fantastic. This 

involves a very patient & 

understanding sales executive, 

good ambience, excellent 

beverages and an easy going 

approach of not pushing for 

sales 

Ishu Datwani, ANMOL 

are seeing now days. Even for brides, parents 

would earlier buy 80 per cent heavy jewellery 

while 20 per cent would be wearable, 

everyday jewellery. But now it has become 

50-50. Transformative jewellery has taken the 

industry by storm. Versatility is the one thing 

women are looking for so that they can wear 

one piece in multiple ways .” 

Gold which is considered a symbol of purity 

and prosperity has played an invaluable role 

in Indian weddings, not only because of its 

inherent value but also due to its underlying 

meaning. It is undeniable that gold jewellery 

plays an essential role during the lives of many 

women from birth to marriage to festivals 

and feasts. Indian culture is deeply associated 

with gold and gold jewellery and the role 

of gold jewellery in Indian society is crucial. 

Strong emotional response of the buyer joined 

with a compelling traditional bent of mind 

emphasizes the role of gold. The trend has seen 

several changes over a period of time and it 

also helps to transfer customs and rituals from 

one generation to the other. 

Arvind Chordia of Saaz Jewels shares, 

“Gold jewellery is an inherent part of Indian 

culture. Since marriage is a once in a lifetime 

occasion, brides and families are ready to 

splurge on gold jewellery and buy heavy 

necklaces, oversized earrings and chunky 

bangles. The charm and elegance of traditional 

jadau and polki continues to this day and will 

also remain timeless. But at the same time 

women have become practical as well and 

are also moving toward lightweight jewellery 

featuring intricate carving and coloured stone 

studded jewellery .” 

Jewellery was previously seen as a valuable 

investment and Indian parents would save 

up money for their daughter’s marriage. But 

today, jewellery faces stiff competition from 

experiences, travel, branded apparel and 

electronic gadgets which are increasingly 

becoming a part of Indian fabric. Sharing her 

perspective, Varda Goenka of Diagold revealed, 

“Earlier jewellery was seen as an investment 

but now it’s no longer true. Women are 

increasingly spending money on travel 

or electronic gadgets instead of jewellery; 

however when it comes to marriage they do 

invest in heavy jewellery. Today brides decide 

Saaz Jewels 


Elvee Jewels 

their entire look before coming to a jewellery 

shop and know exactly what they want. They 

research extensively on social media and also 

present us with photos of how they want to 

look on their wedding day and accordingly 

buy jewellery. Gone are the days when brides 

would decide their jewellery first and buy 

RK Jewellers South Extension 2 

clothes to match it. Now they are very clear 

on the look they want to achieve and buy 

jewellery to match their vision .” 

As we move towards a more progressive 

society, women are increasingly making 

practical purchases rather than impulse 

purchases. “Compared to previous 

generations, today’s women are modern, 

working professionals, well-travelled and have 

a lot more exposure to the world around 

them. Women today prefer statement, but 

aesthetically classy pieces of jewellery. They 

would rather have three light weight, small 

stackable bracelets to wear close to their watch 

when rather than one or two chunky bangles 

,” says Janak Jethani of Jet Gems. 

Luxury items come with a hefty price tag 

which not all consumers are willing to pay. 

However, a desire to own them causes women 

to take it on rent for a special occasion without 

outright buying the product. Jewellery as a 

luxury item could potentially see this trend 

catching up as jewellery commands premium 

pricing. 

“I do believe renting jewellery will gain 

momentum in the years to come. How it will 

affect the industry I cannot say at this point. 

Earlier jewellery was seen as an 

investment but now it’s no longer 

true. Women are increasingly 

spending money on travel or 

electronic gadgets instead of 

jewellery; however when it comes 

to marriage they do invest in 

heavy jewellery. Today brides 

decide their entire look before 

coming to a jewellery shop and 

know exactly what they want. 

They research extensively on 

social media and also present us 

with photos of how they want 

to look on their wedding day and 

accordingly buy jewellery. Gone 

are the days when brides would 

decide their jewellery first and buy 

clothes to match it. Now they are 

very clear on the look they want 

to achieve and buy jewellery to 

match their vision 

Varda Goenka, Varda Goenka Fine 

Jewels by Diagold 

The millennials buy 

for themselves 

rather than for 

investment, and 

they prefer more 

everyday wear 

diamond jewelry 

which is low priced. The preference 

of design is classic but more 

edgy and something they can 

personalize. Fashionable fresh and 

alluring 

Darshan Jariwala, Zunda 



Jet Gems 

We see a lot of working women 

who save up their money and 

come into our showrooms to buy 

their favourite pieces. As a result 

of this, everyday, work appropriate 

jewellery is selling very well. Even 

when they are getting married, 

they look for diamond studded 

pieces that can be broken down 

into smaller pieces for everyday 

Rohan Sharma, RK Jewellers 

South Extension 2 

Compared to previous 

generations, today’s women are 

modern, working professionals, 

well-travelled and have a lot more 

exposure of the world around 

them. Women today prefer 

statement, but aesthetically classy 

pieces of jewellery. They would 

rather have three light weight, 

small stackable bracelets to wear 

close to their watch rather than 

one or two chunky bangles 

Janak Jethani, Jet Gems 

But renting of high end clothes and other 

luxury items is something that has been going 

on in the western world for decades. You can 

rent suits; you can rent dresses from the big 

brands. People are still buying pre owned 

luxury items as they become more affordable 

over time. A lot of people even purchase preowned 

items. The more choices people have 

the tougher decisions they have to make. 

