Organized by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), the 30th edition of India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) was successfully held between 8 and 12 August 2013 in Mumbai’s Bombay Exhibition Centre. The show had about 1,800 booths occupied by around 860 exhibitors. The number of trade visitors was approximately 35,000 from 84 overseas countries and regions, as well as 873 cities in India. The visitor figure posted a significant growth by 25 percent over the 2012 edition.
IIJS 2013 brought six top national pavilions from Belgium, Israel, Italy, Thailand, Turkey and the UAE. According to the GJEPC’s official release, the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) has organized the Israel Diamond Pavilion for the fifth time, bringing eight diamond companies to this edition, such as AG Diamond Direct Limited, Regent Diamonds Limited, Vulcan & Co, etc. Trade bodies such as World Gold Council (WGC) and Platinum Guild International (PGI) also exhibited in the fair.
The five-day fair offered a wide variety of innovative products including diamonds, pearls, platinum, gold, silver, antique jewellery, gemstones, equipment and jewellery making accessories. We observed an overall busy traffic, especially the heavily-attended plain gold and machinery sections.
Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas, an haute couture house based in Jaipur, India, showcased its new jewellery collection Amer in the fair. The collection, set with natural fancy yellow canary, pink diamonds, pearls, emeralds, rubies and sapphires, is inspired by the glorious architecture of the forts and palaces of Rajasthan with an explicit Indo-Saracenic style. Nupur Agrawal, project manager of the company expressed: “Our jewellery is mainly embellished with coloured diamonds and precious gemstones, targeting the upper class in India. This edition of IIJS was good and we were satisfied with the result. The show was able to maintain the positive buying sentiment.”
Agrawal also shared his view on the Indian jewellery market: “India is one of the biggest markets for bridal jewellery and its sales were very well in July and August. Nowadays, wedding jewellery is not only a luxury to the Indian. It is also a necessity. We should also know that jewellery is not merely an ornament, but it is something connecting with people’s emotions and is symbolic of the eternal bond between the bride and groom.”
Launched by WGC last year, Azva is a bridal jewellery brand reflecting the ‘Seven Vows’ (Indian: Saat Pheras) of the Indian wedding tradition. The collection comprises necklaces, earrings and bracelets in 22-karat gold, which have been available for over a year in 88 jewellery retailers across 25 cities in India.
Vipin Sharma, WGC’s director (jewellery) mentioned: “We have showcased two collections in this season; one being the Azva’s new design and the other a collaboration project with couturier Tarun Tahiliani called Tarun Tahiliani for Azva. The retailers were extremely happy with the unique designs and we have received tremendous responses from them. In the future, we will gradually expand our business, hoping to increase Azva’s presence in more cities in India by the end of 2013.”
Vipul Shah, chairman of GJEPC concluded the fair: “IIJS has helped its participants to showcase their versatility in the trade and provided a unique opportunity to form partnership around the world. We have received tremendous responses from international and domestic players and IIJS 2013 has provided the boost to the gem and jewellery industry that will bring remarkable improvement in the sector.”
The article was published on Hong Kong Jewellery Magazine Dec 2013 edition.
