By Karen Nuckols
Two shows under the auspices of the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) were held in Mumbai last July 31 to August 8, creating a wealth of beauty in fashion, jewellery, and gemstones at the Indian International Jewellery Week (IIJW), July 31 to August 4, and the Indian International Jewellery Show (IIJS), August 4-8.
The luxurious Mumbai Grand Hyatt was the perfect venue for the IIJW. For the second year, it featured jewellery designers, brands, emerging designers, and students pursuing jewellery design courses, in three days of elegant runway shows and a grand finale evening. Bollywood star and fashion diva, Sonam Kapoor, was named Brand Ambassador of IIJW. She and others modelled the latest fashions for everyday wear as well as evening attire and wedding gowns, paired with jewellery, from some of India’s most colourful brands.
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| Left to right: Sanjay Kothari, GJEPC vice chairman; Rajiv Jain GJEPC chairman; Haresh Jhaveri; Sonam Kapoor; and Subodh Kant Sahai, Minister of State for Tourism. |
A juried show, with hundreds of companies vying for entry, some 40 to 45 made the first cut, while only 32 were selected as exhibitors, according to Rajiv Jain, GJEPC chairman. Between 450 and 500 people—international buyers, celebrities, media, and others—attended each show by invitation from the design houses and the GJEPC. Over the last two years, the Council has built the show into a “design destination in jewellery,” explained Jain. “This is an opportunity for both established design houses and budding designers to showcase their latest designs.”
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| Traditional style jewellery by Amrapali on the runway at IIJW. - C Krishnian Chetty jewellery modelled on the runway at IIJW. |
Jain added that the Council plans to take the show abroad within the next two years since there is no other venue that combines fashion and jewellery in a runway format. “IIJW has truly come across as the right platform to strengthen India’s global contribution in terms of jewellery design, innovation, and craftsmanship.” The final show was a spectacular runway extravaganza sponsored by Adorn, a year-old consumer magazine for the Indian market. The show honoured the late Japanese jewellery designer, Kazuo Ogawa, who passed away earlier this year. Ogawa was instrumental in bringing Indian jewellery designs to Japan as well as promoting pearl jewellery in India.
Following the IIJW, the 28th annual Indian International Jewellery Show (IIJS) opened to a large crowd that came for the precious metal jewellery, loose gemstones, diamonds, costume and fashion jewellery, and equipment. Over 33,000 members of the trade attended the four-day event from India and abroad, which, with 800 exhibitors, is the largest trade fair for the jewellery industry in India. Approximately 1800 international buyers attended, including delegations from China, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Bangladesh, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, UAE, and Thailand.
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| A model shows off jewellery by Gehna, ANGELA JOHNSON at IIJW. - Earrings and necklaces by Tanishq on the runway at IIJW. |
The show opened with speeches by His Excellency Mr. Ahmed bin Sulayem, executive chairman, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre; and Mr. P. K. Chaudhery, special secretary, ministry of commerce and industry, India. Also participating were GJEPC executives, Rajiv Jain, chairman; Sanjay Kothari, vice chairman; Haresh Zaveri, convener; and Sabyasachi Ray, executive director. The Indian government has identified the jewellery trade as a “thrust sector,” meaning that it wants the country to double exports in the next five years. To this end, the IIJS provides an ideal platform for Indian jewellery brands and others in the industry to expand their export markets. In other efforts, the Council is opening an office in Dubai and is planning to organize an Indo-Japan buyer-seller meeting. “The real challenge lies in sourcing raw materials, and we look forward to a collective effort by the entire industry to overcome all challenges,” stated Jain.
New at the 2011 event were national pavilions from Belgium, Israel, Thailand, UAE, Turkey, and a special international product gallery. The Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies, a non-profit company representing the Israeli diamond industry, has targeted India as a major market for Israeli diamonds. Seven Israeli manufacturers and exporters exhibited at the Israel Diamond Pavilion. Also present were 14 of Antwerp’s finest diamond companies.
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| Jewellery by Monica Kapur on the IIJW runway. - At IIJW’s grand finale, Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor, IIJW’s Brand Ambassador, wears a necklace by Boucheron (Paris). |
“This year there were more exhibitors in the show as opposed to previous years. The success of the show can be gauged by the fact that 97 percent of previous participants took part in this edition. Once again, the ‘India Show’ is Asia’s secondlargest jewellery show,” noted Jain.
Exhibitors seemed generally pleased with the results of the show. Dexesh Doshi of Rosy Blue’s polished diamond division, stated, “This year the show has been good, though the quality-conscious buyers want to pay four to five percent less than the usual prices. I guess it’s because of the price point related to gold as well as diamonds. While buyers are a bit apprehensive about the international market, I feel that the domestic scenario is just too good.”
Abhishek Ghatiwala, of Jaipur-based Ghatiwala Jewellers, agreed with his assessment of the domestic market, predicting that it has “super potential” and cautioned buyers to not get too affected by the international scenario. “Price point is a bit of resistance; otherwise the show has been as good as every year,” he said. “The international scenario is weakening the sentiments of the buyers as they just want to wait and watch the prices of gold and diamonds. They are unable to decide right now.”
Plans for next year’s show include even more activities and events. It will be held August 23 to 27, 2012.