Renting is something that I look at in a 

positive way rather than negative,” continues 

Jethani. 

With increasing number of women 

entering the workforce, self purchase has filled 

jewellery showrooms with women itching to 

buy pieces for themselves. “We see a lot of 

working women who save up their money 

and come into our showrooms to buy their 

favourite pieces. As a result of this, everyday, 

work appropriate jewellery is selling very well. 

Even when they are getting married, they 

look for diamond studded pieces that can be 

broken down into smaller pieces for everyday 

. In 2020 we will see pink morganite and light 

green coloured stone jewellery doing well. 

Russian emeralds are ruling the trends and 

rose gold metal will continue its reign over 

gold and silver finishes,” says Rohan Sharma, 

Zunda 

RK Jewellers South Extension 2. 

Globalization and Digitalization have been 

the key drivers for the growth of luxury 

market in India and luxury sales today are 

‘digitally influenced’. Millennial women 

are more inclined towards jewellery which 

is trendy and chic and at the same time 

affordable, fuss free and easy to wear. Retailers 

are ready to pull out all the stops to impress the 

elusive customer. “When we have millennial 

customers in the store, we make sure that the 

experience of buying is fantastic. This involves 

a very patient & understanding sales executive, 

good ambience, excellent beverages and an 

easy going approach of not pushing for sales,” 

shared Ishu Datwani Founder, ANMOL. 


Designscape 

DesIgnsCape 

Devashish Kamdar 

Royal and ElEgant 

One look at any piece from Occasions Fine Jewellery, one is instantly reminded 

of the royal lifestyle favoured by kings and queens. Copious amounts of uncut 

diamonds set in a pattern reminiscent of the royal era mixed with high quality 

coloured stones gives you a glimpse of lives lived in the courts of Maharajas. 

Sanjana Parikh speaks to Founder Devashish Kamdar where he reveals his 

eternal love for Indian heirlooms 


Our family company mainly dealt in the B2B markets in India, London 

and Dubai. Immediately after graduation, I wanted to start a brand 

for clients to possess exquisite jewels at direct factory pricing 

Belonging to a family of jewellers, 

his foray into the jewellery line was 

inevitable. Devashish Kamdar of 

Occasions Fine Jewellery always had a keen 

sense of design and an eye for quality. With a 

legacy spanning generations, Devashish tries to 

infuse an old world charm in the modern and 

fast paced life of present times. “Our family 

company mainly dealt in the B2B markets in 

India, London and Dubai. Immediately after 

graduation, I wanted to start a brand for clients 

to possess exquisite jewels at direct factory 

pricing. Hence, I began Occasions Fine 

Jewellery as a bridal benchmark for making 

every brides dream,” shares Devashish. 

Upon completion of his graduate degree 

from University of Nottigham, London, 

Devashish returned to India with a dream 

of creating a fine jewellery brand. Today, 

Occassions Fine Jewellery has a boutique in 

London’s prestigious Mayfair Speaking on 

his unique connection with the city he says, 

“London has always been close to my heart. 

Since school days, spending all of my summer 

breaks in London to getting my graduation 

degree and learning the ropes of the jewellery 

industry in the city, there is always an infectious 

buzz in the air. That’s what keeps me going 

back to it again and again.” 

In India, Occasions Fine Jewellery has its 

bridal boutiques in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and 

Delhi. Each product is 100% handmade in 

their Kolkata unit and crafted with maximum 

precision and the highest levels of quality 

control. Whether it is rubies from the mines 

in Mozambique and Burma; emeralds from 

Zambia and Colombia; the best quality 

pearls; certified, flawless diamonds or the 

most precious metals, each aspect of jewellery 

making finds perfection at Occassions. 

The parent company Su Dev is the jewellery 

manufacturing design house while to own 

an heirloom piece, Occassions is the luxury 

retail front with presence in multiple cities 

across India. The brand works with artisans to 

bring India’s rich heritage in bridal jewellery, 

immaculate craftsmanship and design to the 

forefront. 

Speaking on his eternal source of inspiration 

he comments, “Every day, every moment and 


Designscape 

Brides are looking at 

jewels with 

more wearability and 

multi-uses. They 

prefer their jewellery to 

be worn often rather 

than sitting in the bank 

lockers. Hence, we 

give a lot of versatility 

and wearability in the 

trousseaus we design 

Devashish adds, “Brides today prefer jewels 

which have more of a statement value and high 

quality of raw material along with intricate 

craftsmanship. We specialize in creating an 

entire family trousseau both for the bride 

and groom and work with both the families 

simultaneously. We create unforgettable pieces 

for every occasion like engagement, bethaks, 

mehendi, sangeet, wedding and reception. We 

also make sure the groom is well adorned to 

complement the bride well.” 

As we move towards lightweight and a 

modern take on traditional jewellery, brides 

too want to do away with heavy chunky 

pieces and instead look for versatility in their 

trousseau. “Brides are looking at jewels with 

more wearability and multi-uses. They prefer 

their jewellery to be worn often rather than 

sitting in the bank lockers. Hence, we give a lot 

of versatility and wearability in the trousseaus 

we design,” says Devashish. 

In the age of cut throat competition, it is 

impossible to survive without collaboration. In 

order to cater to a wider audience, Occassions 

has partnered with famed fashion designer 

Gaurav Gupta to create a unique collection of 

edgy pieces that suit the innovative and avantgarde 

nature of the designer’s garments. 

“We’ve partnered with Gaurav and created a 

brand Gaurav Gupta Occasions Fine jewellery 

which crafts jewels with a completely fresh style 

and posses a very unique yet edgy statement. 

