All that glitters is not gold. It can be a silicon diamond, rubellite, sapphire or a tsavorite. Akshaya Tritiya has just concluded and upmarket jewellery brands have been witness to a keen interest from consumers towards an eclectic array of contemporary designs studded with rare gemstones and even rarer diamonds.
In the $ 60 billion Indian market for gems and jewellery (estimates as per IBEF), which contributes to almost 30 percent of the global jewellery consumption, richly hued natural gemstones and unique pearls excavated with great difficulty are commanding significant interest and investment from consumers.
Says Shreedevi Deshpande Puri, creative head at premium jewellery brand Ganjam, “While gold is a very significant market, urban consumers are looking for products with design, creativity and a unique identity that they feel is relevant to their lifestyles. At Ganjam, 95 percent of our products consist of gemstones and diamonds.”
Pearls constitute the mainstay in a lot of statement pieces at the bridge jewellery brand Outhouse, says its co-founder Kaabia Grewal. ‘’Pearls have always been our bestsellers. Our collections have the most modern interpretations of pearl work and we experiment with keshi, natural baroque, charcoal, half cut, round and drop pearls,” says Grewal.
Tarang Arora, creative director and CEO, Amrapali Jewels, says they play with the essence of stones. “We have used a lot of enamels, troussie stones, rubies, etc. in our recent collections. We are also trying a variety of colours in pearls such as those with a little yellow or pinkish tinge.”
Ganjam, says Puri, has collections that have been created using tourmaline beads, diamond briolettes, cabochon rubies, Zambian emeralds, Thai rubies, peridots, amongst others. “Gemstones are meticulously handpicked to match colour, lustre and clarity. Our main focus in jewellery is studded jewellery. We have a limited selection of gold jewellery.”
Moreover, lifestyle choices of today have enhanced consumer interest towards bridge jewellery, feel experts, which uses fine silver, sterling silver and vermeil (gold electroplated silver) along with semi-precious stones like turquoise, topaz, jade, and garnet. In bridge jewellery, every piece aims to be a piece of art, a style statement and a conversation starter, says Grewal, who feels that buyers of today ‘’have an eye for something unusual. Moreover, purchase is becoming so style heavy that resale of gold or silver does not really matter to many consumers.”
Experts say the vibrant colours of gemstones, the sparkle of diamonds and the accentuated charm of pearls is utilised intelligently to craft out jewellery that reflects various themes like royalty, romance, nature, mythical creations, gardens of Kashmir or the Sakura (cherry blossom) season in Japan.
“Our inspiration comes from very diverse concepts, ranging from something as simple as a lamp to something as exotic as the flame of the forest flower. We have also done entire collections that hero a single gemstone, such as a collection launched last year that celebrated the colour pink through gorgeous diamond and pink tourmaline studded pieces,” says Raminder Singh, principal jewellery designer from BlueStone.com.
Programmer Nivedita Basu has just purchased a light-weight platinum bracelet with a floral design, studded with rubies and blue sapphires. She says that since the look and design of the bracelet is modern, she would wear it (occasionally) to work, for social soirees and family functions.
“ Jewellery designs of today are crafted in such as fashion that they look good with any type of attire, and not necessarily sarees,” says Arora. To enhance the intrigue associated with every jewellery piece, we are also giving instructions to our cutters to produce different cuts and different sets of gemstones by combining them with crystals, says Arora.
But the challenge in luxury jewellery lies in the fact that gemstones, diamonds or pearls are rare and cannot be mass produced on demand. “Another challenge lies in selecting the same hues and shades for an entire collection and producing it with consistency for several years,” says Puri.
BEYOND YELLOW LUSTRE
- Lifestyle choices of today have enhanced consumer interest towards bridge jewellery
- Challenge in luxury jewellery is that gemstones, pearls or diamonds are rare, cannot be mass produced
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