By plugging into INDRA, regional retailers can capitalize on national advertising and also get ready campaigns and consumer-facing content that can be localized and customized for every store
Mumbai: India’s jewellery market has long been dominated by gold, with natural diamonds occupying only a small share of the market. Currently, just 10 out of every 100 pieces of jewellery (10%) sold in the country feature natural diamonds, compared to nearly 70 out of 100 (70%) in the United States. Recognizing this gap, the De Beers Group, in partnership with the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), launched Project INDRA – the Indian Natural Diamond Retailers Alliance. The initiative is designed to help retailers tap into unexplored markets and increase penetration of the natural diamond category across India.
“Project INDRA is our attempt to create a strong support ecosystem for natural diamond retailers,” explained Toranj Mehta, VP of Marketing, De Beers India. “Retailers often tell us that while they want to grow their diamond business, they lack the right tools – from sourcing and training to marketing. Indra addresses these pain points by providing access to products, campaigns, and consumer-facing content that can be localized and customized for every store.”
INDRA combines training, marketing support and sourcing channels into a single platform. Retailers pay a one-time annual fee of Rs 35,000 per company to access AI-driven marketing tools, De Beers campaigns that can be customized with their own store branding, and advanced training modules for staff. “It’s a plug-and-play model,” noted Samit Bhatta, Co-founder and Associate Publisher, The Retail Jeweller India. “A retailer can upload their own product images, add their store logos, and within hours have professional campaign assets ready to use on WhatsApp, Instagram or in-store promotions.”
For retailers in Tier II and Tier III cities, this creates an immediate opportunity to position natural diamonds alongside gold. The latest De Beers campaigns such as ‘Love from Dad’ and the ongoing ‘Love from Bestie bracelet collection’, are already running across TV, cinema, Print and digital in nine languages. By plugging into INDRA, regional retailers can capitalize on national advertising while driving walk-ins to their own stores.
Equally significant is the consumer education component. According to Murali Ayyar, Category Retail Head -Trade, De Beers India, the programme includes modules to train sales staff on how to communicate the value of natural diamonds and counter customer queries about lab-grown diamonds. “This category requires consistent effort to build trust,” he said. “Through INDRA, we are giving retailers not only sourcing options from validated natural diamond manufacturers but also the skills and knowledge to convert customer interest into sales. That combination is what will expand the market.”
Early results from De Beers’ pilot campaigns are indicators of the potential impact. The ‘Second Piercing’ campaign reached 278 million people, increased natural diamond awareness by 20%, and reduced online searches for lab-grown diamonds by 21%, according to data from De Beers. By translating such campaigns into regional languages and making them customizable for local retailers, INDRA aims to replicate this effect across smaller towns where diamond penetration is currently negligible.
“Ultimately, we want to take India from 10% to 15% natural diamond penetration within the next three years,” Mehta said. “That shift may sound small, but in a country of India’s scale, it represents millions of new customers discovering natural diamond jewellery for the first time.”
For retailers, the message is clear: by joining Project INDRA, they are not only gaining access to national-level marketing but also future-proofing their businesses in a market where consumer aspirations are evolving rapidly.
Click here to become part of De Beers INDRA, India’s trusted diamond retail movement, and unlock new sales, visibility and customer loyalty.
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