We aim at opening these boutiques in various 

cities in India. The idea is to expand globally 

and serve the client with jewels of highest 

quality, design and genuinity respecting the 

value for their money,” concludes Devashish. 

every occasion is always an inspiration. Our 

jewels mainly posses a rich artisanal value 

inspired from the rich heritage of varied 

cultures from parts of India. Our collections are 

deeply inspired by a variety of Indian elements. 

They can borrow elements from Naqashi 

work of the Madurai temples and also the 

rich Rajasthani heritage, the classic diamond 

jewellery is always a timeless creation a bride 

would love to own. The Nizam heritage is also 

a major inspiration for our jewels.” 

Being a heritage brand themselves, 

Occasions has a soft corner for heirloom 

pieces that can be passed down through 

generations. As many Indian brides dream 

of looking like a queen on their special day, 

Occassions offers heirloom collections which 

have been modeled after regal queens and 

empresses. This is apparent in their collections 

titled Naqashi, Rajasthani, Nizami, Deccan 

Queen and Maharani, each piece symbolizing 

elegance, sophistication and femininity. 


IJ AwArd AwArD 

9th JJS- IJ Jewellers Choice Design Awards 

A Glitzy AffAir 

IJ Awards entered its 9th year and was bigger and 

better this year! 23 select participants were awarded 

for their outstanding designs in respective categories 

Indian Jeweller (IJ) hosted a one-of-akind 

glittering award ceremony the “JJS- 

IJ Jewellers’ Choice Design Awards 2019” 

on 20th December 2019, this time at the 

convention centre in JECC. 

Manufacturers, retailers and designers from 

across the country had submitted their designs 

under various categories and price points 

for review and selection. The competition 

required manufacturers, designers and retailers 

to submit their best designs across 21categories. 

The winning pieces from over 600 + entries 

were reviewed and chosen by an eminent Jury 

Panel. 

The host of the show Sumona Chakravarthy 

of the Kapil Sharma show fame kept the 

audience in rapt attention with her quick 

delivery and wit. Noted film star Vaani Kapoor 

was the Chief Guest for the evening who 

presented the awards to the winners. Prominent 

people present at the award ceremony were 

Nirupa Bhatt, Managing Director of GIA 


India & Middle East, Rajiv Jain, Secretary, JJS, 

Saankar Sen, Vice Chairman, GJC, Ramesh 

Narang from Hazoorilal Legacy and Vijay 

Khanna from Khanna Jewellers amongst 

others. 

Alok Kala, Publisher and Editor, Indian 

Jeweller said, “Design is of paramount 

importance in jewellery and our objective 

with this event is to encourage the design 

fraternity. As each year passes by, we only want 

to outdo ourselves.” 

Comedian Kiku Sharda kept the audience 

in splits at the show with his addictive humor. 

Some of the prominent winners at the show 

were Khurana Jewellery House, which bagged 

two awards Pantone Colour of the Year 2019 

and Statement Jewellery and Birdhichand 

Ghanshyamdas, Jaipur for Statement Jewellery. 

Tara Fine Jewels won the award for Heritage 

Jewellery above Rs 5 Lakhs while Achal Jewels 

won the award for Heritage Jewels under 

Rs 5 Lakhs. Manish Malhotra Jewellery by 

Raniwala 1881won the award for Red Carpet 

Jewellery & KK Jewels won the award for Best 

Accessory. Manoharlal Jewellers won the award 

for Transformative Jewellery. Winners for Best 

Cut Gemstone under 10ct was Jaipur Johri and 

between 10-20 ct was Canarys, Jaipur. 

The awards night brought forth a wonderful 

opportunity for manufacturers, retailers and 

designers of India, to showcase their talent, 

creativity and products through its unique 

platform. Powered by GIA, the IJ Awards is 

presented by JJS. The other partners include 

Hari Krishna Group as Diamond Jewellery 

Category Partner, Raniwala 1881 as Heritage 

Jewellery Category Partner, Jaipur Ratna by 

Anuj Gems & Jewellery as Best Necklace 

Design Category Partner, Radhika Jewelscraft 

as Temple Jewellery Category Partner, BVC 

Logistics as Logistics Partner, Vasansi Jaipur 

as Ethnic Wear Partner, and CNBC Awaaz as 

Television Partner while Pema Wellness as the 

Wellness Partner and Diamond World magazine 

is the Media Partner. 


