‘IIJS Virtual is providing us with national and international product trends to choose from in the comfort of our offices and homes. We are looking at gold, Diamond, Platinum and even fancy silver jewellery.”

Siddharth Bafna of Ratanlal C Bafna Jewellers thinks the IIJS is the best thing to have happened to the industry under the current circumstances

What are your thoughts about the IIJS Virtual?

I think IIJS is a wonderful platform. When it started, it was a platform for jewellers and manufacturers from tier-2 and tier-3 to meet people from not just the country, but also from abroad. I think the virtual platform is a wonderful place to meet new people and look at new designs from the comfort of our homes and offices. Obviously, we will miss meeting friends but I think this is the best thing to have happened under the current circumstance.

What are the product categories you are looking at?

During the physical shows, we go to our regular vendors and manufacturers in the first couple of days, but the next few days are usually spent looking at new designs, machinery, software, etc. We will follow the same routine in the virtual format. Since we deal in gold, silver, diamonds and platinum, we are looking at everything. Be it Calcutta jewellery, antique, temple or fancy, we will look to buy everything.

What do you think will happen in the next 6 months? What is your advice to fellow jewellers?

A lot of weddings have been postponed to the end of the year or the beginning of next. Gold and diamond jewellery form an integral part of all weddings in India. So, we believe that the rush will start after Navratri or Diwali. We are very positive. When you look at the global assets during the pandemic, every one of them depreciated except gold. Gold has stood the test of time and people who moved away are coming back to it. People have now realised that gold is a safe haven and that will boost sales for the next 6 months.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News Service.