—Sabarish Rengaraju, Director, Siva Valli Vilas Jewellers
In the last five to ten years, Pondicherry’s jewellery market has changed sharply. Almost every major national and regional jewellery chain has entered the city or the surrounding markets. GRT, Khazana, Kalyan, Joyalukkas, Lalitha and several others now have a presence here. For customers, this has expanded choice. For independent jewellers, it has changed the nature of competition.
Today, I would estimate that national chains account for about 25–30% of the Pondicherry market. If we include regional chains, their combined share could be around 60–70%. Independent jewellers make up the rest. That number may look small, but I do not see it only as a threat. In fact, I believe this is the point at which independent jewellers must understand what they truly stand for.
A national chain can bring scale, visibility, marketing strength and a wide product range. That has its own place in the market. But there are some things that cannot be built only through expansion. In markets like Pondicherry, jewellery is still deeply connected to community, custom, cultural practices, family rituals and local buying behaviour. This is where independent jewellers have a natural advantage. We are not studying the market from outside. We have grown inside it.
For us at Siva Valli Vilas, this understanding did not come as a strategy document. It came from being part of this region for generations. Our roots go back to 1921 in Cuddalore, and we later expanded into Pondicherry, Villupuram and Karaikal. Even before we opened in Pondicherry, we already had customers from here who would travel to Cuddalore to buy from us. When we opened in Pondicherry in 2012, the brand name and the trust attached to it already existed in the minds of many families.
That trust is not built overnight. It comes from purity, consistency and from knowing what a customer is really coming to buy. In our case, the best example is our Thali Saradu collection, which is very different from the conventional black-bead mangalsutra seen in many other parts of India. In Tamil culture, the Thirumangalyam is the sacred wedding pendant and the central symbol of marriage. Along with it, several supplementary elements, traditionally referred to as Urupadi, are added to complete the ornament. These may include the gold chain or Kodi, gold beads or Mani, coral beads or Pavalam, gold coins or Kaasu, connectors and community-specific symbols. The combination changes across communities, castes and family traditions, which is why this is not a product where a customer simply chooses a design from a tray.
At any given point, we maintain around 30–35 varieties for different communities. We also have a dedicated section for these products, with separate staff who understand the details. On auspicious days, this section becomes one of the busiest parts of the store.
A chain may stock the most common five or ten variations. That is understandable because scale works differently. But in a local market, those five or ten variations are not always enough. A family may walk in looking for a very specific design connected to their community. If we do not have it ready, we make sure it is made and delivered in time. Once, a family needed a particular design that was not available with us at that moment. Their wedding was early in the morning, and we ensured that the Thali Saradu was made and delivered to them before the ceremony.
This is where cultural knowledge becomes operational knowledge. It is not just knowing the name of a tradition. It is knowing how urgent it is, who in the family will be involved, what time the product must be delivered, what the bride’s and groom’s families expect, and how the product must be handed over. When we deliver a Thali Saradu, we follow the customary practice of giving turmeric and betel leaves. We pray before delivering it. Families often place their hands on the product as a form of blessing. These details are small only to someone who is outside the culture. For the customer, they are the meaning of the purchase.
Even manufacturing is tied to belief. We work with manufacturers who have been associated with us for generations, and these pieces are made only during auspicious timings. Customers know this. Many believe that when they buy from us, the product carries that auspiciousness. We do not have to loudly market this sentiment because it has been built over decades, but I do believe independent jewellers must become more conscious of the value they carry.
For independent jewellers, survival will not come from copying chains. It will come from knowing what chains cannot easily copy. In markets like Pondicherry, that is not just product variety. It is memory, ritual, community understanding and the confidence that a family’s most important jewellery purchase is being handled by someone who knows exactly why it matters.
The opinions and statements expressed by the individuals featured belong to them.
As told to MAITHILI PATANGE