IJ AwArd 

Achal Jewels, Jaipur awarded for Heritage Jewellery 

Under Rs. 5,00,000 

Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas, Jaipur won the 

award for Statement Jewellery 

Canarys, Jaipur won the award for Best Cut Gemstone 

Between 10 - 20 Carat 

600 + 

Entries 

90+ 

Participating 

Companies 

13 

Categories 

23 

Awards 

DP Abhushan, Ratlam honored for Best Ring Design 

Enshine, Surat Awarded for Couture Jewellery 

Under Rs. 5,00,000 

Ghatiwala Jewellers, Jaipur wins an award for Coloured Stone Jewellery 

Over Rs. 5,00,000 


Jagdish Jewellers, Chandigarh won the award for Best Bridal Design 

Jaipur Johri, Jaipur wins an award for Best Cut Gemstone 

Under 10 Carat 

Jaipur Ratna by Anuj Gems & Jewellery, Jaipur bags award for 

Temple Jewellery of the Year 

Kays Jewels, Kanpur wins an award for Best Necklace Design 

Khurana Jewellery House, Amritsar bags the award for Pantone 

Colour of the Year 2019 – Coral 

Khurana Jewellery House, Amritsar won the award for Statement Jewellery 



KK Jewels, Ahmedabad won the award for Accessory 

Design of the Year 

Manohar Lal Jewellers, New Delhi bags the award 

for Transformative Jewellery 

Notandas & Sons Jewellers, Mumbai wins award 

for Best Bracelet Design 

Manish Malhotra Jewellery by Raniwala 1881, Jaipur receives the award 

for Red Carpet Jewellery 

Romil Jewelry, Mumbai receives the award for 

Diamond Jewellery Under Rs. 5,00,000 

Colour Stone Jewellery under Rs 5,00,000 won by Sanskriti 

Jewels, Mumbai 


Sona Chandis, Kanpur wins award for Best Earring Design 

Heritage Jewellery over Rs 5,00,000 won by Tara Fine Jewels, 

Mumbai 

Couture Jewellery over Rs 5,00,000 won by 

Studio Reves, Mumbai 

Partners 

• Powered by GIA 

• Presented by JJS 

• Hari Krishna Group: Diamond Jewellery 

Category Partner 

• Raniwala 1881: Heritage Jewellery Category 

Partner 

• Jaipur Ratna by Anuj Gems & Jewellery: Best 

Necklace Design Category Partner 

• Radhika Jewelscraft: Temple Jewellery 

Category Partner 

• BVC Logistics: Logistics Partner 

• Vasansi Jaipur: Ethnic Wear Partner 

• CNBC Awaaz :Television Partner 

• Pema Wellness: Wellness Partner 

• Diamond World: magazine Media Partner 

Colour Stone Jewellery over Rs 5,00,000 won by 

Umrao Jewels Mumbai 

Diamond Jewellery over Rs 5,00,000 won by Zunda, Mumbai 








Special RepoRt 

Indian Jewellery Excellence Symposium 

IndIa’s FIrst Jewellery 

excellence symposIum 

India’s first Jewellery Excellence Symposium organised by GJSCI held in 

Mumbai was a big success where experts from all over the world where 

invited to share their knowledge on various topics 

The Indian Jewellery Excellence 

Symposium that took place in Mumbai 

on January 8 and 9 was nothing short 

of an indulging affair. From key note speakers 

to renowned jewellers and retailers, it saw the 

presence of the prominent members of the 

Gems & Jewellery industry. The event was 

not only informative but was also a medium 

to enlighten the who’s who in trade on the 

pressing issues of the industry and how we can 

benefit by sharing gained knowledge. 

Manish Kumar, MD and CEO, National 

Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), 

Sanjay Kothari, Chairman, GJSCI, Rajiv Garg, 

Executive Director and CEO, GJSCI, Rupa 

Dutta, Economic Adviser - Department of 

Commerce, GoI, Anantha Padmanabhan, 

Chairman, GJC, Pramod Agarwal, Chairman, 

GJEPC and VP, CIBJO inaugurated India ’s 

first Jewellery Excellence Symposium. A great 

initiative by GJSCI with the support from 

various industry partners made this event a 

success. The two-day event witnessed leading 

national and international experts from the 

industry, who shared their knowledge and 

exchanged ideas through various topics such 

as, Innovative use of 3D-Printing for high 

quality jewellery making including metal 


printing, Best practices in jewellery investment 

casting process, Up skilling of bench skills to 

global standards and many more. 

At the event, Indian and international 

experts made presentations on manufacturing 

and business best practices to an exclusive 

audience comprising owner / promoters and 

senior professionals from across the gems and 

jewellery industry. Adapted on the lines of the 

Santa Fe Symposium®, the IJES debut show 

hosted 22 seminars with top experts including 

Frank Cooper, Deirdre Featherstone, Hemant 

Shah and Ravi Giani. 

GJSCI chairman Sanjay Kothari said, 

“Jewellery Excellence Symposium is unique, 

unparalleled and is great initiative by GJSCI 

with the support from various Industry 

Partners. Through this platform I urge the 

(jewellery) industry to learn and improve 

productivity to be at par with global standards.” 

He also shared that knowledge is important 

and they aim to upskill the manufacturing 

processes and train the people so that India can 

eventually start supplying to top global brands. 

“We need to up our game and be globally 

competitive. Our ultimate goal is to see India 

flourish.” 

Talking about innovative 3D printing, 

Frank Cooper in his session shared how one 

needs to do a lot of research before investing 

Expert Quotes 

Your engineers need to have a 

good grasp of the technology 

and how CAD works. Rhino CAD 

program is the most popular 

because it’s the easiest and 

cheapest. Matrix is the best 

program if you have to show 

the best rendered image to your 

customers. Excellent for setting 

stones.Design is parametric 

and works backwards. Good 

options for rendering with even 

higher quality rendering options. 

Brush is very popular and is well 

worth investigating especially for 

sculptural work. 

Frank Cooper from School of 

Jewellery, Birmingham 

75 per cent of talent quit their 

jobs in the first year of joining 

because they don’t know how 

what they do contributes to the 

vision of the company. Employee 

needs are shifting and it’s 

important to understand that to 

attract good talent. Psychological 

safety is more important than 

monetary, which is what makes 

companies like Google what it is. 

Ashish Arora, MD, HR NXE 

No matter where you are in the 

supply chain, you have to find a 

way to create custom experience 

for your client. The new retailer 

comes into business straight out 

of college with no inventory and 

with the help of digital inventory, 

how does he do that? CAD is 

the answer; it is the hub of the 

wheel. 

