The India International Jewellery Show entered its 26th year in 2009. Rightly perceived as the second largest jewellery show in Asia and the fifth largest show in the world, the B2B trade fair promised a massive networking, trading and business platform. Commencing from 6th August, 2009, the eagerly awaited annual event in Indian subcontinent was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Shankarrao Chavan. Also present on the dais were Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC)–Chairman Vasant Mehta, Vice-chairman Rajiv Jain and Sanjay Kothari.
In his welcome address, Vasant Mehta noted that despite the difficult times, the gems and jewellery industry has managed to show some growth. He also applauded the cooperation that the industry in India has rendered in the past one year. He expected tough times to end soon. The inauguration function acted as a platform for addressing serious concerns like the Octroi duties levied in Mumbai resulting in some manufacturers and dealers shifting base to neighbouring Gujarat and the need for a Convention Centre in Mumbai. The Chief Minister immediately took notice of these issues. He agreed to the need of the world class multi-storey convention centre and assured to take up the project definitely. “I would like to congratulate GJEPC in its endeavour in creating tremendous employment opportunities for the people in Maharashtra. India International Jewellery Show offers the perfect platform for the entire precious industry and the international business partners and we promise considering an international level exhibition and convention centre as per Council’s recommendation.”
Down Memory Line…
The first IIJS was organized in 1983 on a small scale. With only 34 participants, the number of participants has steadily grown over the last 25 years. From being hosted at the banquet rooms at the TAJ President hotel in Mumbai, IIJS has come a long way. Today even the entire exhibition space at the NSE grounds in Mumbai seems smaller. From merely a jewellery exhibition in 1985, today the IIJS is also a knowledge centre with seminars that give an insight into the jewellery business. International pavilions, participation, visitors and buyers has increased tenfold and now IIJS acts as a platform to enter the high-growth Indian jewellery market and forge new alliances. Apart from manufactures & retailers, IIJS is used as a platform to effectively network by leading industry bodies such as World Gold Council, Platinum Guild International and diamond companies Rio Tinto and the Diamond Trading Company.
This year an average of 18,500 domestic and 1030 overseas visitors pre-registered at the Show. 704 exhibitors and 1553 stalls displayed jewellery, loose gemstones, machinery and allied sections.
The overall response at the Show has been good. Sudhir Kasliwal of Gem Palace says, “The show was good. I could see a lot of vibrancy among the exhibitors and buyers. Even the quality and quantity of the merchandise was better as compared to the previous year.”
There was a stream of domestic buyers on all the five days. “This year the crowd was more than usual. People in the domestic sector were eager to purchase as the festive season is approaching,” says Viral Vaidya, Director, Arya Diamond Jewellery (India) Pvt. Ltd.
C. Vinod Hayagriv, Chairman of the All India Gems & Jewellers Federation (GJF) adds, “There was very serious buying activity on all the five days. Business was high with good buyers and some of the companies received far more orders than expected.”
There was equal eagerness in the machinery section. According to Dipak Jain, Vice President –marketing at Delmer Products Ltd,” The Show was five times better than we expected. We got a lot of orders and inquiries.”
Yet the absence or rather less presence of international buyers have not gone amiss. Ranchhod Detroja, CMD of RatnaKala Exports Pvt. Ltd. says “Despite the IIJS 2009 being relatively good for us, the business from foreign visitors has not been upto our expectations as lesser international exhibitors participated in this Show.”
Bigger Innovative Jewellery Rush :
This year gemstone studded light-weight jewellery in gold dominated the scene. Innovative, intricate and skilfully crafted jewellery included rings, pendants, bangles, necklaces. For most of the exhibitors, the strategy was to highlight designs that were affordable and wearable. Some companies displayed collections that pivoted around specific festivals. For instance, for the approaching Rakshabandhan, Dharmanandan Diamonds brought out a special Rakhi collection. The collection, well received in some of the major cities in India, included a small gift for the sister apart from the jewellery, sweet box and a gift card.
Invigorating Seminars :
The spectrum of seminars held in the IIJS 2009 was a confluence of bright ideas and opinions of the precious fraternity. The theme, ‘Preparing for the Upturn’ focused on expectations in the gems and jewellery market and marketing strategies to take one’s business forward. In addition the 19 seminars provided insights to the audience in retail jewellery market and the latest technical developments in jewellery manufacturing processes. Some of the seminars included lessons from China’s gold jewellery growth, Opportunities and threats of modern wholesaler and successful retailing in rural India. According to Vinod Hayagriv, Chairman, GJF, “The seminars were very educative and interesting as there was interaction between the speakers and the audience. The seminars were well attended with around 50 – 150 people turning up at each seminar. “
International Pavilion :
The International Pavilion at IIJS-2009 included exhibitors from Dubai, Israel, Turkey, Thailand, Belgium, Italy and others. Besides jewellery, countries like Switzerland, Germany, Italy displayed their latest technological advancements of tools and machinery for the G&J industry. According to Mirella Francia of RCM Gioielli, dealers in high-end diamond jewellery, “Interest is huge and business is fairly good. We are satisfied with IIJS 2009. Lots of people are making enquiries about our high level diamond jewellery.” Even for newcomers Firestone under the Antwerp World Diamond Centre section, IIJS has proved to be highly satisfactory.
