With ‘Main Heera Hoon’ campaign, Punjabi Saraf Jewellers creates a buzz around natural and lab-grown diamonds

A diamond testing kit set up at its store has helped the brand screen certified stocks available with it and increase customer trust by instant checks of old and new jewellery sold by it or other brands

Indore: Punjabi Saraf Jewellers has made a strong statement with its take on the divisive and often deceptive difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds. Titled ‘Main Heera Hoon’, the jeweller’s bold print campaign highlights how society perceives a diamond grown in the lab to be of lesser value and more of an impulse purchase, as opposed to diamonds born under the earth’s crust.

Comparing price variation, stability and historical significance, the brand spread awareness about the two categories and held up a solution for clearly demarcating them at the retail level with a diamond testing kit it has set up at its store. The kit can show the difference between natural, lab-grown, Swarovski and synthetic gemstones and takes only a few minutes to give the gradation. “Labs use similar machines to test diamonds. Earlier, we used to send diamond jewellery to the International Gemological Institute to test. It used to take time for the labs to get back to us with results, but now we test the jewellery instantly in front of our customers,” said Ajay Anand, Director, Punjabi Saraf Jewellers.

The device has helped the brand in various ways. First, certified stocks available with the jeweller are getting screened by it, of which 95-99% clear out as natural diamond stock. “We did find one or two LGD pieces. At times, it happens that the labs select some stock randomly and test them to represent the entire inventory of a retail brand, mostly in case of local companies from cities such as Indore. We were not satisfied by that process. With the device, we are saving a lot of time and also building trust,” said Anand.

Interestingly, customers who have bought jewellery from the brand at a time when certification was not compulsory, are bringing them back to be checked. Punjabi Saraf is the only brand in its locality to have a diamond testing kit, and customers of other brands also come to them to check their jewellery, said Anand. “People who bought jewellery from other brands but haven’t received buybacks are now getting their jewellery checked by us. Many jewellers have given their own certificate. The client seeks confidence, and with instant certification of jewellery, we are providing that confidence. Our staff is very happy to do it, because it is a simple operation,” added Anand, maintaining that the device is more helpful than the karatometer.

Anand is not keen on entering the LGD category himself, as according to him, the Indian customer is not ready to settle for grown diamonds at the expense of natural ones. “I think customers for Swarovski jewellery will shift to LGD, not those buying natural diamond jewellery. There is a big market for Swarovski, which might be upgraded,” he surmised.

The diamond testing kit will be the need of the hour for retailers very soon, observed Anand. “After a year or so, one will find this device in every retail showroom. Jewellers will not use it for personal comfort, but for quality check and certification to stay alert about the supply chain,” he concluded.

Retail Jeweller India Exclusive