“Rising gold prices make multi-functional jewelry a versatile purchase.”

Suraj Shantakumar, Director, Business Strategy, Kirtilal Kalidas Jewellery Pvt. Ltd

With gold prices on the ascendant, we were faced with the challenge of selling jewellery to customers who could not go way beyond their budget to buy ornaments of their choice. So, we relied on innovation to reinvent our product mix and work towards bringing down the inventory cost to make our jewellery more affordable for customers.  Not just that, we innovated to create ‘techno jewellery’ that can be adapted to be worn in many different ways

VALUE FOR MONEY

At Kirtilals, there is a very strong in-house production and R&D team, which works on innovations to churn out robust products which are both versatile and lightweight in terms of gold usage, making sure maximum value is passed on to the customer. Working along those lines, our in-house design and R&D team came up with an innovative manufacturing technique through which they are designing ‘techno jewellery’ that marries engineering technology with traditional jewellery. For example, a bangle was re-designed so that it could be used in various combinations or a choker was so fashioned that it became a long neck- piece, or small earrings were designed so they could be extended to become long earrings. Techno jewellery gave endless options to a customer on a single purchase, as it emphasized on the design element and multi-functionality of the jewellery that would match any outfit or occasion. Generally, women do not wear their wedding jewellery much beyond the marriage ceremony, because it is in most cases heavy and bulky. This was also an important reason to develop the concept of techno jewellery.

VERSATILE TO THE CORE

Hand-crafted pieces were created for modern women who can wear any jewellery from this collection in any way they wish – pieces of jewellery that can transform from one category to another category seamlessly. We created an elevated technology-based collection that pushes the boundaries of design and innovation, with folding technology that allows the jewellery to fit in a small space. For instance, a bangle that can transform into 17 different patterns, which makes it look like a new design every time anyone wears it. Or one-touch jimikkis, stackable in nature, and thus different from the regular jimikkis. These jimikkis contain a top part, i.e., the stud, which is attached to multiple hangings that are linked and strung together in series through a chain. These hangings are proportionately made in such a way that when stacked together, they make a compact earring and when pulled out, they transform into longer jimikkis with three hanging layers. All the innovative pieces bring alive themes routed from nature, spirituality and distinct Indian motifs and symbols. A customization tablet enables the in-house designer to create new designs on a touch-screen device, according to customer inputs. This is immediately rendered as a virtual design for the customer to try instantly, and place an order for any design they like