Commenting on the immense business opportunity IDCS offered, Vasant Mehta, Chairman of GJEPC said “IDCS is a great way for jewellers to build business in today’s competitive market, with players from across the globe coming together. From the Indian perspective in particular, with the Gem & Jewellery sector contributing over 12% to the total export earnings of the country, every possibility such as IIJS and now IDCS should be tapped to the fullest by the domestic players.”
Stressing the need to be creative and innovative in implementing effective marketing strategies to fight recession Kirtilal Doshi went on to congratulate the GJEPC for initiating the event. “This is the first ever Diamond and Color stone Show dedicated to the color stones and diamond industry of India for finding new marketing avenues. On behalf of the industry, I would like to extend my gratitude and best wishes to GJEPC for creating yet another business opportunity for the industry,” He added.
The two day event aimed at catering to the growing need of loose cut and polished diamonds and precious color stones business worldwide. The by invitation show aided fostering new business relationships between Indian manufacturers and select overseas and domestic buyers comprising jewellery manufacturers and retailers. This year the show comprised 50 stalls and 43 exhibitors including diamond and color gemstone companies, laboratories and service providers. Buyers from countries like Iran, China, Russia & CIS Group, Middle East, Thailand, Bangladesh and East Europe thronged the event.
Seminars such as the GIA seminar on Gem Treatments by Preeti Kurani and Martin Rapaport on “How to do business with China” were part of this show.
Commenting on the immense business opportunity IDCS offered, Vasant Mehta, Chairman of GJEPC said “IDCS is a great way for jewellers to build business in today’s competitive market, with players from across the globe coming together. From the Indian perspective in particular, with the Gem & Jewellery sector contributing over 12% to the total export earnings of the country, every possibility such as IIJS and now IDCS should be tapped to the fullest by the domestic players.”
Stressing the need to be creative and innovative in implementing effective marketing strategies to fight recession Kirtilal Doshi went on to congratulate the GJEPC for initiating the event. “This is the first ever Diamond and Color stone Show dedicated to the color stones and diamond industry of India for finding new marketing avenues. On behalf of the industry, I would like to extend my gratitude and best wishes to GJEPC for creating yet another business opportunity for the industry,” He added.
The two day event aimed at catering to the growing need of loose cut and polished diamonds and precious color stones business worldwide. The by invitation show aided fostering new business relationships between Indian manufacturers and select overseas and domestic buyers comprising jewellery manufacturers and retailers. This year the show comprised 50 stalls and 43 exhibitors including diamond and color gemstone companies, laboratories and service providers. Buyers from countries like Iran, China, Russia & CIS Group, Middle East, Thailand, Bangladesh and East Europe thronged the event.
Seminars such as the GIA seminar on Gem Treatments by Preeti Kurani and Martin Rapaport on “How to do business with China” were part of this show.
Commenting on the immense business opportunity IDCS offered, Vasant Mehta, Chairman of GJEPC said “IDCS is a great way for jewellers to build business in today’s competitive market, with players from across the globe coming together. From the Indian perspective in particular, with the Gem & Jewellery sector contributing over 12% to the total export earnings of the country, every possibility such as IIJS and now IDCS should be tapped to the fullest by the domestic players.”
Stressing the need to be creative and innovative in implementing effective marketing strategies to fight recession Kirtilal Doshi went on to congratulate the GJEPC for initiating the event. “This is the first ever Diamond and Color stone Show dedicated to the color stones and diamond industry of India for finding new marketing avenues. On behalf of the industry, I would like to extend my gratitude and best wishes to GJEPC for creating yet another business opportunity for the industry,” He added.
The two day event aimed at catering to the growing need of loose cut and polished diamonds and precious color stones business worldwide. The by invitation show aided fostering new business relationships between Indian manufacturers and select overseas and domestic buyers comprising jewellery manufacturers and retailers. This year the show comprised 50 stalls and 43 exhibitors including diamond and color gemstone companies, laboratories and service providers. Buyers from countries like Iran, China, Russia & CIS Group, Middle East, Thailand, Bangladesh and East Europe thronged the event.
Seminars such as the GIA seminar on Gem Treatments by Preeti Kurani and Martin Rapaport on “How to do business with China” were part of this show.