Jill Goodson, Founding Partner, 

Gemally 


Special RepoRt 

Expert Quotes 

Knowledge, training and 

technology are essential to 

upgrade manufacturing. Matrix 

is the most advanced technology 

there is today. CAM machines 

enable you to directly cast and 

make samples without making 

models and save a lot of time. 

Give your managers the freedom 

without much control - this is 

essential for productivity. Your 

workers should feel like they are 

part of your company and they 

should feel pride when they come 

to work. 

Tateos Tateossian 

We started off small in the year 

1993 in Calicut. At that time our 

Chairman had a dream of opening 

100 stores. Today we have 250 

stores globally and around 140 

stores internationally. We have 

always believed that the day you 

believe that you know everything, 

you know nothing and the day you 

feel like you don’t know everything, 

you probably know something. 

It’s been so many years, but we 

continue to learn every day. 

Asher O, Malabar Gold & 

Diamonds 

Jewellery industry needs to 

innovate and if one does not 

innovate, one will always stagnate. 

The path to innovation begins 

with pinpointing potential. Study 

and research all aspects like 

location, sustainability, cost and 

so on. Study the sustainability and 

acceptability of a product that you 

are working on. Only if the project 

is commercially viable, is it worth 

taking it ahead. 

Hemant Shah 

in a good machine. “There are very large 

numbers of 3D printers available for 

the jewellery industry at different price 

points.You need to do a lot of research 

before investing in a 3D printing machine. 

Don’t fall for the cheapest. 3D systems 

ProJet (multijetting) Prints directly into 

photo polymeric resin. If you use budget 

machines, surfaces are usually uneven. The 

difference comes through in the finish. 

On the other hand Hemant Shah was seen 

sharing his indepth knowledge through the 

medium of innovation. “There are 4 types 

of innovation- incremental, disruptive, 

architectural and radical. Out of these, it is 

radical innovation that will help you change 

the game and achieve success,” he quipped. 

Gauge reaction of your audience and use 

feedback received to improve your product 

and process, he further added. All the way 

from New York, came jewellery designer 

Deirdre Featherstone to cast a spell on 

the audience. In her session, she explained 

the importance of a story that leads to the 

construction of a design that is custom 

made for your client. “If you work with 

platinum, you have to create designs that are 

timeless. Due to limited supply of the metal, 

whatever you create must be exceptional. 

Designing for clients involve listening to 

their demands, what they give value to and 

giving them what they want but in your 

own unique way,” she shared. 

Augmented Reality in jewellery industry 

was addressed by Meghna Sarogi, who 

revealed how one can reap rewards of the 

advancement in technology. “AR helps you 

to Digitize inventory. It can be shared with 

people across the globe with just a click. 

You can add real data like gold quality, 

diamond data, price etc along with the 

jewellery pieces.In a way AR also detects 

your emotions as it detects smile/ frown 

through face recognition. Since jewellery 

is a an emotion based decision, you can 

get better insight into likes and dislikes of 

consumers through AR. Consumers have 

short attention span and most consumers 

spend most time on their phones. A 

revolutionizing way for consumers to try on 

jewellery from their phones will give people 

instant access,” she revealed. 


In focus 

Padakam - Family 

archives, Heritage, 

Ganjam 

Pendant with 

multicoloured stones, 

Jaipur Gems 

Pearl tassel pendant, Jet Gems 

Large pendant with emerald center stone 

surrounded by diamonds, Diacolor 

Statement Pendants 

Bold & Beautiful 

Large pendants with juicy gemstones are what it takes to amp-up one’s 

style quotient from minimalist to opulent! 

Uncut diamond pendant with 

enamel detail, OM Jewellers 

Statement pendant, 

Candere 

Gold pendant with 

filigree work, Mia by 

Tanishq 

Pendant with rubies & 

diamonds, Motisons 

Jewellers 


In focus 

Multipurpose 

earrings & pendant, 

Exquisite fine 

Jewellery 

necklace from 

the summer 

in Provence 

high jewellery 

collection, 

fabergé 

9 to 9 reversible 

earrings, Ganjam 

necklace with detachable 

pendant, Diacolor 

Multipurpose Jewellery 

More than one 

As women increasingly prefer jewellery that they can 

seamlessly blend in with their formal and informal 

affairs, multipurpose/detachable jewellery that can be 

worn in multiple ways are in great demand 

Rings, earrings & pendant, cartier 

sakura detachable bangle, Ganjam 

Piazza detachable green onyx earrings, candere 


In focus 

Multicolour gemstone 

bracelet with diamonds, 

Exquisite Fine Jewellery 

Minimalist diamond bracelet, Candere 

Bracelets, Kisna Diamond Jewellery 

Dainty Bracelets 

Sleek & Subtle 

Stacking & layering have caught everybody’s fancy 

these days. These bracelets are perfect to pair 

with an elegant watch or a chunky cuff! They look 

extremely good alone too! 

Bracelets Zunda 

White & yellow gold diamond 

bracelet, Jet Gems 

Palais Tsarskoye 

Selo Rose Crossover 

bangle, Fabergé 

Diamond tennis bracelet, 

Jaipur Gems 


In focus 

Diamond studded bird 

brooch, OM Jewellers 

Gold & uncut 

diamond brooch, 

OM Jewellers 

Dragon Fly brooch, 

Mia by Tanishq 

Floral brooch, 

Diacolor 

Brooches 

Pin it UP! 

We are seeing a lot of vintage styles 

making their way back into consumers’ 

wardrobes. Brooches have become a 

jewellery staple across the board; grab 

this trend while it is still new! 

