Soma Bhatta (SB): IIJS is making a strong comeback post-Covid with a slew of new trade shows in different formats. What is the driving force behind this new approach?
Colin Shah (CS): IIJS is one of the five global trade shows that stood the test of time. Growing from strength to strength, we are starting the 37th show after a hiatus of nearly two years. There is a new energy to revive the trade sentiment. Our decades of proven expertise also make it possible for us to quickly scale up to introduce regional and boutique shows.
We see tremendous opportunity in creating access for retailers in hinterlands through regional shows. The boutique show aligns with the larger need of retailers to buy specialized jewellery.
Unlike most other trade shows, there is a larger altruistic purpose to expanding our portfolio of shows. We channelize the profits to trade development. Our recent collaboration with World Gold Council and ongoing association with Natural Diamond Council is testimony to that.
TRJ: In a landmark initiative the GJEPC, often looked upon as the premier trade body for diamond promotion, has contributed and collaborated with WGC. How did it come about?
This story is from the May - June 2021 edition of The Retail Jeweller.
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This story is from the May - June 2021 edition of The Retail Jeweller.
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Mozambican masterpieces by FURA
Rubies are rarer by far than diamonds — and some of the finest rubies today come from Mozambique. Mindful of the opportunities, FURA Gems, a fast-moving young mining company, is resolute in expanding the ruby market even as it gets ready to hold its inaugural ruby auctions in Jaipur this month.
HUID: India's quest for GOLD PURITY EXCELLENCE
The Indian gold jewellery sector’s journey towards hallmarking has been long, slow and bumpy. Although voluntary hallmarking became available in April 2000, compromised gold was still widely sold in the market — a fact of which neither public nor government was ignorant. In June 2021, however, hallmarking became mandatory. Manufacturers, jewellers and consumers now must quickly come to grips with the new purity norms, which juxtapose a unique six-digit ID for each item with the utterly inadequate state of India’s hallmarking infrastructure. The Retail Jeweller weighs the pros and cons of this sharp turn in the current, mid pandemic moment, when the gems and jewellery industry is more dependent than ever on gold sales.
INTERVIEW - SACHIN JAIN
De Beers is undergoing an unprecedented transformation by returning to the root and adding its tag of assurance to develop a fortified position for its partners and indisputable trust for consumers in years to come. Ahead of the De Beers Forevermark annual Forum 2021, Soma Bhatta speaks to Sachin Jain, MD, Forevermark India, about the massive internal and external changes that the organization is undergoing and what it means for De Beers’ Indian stakeholders.
INTERVIEW - SHAILESH SANGANI
IIJS 2021 has surprised the trade for many reasons: the highest number of exhibitors ever in the history of the show; forty percent larger show space and shifting base to Bengaluru after a three-decade plus unbeaten stint in Mumbai. Shailesh Sangani, convener, national exhibitions, GJEPC, speaks to Soma Bhatta about the key highlights, trade expectations and why retailers should brave the odds to visit the upcoming show.
From the earth, for the earth: How natural diamond miners are rehabilitating nature
Diamond is in a very eventful phase in its global trade history. There are discoveries such as the 1,098 carat diamond by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the Botswana government. Natural diamonds no longer adorn a woman with its beauty only, the members of Natural Diamond Council are giving their all to conserve the environment with better technology. And this is exactly where Natural Diamond Council is making a difference inimitable in scale and heart. Let’s understand better.
Crowning Glory
Shobha Shringar Jeweller partners with the prestigious and aspirational Femina Miss India 2020; gives strong thrust to its image as an urban and millennial ready jeweller
COLLABORATION WITH OTHER BRANDS THE SUREFIRE WAY TO GET BRAND RECOGNITION
ARSHDEEP KHURANA, CEO, Sham Jewellers, Chandigarh, has played a key role in shaking off the Covid pandemic-related blues, and helping her family business get back on track. A graduate in English Literature, she was in the middle of the post-graduate course in Advertising and Marketing Communication, when she decided to join the family-run jewellery business. She hopped on board in 2018 as part of the marketing team, and slowly took charge of the department, playing important roles in marketing campaigns, branding initiatives, and schemes and offers, including the famous Diwali Shopping Festival
Industry gives mixed response to IIJS Virtual 2.0
Fresh from the success of the inaugural edition of the virtual India International Jewellery Show (IIJS), held in October, the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) held the second such event, titled ‘IIJS Virtual 2.0’ in 8-12 January 2021. The five-day-long event was an upgraded version of the October show, with new and advanced features to enhance the buyer-seller experience.
TWO PEAS IN A POD: The allied sector builds a strong foundation for jewellery biz to sparkle
A pandemic and a distressful year later, the jewellery industry continues to navigate troubled waters with an able compass — the allied sector
A thrust to change with the times
Mayank Gupta, director of Kanpur’s Lala Purushottam Das Jewellers was not too inclined to join the family business as a kid. With an aspiration to become a scientist or a soldier with the Air Force, his thoughts started aligning with the jewellery sector as he completed school.
