Gujarat Gold Jewellery Show 2021: exclusive gold show exhibits best of jewellery handicrafts

Winning over widespread impact on business by the pandemic, GGJS returned to excite the gem and jewellery market of Gujarat with its first unlock edition in Gandhinagar. The Retail Jeweller understands the conditions conducive and enthusiasm in trade for this B2B show that took place in December-end.

India’s retail jewellery sales during the 2021 festive season reaffirms India’s enduring love for gold. The festive season has brought in more than double the business for jewellers on an average even as 15 tonnes of gold sold on one single day of Dhanteras.

Although this may be a reflection of the pent-up demand for wedding jewellery, the sentiment for gold (particularly amongst youngsters) is at an all-time high. As gold demand resurges and gains pride of place as one of the most meaningful purchases, GOWJA organised the eleventh edition of the Gujarat Gold Jewellery Show. Regarded as the first unlock edition of GGJS, the show was held from December 27-29 at Helipad Exhibition Centre, Gandhinagar.

The past two years didn’t present the opportunity to the organizers to have a full-fledged B2B show due to mounting Covid-19 infection. As the trade reprises the spirit with instances of wonderful manufacturing, great finish and uncompromising purity to gratify the new era of Indian jewellery consumption, GGJS 2021 found itself at an opportune timeline.

The market has expanded tremendously within the last two years. Jewellers are seeking design differentiation in the traditional lightweight 22k gold category even as fashionable lightweight gold jewellery gains popularity amongst the youth today. The category is diverse and retailers need to stock massive variety.

Again, bridal gold jewellery too needs a revamp with sharp focus on designs that not only suits the pocket but also satiates the aesthetics of the modern brides looking for newer designs in fusion and studded gold jewellery. With a sudden burst of demand post the lockdown, retailers have the immense need to source variety of designs in gold jewellery.

Wider choice
At that end, Paresh Jhurmarwala, Director, GGJS assures that with support from the Gold Ornaments Wholesale Jewellery Association (GOWJA), the 780 stalls spread around three halls ticked all the boxes in terms of innovation and pricing requirements of retailers.

Indeed, over 24,000 visitors did their mandatory seasonal purchases from GGJS 2021. With no shows happening in Gujarat in the last two years, Jhurmarwala is of the opinion that business was far better than that of 2019. “GGJS saw a lot of enthusiasm in the trade as the market is currently on the upward trend,” he said.

Bridal jewellery manufacturer Aadey Jewels, known for heavy and premium items, created new collections in gold for the show. “The business has been good since the reopening of the stores. We feel that the buying capacity of the end-consumers has also increased,” said Varun Shah, Director, Aadey Jewels. He added that high demand from end-consumers has made the manufacturers’ books almost full. GGJ 2021, according to Shah, has helped replenish stocks of retailers who couldn’t participate in IIJS Bengaluru.

Antique jadau jewellery manufacturer Lakhtarwala Jewellers also showcased their specialties from necklaces, kadas to big choker sets. Matrik Shah, Marketing Manager of Lakhtarwala Jewellers, feels that the bridal jewellery segment has remained unscathed by Covid, despite rising popularity of lightweight segments. “GGJS gave a good opportunity to buy regionally exclusive bridal jewellery designs. There were a lot of enquiries from new customers,” Shah maintained.

RBZ Jewellers, Soni Nanalal Bechardas Jewellers and PM Jewellers have also focused strongly on the bridal segment. RBZ Jewellers specializes in antique kundan studded jewellery. According to Devendra Wankhede, senior marketing manager of RBZ Jewellers, bridal necklaces starting from 40 grams and complete bridal sets starting from 200 grams were displayed at the show. “Many marriages are scheduled at the end of 2021 and start of 2022. So, demand for bridal jewellery is strong,” added Devendra.

According to Sneh Soni, director, Soni Nanalal Bechardas Jewellers, the brand focused on a complete bridal trousseau consisting of long, short necklaces, maang tika, Kada, and haath phool for GGJS. “We are trying to reduce the overall weight of the jewellery to make it more pocket-friendly. Jewellery pieces of around 100 grams have been converted into 60-70 grams for this collection,” Soni said. As a result, the jeweller received lots of enquiries from North Indian clients as overall footfall was more than 10-15% as compared to GGJS 2019.

PM Jewellers, a manufacturer of Rajkot vertical jewellery, diamond jewellery, temple and gold jewellery, received visitors across India. “GGJS was held at the perfect time during the wedding season. We are going to showcase beautiful collections of Rani Haar in plain gold Rajkot jewellery and diamond chokers,” he said.