Bird brooch with baroque 

pearl & diamonds, Ganjam 

Pansy brooch, Fabergé 

Elegant floral motif 

brooch, Diacolor 

Sadko sea horse 

brooch, Fabergé 

Grand brooch with uncut 

diamonds, House of Rambhajos 

Diamond & 

colourstone brooch, 

Motisons Jewellers 

Firebird brooch, 

Fabergé 


In focus 

Choker, House of Surana 

by Pankaj Surana 

Uncut diamond ear studs, 

Jadau jewellery designer 

Faguni Mehta 

Earrings, Dolce & 

Gabbana 

Character Study 

Fun, Flirtatious 

& Finesse 

Deepika Padukone’s taste in jewellery is eclectic. On 

the one hand, she wears pieces that are bold and 

fearless, making a statement, and on the other, you 

might find her draped in a beautiful saree that she 

has elegantly paired with a simple choker and a kada. 

For women, who don’t conform to one single style, 

here’s a mood board of jewellery that is evocative of 

Ms. Padukone’s personality 

Interlace noir 

earrings, Prerto 

Vintage Chanel CC brown clover 

earrings, Viange Vintage Jewellery 

Emerald & uncut diamond choker, Narayan 

Jewellers by Ketan & Jatin Chokshi 

Edyn earrings, Deepa Gurnani 


Store inSider 

THE COUTURE by Khurana Jewellery House 

EpitomE of Class 

The latest venture by Khurana Jewellery House will be a one-stop-shop 

for all bridal needs including fine jewellery and designer apparels 

Khurana jewellery house established 

in 1950 has over the years come 

to be known as the epitome of 

exclusive jewellery designs and unmatched 

craftsmanship. Each jewellery piece at 

Khurana Jewellery House is a masterpiece 

with the promise of authenticity reflective 

of the brand’s intrinsic philosophy and great 

heritage of trust. As North India’s leading 

Jeweller, Khurana Jewellery House has been 

adorned with over 32 national awards and is a 

pioneer in couture jewellery. 

Khurana jewellery house has launched a 

one-of-a-kind Multi-Designer Store with 

Fine Jewellery - The Couture by Khurana 

Jewellery House at Taj Swarna Amritsar - 

offering an unparalleled retail experience 

where gold, jadau, kundan and diamond 

jewellery and multi-designer apparels are 

available under one roof. 

After all it’s about making a statement. From 

flamboyant gowns to traditional suits and from 

traditional wedding jewellery to extraordinary 

designer pieces, the store has it all. Be it casual 

attire, semi formal pieces or formal, this is a 

one stop shop for all! styles. 

Designer pieces and apparels in bight 

coloured hues are on offer at the store. The 

designers are chosen from PAN India catering 

to the needs of all the brides, their mothers, 

sisters, bridesmaids and almost everyone 

having occasions to celebrate. 

There is fine and magnificent jewellery 


with meenakari and precious coloured stones 

designed with extraordinary precision and 

intricate detailing signifying millennials to 

stay true to their culture and heritage. Indian 

jewellery symbolises opulent traditions and 

customs and with the vision to see Indian 

Jewellery spread its wings to capture the 

beauty of special occasions in the life of not 

just women in India but also women overseas, 

Khurana Jewellery House is exploring the 

foreign markets through the channel of 

exports and international trade shows. 

Khurana Jewellery House has established 

itself as a recognisable brand at a global level 

by collaborating with Bollywood celebrities 

like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, 

Kajol, Madhuri Dixit, Dia Mirza, Aditi Rao 

Hydari and many more. This merger of fine 

jewellery and multi-designer apparels is the 

new shopping destination in Punjab. 

Where: Taj Swarna, Plot No. C-3, 

Outer Circular Road, Opp. Basant 

Avenue, Amritsar, Punjab 143001 


ExpErt column 

Aftab Bandukwala 

Founder, Principal 

Architect, V-Design 

Architectural 

Solutions Pvt Ltd 

DESIGN DIRECTIVE 

THe jewellery sTore cHronicles pArT 2 

Rome wasn’t built in a Day! 

In this column, Aftab takes us through a gripping tale of one 

of his recent projects, focusing on conceptualization and 

designing of the new structure 

Hello folks! Last time I started 

chronicling my latest project and the 

first part called dust to dust, ashes to 

ashes described the first part of this journey; 

the acquisition and the demolition of an 

existing building. In this article we will delve 

into the conceptualization and designing of 

the new structure. 

As I had mentioned, we weren’t exactly 

waiting twiddling our thumbs through the 

long while it took to bring down the old 

building. We always take a preliminary survey 

of the building as a matter of record even if 

it is to be demolished. From this we are able 

to revisit several points that may come up 

later, particularly to do with permissions and 

regulations. From this survey, we were able to 

ascertain the plot boundaries and therefore 

work on the design of the new structure. 

Before we go into detailing, we first 

conceptualised the new structure. I particularly 

recommend to my clients that the design 

must be holistic inside out. There should be 

uniformity of a concept from the facade all the 

way into the interior. So, when the proposition 

is to build a completely new building, why not 

capitalise on the opportunity and design the 

structure in unison with the design theme? 

As a result, we actually design inside out. We 

at V-Design Architectural Solutions Pvt Ltd., 

do tentative layouts which we simultaneously 

start whetting with the client for further 

refinement but, through our extensive 

experience, we are able to gauge the possible 

changes and so are able to build the design 

on the basis of this. We are well versed in the 

general requirements of a jewellery retailer and 

often are the ones proposing the requirements. 