First India Diamond & Colorstone Show takes off
As a prelude to the India International Jewellery Show-2009, the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) introduced the India Diamond & Colorstone Show (IDCS) on 4th August, 2009. Veteran Diamantaire Kirtilal K Doshi, Chairman Emeritus Shrenuj & Co. Ltd. was the chief guest. Kirtibhai has been associated with the diamond industry for the last 67 years and was instrumental in introducing Laser Technology to the Indian gems and jewellery industry.
The Industry Applauds…
There was a positive response to the IDCS from day one. Here is what some of the notables had to say about the show -
“IDCS organizers let us know about the visitors in advance which helped us assess their demands, therefore we could offer them their choice of goods”. – Arun Bhai Shah, Ankit Gems.
“IDCS is structured to give every stall ample visibility,” – Dharmendra Tank, Heeralal Chaganlal Tank.
“Loose diamond and colored diamond fraternity has come under one roof at the IDCS. Initially a buyer had to rely on limited source. Now he could choose from a variety of gemstones as per his requirement. On the whole, I feel IDCS is a fantastic show.” – Nirupa Bhatt, Managing Director, GIA India & Middle East.
Every year many innovations and jewellery lines are launched at the IIJS. This year some of the noteworthy launches included GIA’s New Sealing Service for Diamonds. The new service seals the diamond with its key grading information in a credit card-sized, tamper-resistant package. The sealed package keeps the gem, its report number and its primary gemmological details such as report date, shape and the Four Cs, together in a secure, easy-to-display packet. The sealed package contains multiple security features including the GIA hologram. The packet shows that the diamond has been graded by GIA and the information in it matches the gemstone, which will help prevent attempts to misinterpret the item and its report.
Other launches included designer dresses and accessories in silver, trendy and intricate designer jewellery and online portals.
The star studded evenings brimming with glitz and glamour were incomplete without the ABN Amro Solitaire Design Awards. The eagerly awaited awards were announced on 8th August 2009 at Renaissance hotel, Mumbai. Victor van der Kwast, CEO of the International Diamond & Jewellery Group, ABN Amro Bank was the chief guest. The theme of the awards was global celebrating festivities across the country.
An enthralling dance performance and mesmerizing jugal bandi by noted drummer Shivamani with Sitarist Ravi Chari and world noted clarinettist Woody set the ball rolling for a memorable night. While citing that the awards have inspired the precious industry to bring out their creativity in the form of intricate and beautiful jewellery, Vasant Mehta, Chairman, Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council congratulated those who reached the finals. Talking about ABN Amro’s relationship with the Indian gems and jewellery industry, Kwast said that ABN Amro is a diamond bank and wishes to remain a diamond bank. IIJS Convenor Navin Jashnani said, “Every year there are new companies bringing out new ideas and winning the awards.” The event ended with models wearing the winning designs and walking the ramp.
On bagging the first prize for the best stall Sudesh Shoor and Dinesh Shoor, Directors of Agni, said “Winning the award is indeed a pleasant surprise.”
An exuberant Anand Shah eight time winner of Ansaa Jewellers said , “Every year we try something innovative for the industry. This year we came with oil painted jewellery. What and where we are is because of the recognition that IIJS has bestowed on us. We thank IIJS and Solitaire for great recognition. It is really a nice platform for jewellery.”
While business talks dominated during the day, the evenings brightened everyone’s spirits through the dazzling star studded nights. The IIJS opening night, on 6th August, 2009, witnessed the World Gold Council in association with Vicenza Fair International, AngloGold Ashanti and D’damas Gold unveiling of ‘Gold Expressions-2009’. The exquisite range of Italian designer jewellery was showcased at a fashion show with leading models Fleur Xavier, Carol Gracious and Sonal Rawat. Known MTV video jockey and singer Sophie Choudhury hosted the event.
The second day saw the Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) announcing the program of the India Diamond Jewellery Promotion (IDJP) at a glamour filled event. The Diamond Promotion will be held in 15 cities including Mumbai, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Baroda, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat, Kolkatta, Chennai, and Delhi. The Council also unveiled the single line jewellery brand ANANT at the event. ANANT’s brand ambassadress, bollywood star- Sonam Kapoor walked the ramp for the event.
Call for Improvisation :
While IIJS-2009 has claimed to be a remarkable success, a lot still remains to be improved. While many exhibitors have expressed the pressing need for a Convention Centre, issues such as improving the quality of food, infrastructure, amenities, parking facilities and security need more attention. Also, the need for more foreign buyers was felt to make the Show a truly global event.
In conclusion acknowledgeable sources reveal that business at IIJS-09 approximated at more than Rs. 15,000 crore, thereby enchling the event to thumb its nose at recession and sparking a new ray of hope for the future.
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