18TH FURA Retail Jeweller India Awards 2023: Raising the bar for innovation

Event turns out to be a unique showcase of creative brilliance in jewellery design from India’s leading jewellers

Mumbai witnessed a night of glitz and glamour, shine and shimmer as the 18th FURA Retail Jeweller India Awards 2023 (RJIA), India’s first and foremost recognition platform for Indian jewellers, unfolded in full grandeur at The Grand Hyatt on Saturday, August 5, 2023, in the presence of over 600+ retailers from the jewellery industry. Presented in association with the World Gold Council; SGL Labs; Nitin Jewellers, Hyderabad and Midas Diamonds, Mumbai, along with Market Excel as process advisor and BVC as Logistics Partner, this annual extravaganza, recognized as the Oscars of India’s retail jewellery industry, honoured exceptional design and marketing innovation in the jewellery world.

India’s pioneering platform for recognizing the brilliance of jewellery retailers brought the spotlight on innovation this year, and rewarded unique creative ideas. For instance, brands that had taken traditional jewellery, added a modern spin and made it more wearable and beautiful, were called out, as were brands that told stories through pieces of jewellery, or designs that brought together two different elements – be it gold and diamonds, semi-precious and precious stones – to tell stories. Innovative efforts by jewellers to stand out in the fiercely competitive marketplace of today were honoured at the awards platform, which continued its tradition of recognizing excellence.

The jury for the 18th FURA Retail Jeweller India Awards 2023 included celebrated names such as Nawaz Modi Singhania, fitness and lifestyle icon of Body Art Fitness Centres, Simone Arora, Designer at SIMONE; Sukriti Jindal Khaitan, Co-Founder of ASA Beauty; Vidita Vithal Kamat, Director of Kamat Group; Ananya Banerjee, Celebrity Chef; Suchhanda Chatterjee, Producer & Director at Quest Films Pvt Ltd.; Anjali Patel Mehta, Founder of Verandah – Conscious, Sustainable & Luxury Resort Wear; Monica Shah, Founder of Jade Couture; Namrata Shroff, Founder of Powna Sake & NVS Design; Perizaad Zorabian, Managing Director of Zorabian Chicken; Pria Kataaria Puri, Fashion Designer; Sanjana Shah, Creative Director of Tao Art Gallery and Vaishali Shadangule, Fashion Designer.

The jury’s astute evaluations ensured that only the most exceptional designs emerged as winners, even as jury members unanimously agreed that this year, RJIA entries had more innovative designs than earlier years. As the grand awards night progressed, the spotlight shone brightly on the stellar achievers who emerged victorious across a spectrum of categories when the results were declared on stage, as RJIA celebrated the unparalleled creativity, craftsmanship and innovation within the Indian jewellery industry.

The Retail Jeweller India Awards posthumously felicitated the legendary Bhima Bhattar with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award – Retail’, and Kamal Kishore Agarwal, Chairman, Shiv Narayan Jewellers, was honoured with the ‘Special Contribution to the Gem and Jewellery Industry’ award. The presence of Bollywood stars added a touch of glamour to the grand awards night, with actors Nimrat Kaur and Sanya Malhotra jazzing up the show. As the 18th FURA Retail Jeweller India Awards ceremony concluded, the message that went out was one of creative brilliance reigning supreme, a testament to the dedication of jewellers who drive the industry forward.