Specific style of working may vary from 

jeweller to jeweller which is usually related to 

time and motion and that we incorporate into 

the layout. 

So, with a tentative layout in place, we 

start working with the concept. For this, I 

like to get a feel of the place. I consider the 

location, the neighbourhood the adjacent 

structures, the visibility near and far and of 

course the tastes of the client. With this in 

mind, I start visualising the ideal design for the 

structure which capitalises on all of the points 

mentioned above to get maximum bang for 

the buck. While I am visualising the structure, 

the way it will blend with the interiors is 

always on my mind. For example, if I am 

visualising a circular form, I ensure how the 

same theme can be applied in the interiors. I 

whet several options and select the best one 

or maybe two to build into a presentation for 

the client. I detail the design enough for my 

team to be able to build a visual presentation 

of the concept. 

The team then sets about with the nitty 

gritties and starts creating the 2D drawings 

and the 3D visualisations. I am constantly 

tweaking these as they develop till I am 

satisfied and then the final outcome is built 

into the presentation for the client. 

I prefer a marathon session with the client at 

this point so that they can undertake the design 

ideology and appreciate the presentation as 

well as debate on it expressing what they like 

most and what they may still harbour doubts 

on. These are thrashed out and clarified to a 

consensus by the end of this session, which 

often can last even two days. A final revised 

presentation is put together for final sign off 

by the client. After this is done, we are ready 

to start detailing. 


ColleCtion Alert 

Rosentiques Amolya Collection 

Priceless Treasures 

Crafted in diamonds and set in gold with a smattering of emeralds, rubies and 

pearls, Rosentiques’ latest Amolya collection is the epitome of luxury 


Amolya Diamond Jewellery is a range of 

fine diamond jewellery in white and 

yellow gold, fashioned with enchanting 

rubies, emeralds, and pearls, adding a vibrant 

and colourful break to Rosentiques Fine 

Jewellery collections. 

Each piece from Amolya is stylish with 

a contemporary twist, conceptualised and 

created from scratch by the in-house team at 

Rosentiques. The pieces represent the latest in 

the fashion and diamond jewellery trends and 

eulogizes the same. 

Rosentiques Fine Jewellery is a niche 

jewellery brand known for creating bespoke 

pieces for the customers who wants mid-tohigh-end 

pieces created through innovation, 

creativity and craftiness. 

The brand stands for the legacy that has 

been passed down for over 4 generations, 

each carrying forward the heritage to the next 

generation, adding irreplaceable traits and 

characteristics unique to the brand with every 

passing year, thereby becoming exclusive to 

the family. 

Staying true to its name, in its launch year 

‘the legacy of Amolya’ begins by celebrating 

the concept of ’priceless-ness’. Since there is 

nothing better that could represent ‘Amolya’ 

than ‘the gift of life’ itself ‘The legacy of 

Amolya’ goes into Rosentiques’ repertoire of 

priceless treasures. 


Store inSider 

Maliram Jewellers, Jalandhar 

Reaching foR 

the StaRS 

Maliram Jewellers’ Jalandhar showroom epitomises 

luxury and opulence with its stately interiors and 

carefully curated pieces of jewellery 

Maliram Jewellers is a name 

synonymous with elegance, style, 

fashion exhibiting timeless jewellery. 

They make consumers’ jewellery dreams into 

reality by creating bespoke bridal jewellery of 

all types and patterns. From their inception 

in 1952 to their position as one of North 

India’s largest jewellery names today, they 

have been touted as one of the top players in 

the business. Their ability to offer customers 

superior quality products that give value for 

money is renowned amongst one and all. This 

is Maliram’s second legacy showroom and 

by doing so, the brand has become the first 

family-owned jeweller to grow and expand in 

Punjab. 

Their brand new store in Jalandhar is 

an opulent space of 2,500 square feet. The 

showroom is meticulously designed to be 

tasteful, elegant and comfortable. The flooring 

and counters are seamlessly furnished to allow 

large families and couples alike a peaceful 

ambience. The decor is inspired by soothing 

pastel shades that play host to exquisite 

jewellery nestled behind clear glass. The soft 

gold lights make their collections stand out. 

From powder blue furnishing to grey 


accents and warm lighting, the décor of the 

showroom spells luxury in every possible way. 

Punjab is known for its upmarket clientele 

who believe in investing in bespoke pieces 

and the store has been conceptualised keeping 

in mind the aspirational levels of the elite 

of Jalandhar. Their client base is diversified, 

right from a person looking to buy a ring to 

someone looking for a bridal ensemble. 

The stunning store that epitomises class and 

elegance will have diamond jewellery, Kundan 

Jewellery, Jadau Jewellery, Polki Jewellery, 

temple jewellery, pachelis, cocktail jewellery 

and solitaires. One-of-a-kind designer pieces 

in gold also form a part of the store repertoire 

to cater to clients who are in the lookout for 

designs that are unique and different. Elaborate 

pieces in kundan and chunky pieces in gold 

with hints of precious gemstones will also be a 

part of the store’s luxurious offerings. 

The staff are trained to provide the best 

service to its loyal customers who are 

discerning as well as worthy of treatment 

befitting the royals. Every once in a while, 

one has to dream big to reach for the stars and 

with this beautiful showroom and a second 

legacy, Maliram has realised its dream and this 

journey is still only the beginning. 