Lightweight had a sizeable share at the show, promises Hiren Soni, owner, Bachubhai Zaveri. “The weight reduction of 20-25% is done by reducing the handwork on the jewellery. This makes the products much easier to wear and adorn. GGJS is being scheduled just after the Jaipur Jewellery Show and a week before IIJS Signature. So, a lot of calculative buying happened due to back-to-back schedules of retailers across B2B shows,” Soni said.

Jaydeep Vadher, Owner, RK Silver and Gold, witnessed high demand in 18K rose gold jewellery and high-end jewellery products using multicolours such as green gold and white gold. “Apart from Gujarat, we have also got customers from across the country, out of whom a few of them were new clients,” he said.

Vineet Vasa, Partner, Lotus Jewellery Creation, thinks GGJS’ dates were apt and despite being held closely on the heels of IIJS Signature and after the Jaipur show, bore no effect on its turnout. “Apart from Gujarat, I got customers from as far as Jammu, Kerala and North-east states such as Assam,” he said.

GGJS assures safe buying experience
GOWJA has created a testing facility for Covid-19 inside the venue. Face recognition technology was one of the most important add-ons to monitor those flouting norms. “The testing facility has reduced the buffer time between getting an exhibitor or a visitor tested in order to grant them access to the venue,” said Jhurmarwala.

Presence of sanitizer booths across entries, exits and key areas of assembly across the exhibition ensured adherence of Covid safety norms. Retailers were all in praise for the safety measures. Rishi Verma, partner, Fatehchand Bansilal Jewellers, Ambala, said GGJS has surpassed expectations in Covid safety protocols. “Safety is a pre-requisite for stress-free purchase and my team could focus on exactly that, thanks to GGJS’ state-of-the-art facilities,” he said.

Agreeing with Verma was Varghese Alukka, Jos Alukkas. “Only vaccinated people were allowed entry and there was proper security check of people getting in and out of the exhibition. This has reduced crowding tendencies and helped buyers complete purchase without stress,” he said.

Retailers excited about the show
Retailers from across India are mindful of the benefits associated with visiting a specialized show that exhibits curated selection of manufacturers in the exclusive category of gold.
First time visitor, Saket Kesri from Ratnalaya Jewellers, Patna, said, “Rajkot jewellery is quite famous because it’s lightweight and versatile. Other parts of the state also produce beautiful designs but don’t get the proper exposure to showcase the same.”

Gujarat is a famous hub for handcrafted antique gold jewellery designs, and “An ideal platform to meet new vendor partners from the trade and understand trends in the market,” says Antony Prince from Prince Gold & Diamonds India Pvt Ltd, Chennai, who visited the show in 2019.

Other retailers such as B.A. Ramesh, Thangamayil Jewellery, Madurai, Nandita Agarwal from Sona Chandi Jewellers, Kanpur, and Surbhi Shekhar from Manohar Lal Jewellers, New Delhi also visited GGJS for the first time. “I have started keeping Gujarati jewellery in the last couple of years, which are getting good traction in this part of the country. Our team bought Rajkot jewellery, pearl-based ranges, polki sets and even 18 karat watches from Ahmedabad-based manufacturers,” said the Thangamayil joint MD, adding that the brand is keen to visit GGJS regularly from now on.

“The buying list of jadau and kundan jewellery was met easily. The exhibition was conducted smoothly. I faced no issue in spotting manufacturers I wanted to source jewellery from,” said Pradip Wadekar, procurement in-charge, PN Gadgil and Sons. Amit Modak, CEO, PN Gadgil and Sons, found great value in the service providers section of GGJS. “We tied up with a brand providing gold jewellery purchase facilities in EMI via personal loans. I was interested in assessing opportunities form a management point of view and this tie-up will boost gold jewellery conversion for my brand,” said Modak.

Agarwal said she got in touch with new vendors specific to Gujarat to source new designs, while Shekhar met old and new vendors to improve inventory. Sourcing 18 karat gold Rajkot and Ahmedabad jewellery with new alloys and colours was the biggest takeaway for Alukkas, who connected with new local manufacturers from Gujarat for purchase. “We were looking for major antique gold jewellery purchases and the manufacturers have lived up to their expectations,” said Verma.

It is definitely one of the most eventful times for the gold jewellery industry as jewellers witness an unprecedented demand and positive sentiment across all segments of consumers. Reaping the benefits of such a market was ideal for every retail brand across the country, and GGJS 2021 threw open the window to a world of unique handcrafted antique and plain gold jewellery from the famed manufacturing hub of Gujarat.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News