Where: Maliram Jewellers, 512, 

Hamilton Galleria, Jawahar Nagar, 

Jalandhar, Punjab 144001 


ExpErt column 

Gunjan Suri 

Founder & Creative 

Director, Gunjan Suri 

Couture Jewels 

BROAD STROKES 

InteractIve desIgn 

In this column, Gunjan decodes the advantages of 

interactive design 

What actually 

determines the 

success ratio 

of design is the 

experience it brings 

about to a consumer. 

Interactive design 

is so called when it 

becomes an extension 

of oneself; when you 

feel like a part of the 

journey that goes into 

making a product. 

Sarah Phette 

They say design speaks. The language of 

design is often interpreted in various 

ways and in this article we shall talk 

about interactive design and its advantages 

over the main stream design. The way one 

interprets design is one thing and the way it is 

perceived is another. What actually determines 

the success ratio of a design is the experience it 

brings about to a consumer. Interactive design 

is so called when it becomes an extension 

of oneself; when you feel like a part of the 

journey that goes into making a product. 

On my travels, I usually pick up souvenirs. 

When I visit a new place, what I look for 

specifically are bells from across the globe. 

The fact I take keen interest in them is not 

because they are mere artifacts but because 

of the sound they make, every material lends 

itself to a different music. The reason I give 

this example is to bring to light the effects of 

interactive product design and the satisfying 

effects on the consumer. 

Interactive design is determined by 

several layers, these layers generally are 

made up of many factors: 

Message/slogan - when a collection is 

created with a purpose to bring about awareness 

or spread a message, it directly connects with 

the consumers, especially the millennials. 

For example, a collection that benefits the 

girl child, or a collection that brings about 

awareness to save an extinct species, it could 

also be related to the environment issues by 

introducing a new ecofriendly material. This 

kind of interactive design lets them become a 

part of the journey of design. It also creates a 

sense of satisfaction and makes them want to 

invest in a worthy design. 

Functionality - this layer incorporates 

features such as movable rivets, dangling 

action, angular movements, circulatory action, 

transformable design, versatile features and 

so on. This kind of design is called live or 

active design and is generally also termed 

as responsive design. This will be covered in 

detail in the next article do watch out for it. 

Auricular - nother interesting aspect of 

interactive design is playing with the sense 

of hearing, here is where sound plays an 

important role. Sound and soothing jingles or 

Kathia Bucho 

any movement leading to sounds is of prime 

importance. A very ancient example of the 

Indian interactive design is the ghungroo 

payal, which finds a place in most Indian 

households. Creating jewellery with sound 

effects kind of connects with the consumer at 

a very basic level. 

The kind of interactive connect a design 

develops with the consumers will depend on 

the kind of layer a designer chooses to play 

with. These aspects of interactive design have 

been introduced at a very basic level and if 

utilized by designers, it can bring out a twist 

to their usual design thinking process. 


Q & A 

FAQs from BVC Logistics 

DecoDing 

Jargons 

Your precious goods need a safe and secure 

way of transportation. Though we seek 

the help of a logistics company, we are not 

thorough about the minor details that make up 

a transaction. Rajesh Neelakanta, ED &CEO, 

BVC Logistics answers queries regarding 

payment, insurance, paperwork and more 

Rajesh Neelakanta, ED &CEO, BVC Logistics 

JB Policy is a 

composite policy 

that covers burglary 

and theft, fire and 

other perils in 

addition to open 

marine policy. It 

covers all transit, 

storage and thirdparty 

risks including 

infidelity of carriers/ 

logistics service 

providers 

Q: Is it possible for me to get TAT and the 

rates before the shipping? 

Yes. Just get in touch with our Customer 

Support desk on 18001232711 for the 

shipment status and the respective rates. 

Q: At what stage of the delivery do I have 

to make the payment to the freight? 

A: There are two options for payment i.e. 

prepaid and post-paid. The prepaid model is 

advance annual contract package where you 

pay for the full year at a competitive price. In 

post-paid model, you will have to sign up a 

contract & pay on a weekly/fortnightly basis. 

Q: Are open delivery services available for 

precious cargo? 

A: Precious cargo usually are transported 

on “sit to contain” basis, meaning carriers 

or logistics service providers accept the 

precious cargo shipment in sealed condition 

at the time of pick up, accepting shippers 

declaration on their shipment documents 

with respect to contents of the shipment. The 

same is delivered to the consignee in a sealed 

condition. 

Q: What are the documents required on a 

marketing trip? 

•GST format delivery challan 

•Declaration undertaking not to sell any of 

the items listed in the delivery challan during 

a marketing trip 

Q: Does JB policy cover infidelity of 

logistics service providers? 

A: Yes. JB Policy is a composite policy that 

covers burglary and theft, fire and other 

perils in addition to open marine policy. 

It covers all transit, storage and third-party 

risks including infidelity of carriers/logistics 

service providers. 

Q: What does Bill of Lading mean? 

A: A document issued by a carrier or 

logistics service provider to a shipper, signed 

by the captain, agent, or owner of a vessel, 

which furnishes written evidence regarding 

receipt of freight, the conditions on which 

transportation is made and the date to deliver 

goods at the prescribed port of destination to 

the lawful holder of the bill of lading. 

Q: What does Chargeable Weight include? 

A: The weight or volume of a shipment 

used in determining freight charges. The 

chargeable weight could be the dimensional 

weight or on container shipments, the gross 

weight of the shipment minus the containers 

tare weight. In other words, it is the gross 

weight or the net weight of the shipment, 

whichever is higher. 

For more queries related to logistics, please 

email ask@bvclogistics.com

INDIAN JEWELLER (IJ) Dec - Jan 2020

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