That the IIJS 2018 in its new avatar would turn out to be a hugely successful show was evident from Day 1  itself. There was a buzz and excitement in the new Hall 7, difficult to miss;  and there were crowds mulling around in other Halls as well. By the time we are midway through the show, on Day 3, the stamp has been put on the initial promise   by several exhibitors. True, there was a  feeling amongst some  that diamonds and diamond jewellery could have done better; but there were several companies even in this segment  which reported good business .  As always, product and preparation were the hallmarks of a successful participation at the show.   

Raj Parikh of  Uni-Design was particularly pleased with the addition of the new hall. “The new format of the show with Hall 7 has been good for us,” he said. “For the first time we can showcase our existing strengths – across loose diamonds as well as diamond jewellery -- at one single booth.”

Parikh said that his company’s jewellery has been well received by retail jewellers across India as they have  “reinterpreted traditional concepts giving them a modern, contemporary twist”.

“At the show, optimism is high that the industry will put the slightly slower Q2 behind it as consumers adjust to the impact of the depreciation in the rupee,” he remarks. “Based on the response till now, we believe this will happen.”

Parikh reported that  not only was business good at the show, but they had both regular clients  as well as   walk-ins visiting their booth.

“A major focus for us  this year has been on the Special Cuts programme,” Hardik Patel, AGM, Product Dev, Dharmanandan Diamonds elucidates. “We had  earlier launched three new cuts. The Padma Round and the Padma Cushion  have a leaf-like effect inspired by the Lotus. The Round has 80 facets and the Cushion has 88. There is also 7Hearts which is a 63-faceted stone. The response to this programme has been good.”

At the  show, the Company  launched two new cuts,  the Sirius Star 80 and the Sirius Star 100;  and will be launching another seven different cuts in the Sirius Star range at the HK Show.

“The show is  very good and the quality of visitors we have received at our new location in Hall 7 has been excellent,” Patel emphasises. “Apart from our regular clientele, we have also got some new inquiries.”

On another note, Patel adds: “Many of the larger retailers are concerned about the impact of De Beers launching a line of Lab Grown diamond jewellery in the USA, and we are thinking of organising seminars for them on this topic.”

Mahendra Italiya,  President, Kiran Jewels (India) was buoyed by the response his Company had received in the first two days of the show. 

“We have some new collections we developed for the season and these have created some excitement among clients,” he states.

Kiran has presented five new collections : Veir -  four diamonds put together to create different patterns; Mandala - inspired particularly by Rangoli art form; Allure – incorporating  floral designs that capture the elegance of diamonds; Layer - based on the rhythm of lines;  and Waves – capturing the magical flow of water

Commenting on the present scenario, Italiya says: “The market is currently doing well and this is reflected in the atmosphere at the show. Business is now adjusting to the various changes over the past year or more, and the prospects for the season are good. We are expecting strong growth this year.”

Kolkata-based Sawansukha Jewellers is a well known name and have been extremely busy at the show. It has elegant  and fresh designs both for its gold and diamond  jewellery, some of them important pieces at the upper price range.

“We have had a very good response at the show,” says Siddhartha Sawansukha, CEO of the company. 

Sawansukha reports a better  response to their gold jewellery, with the diamond jewellery moving comparatively slower, though they have found many takers for that too.

 “Our gold bangles are doing very well,” he asserts. “But on the whole, there is good demand for lightweight, handmade gold jewellery.”

Mehul Gandhi, Proprietor of Ashtamangal Jewellery is also very pleased with the performance of his company at the show. The manufacturer-wholesaler has  on offer handmade  gold chains and bracelets,  mainly  in the rage of 8 gms to 50 gms – though there  are a few items below or above this range as well.

“The show has been good for us, and we have been busy with visitors from different parts of the country,” he says. “We have had both regular customers and walk-ins in roughly the ratio of 80:20.”

The Hari Krishna Group is one of the large companies still located in Hall 1. It is displaying both its diamonds as well as jewellery.

“The show this year is very good, better than last year,” says Ghanshyam Dholakia, Founder and Managing Director of Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd.

He says that there have been good enquiries for their diamonds both non-certified – mixed parcels --  and certified; but the enquiries have been stronger for the certified goods above 1 ct.

“For our jewellery we have received a superb response,” Dholakia states. “In this show we have introduced the Honour Collection. It is jewellery with which to honour a woman. This collection has been very well received by retailers.” 

Their Kisna brand of diamond jewellery this year has used pink gold --  which Dholakia says is the current trend --  and has also found an enthusiastic response.

“One of our group companies has also launched a platinum collection which is new and doing very well too,” notes Dholakia.

Gurjar Gems and ilovediamonds is in a   different segment, albeit within the gems and jewellery industry. 

“We have always positioned ourselves as part of the service sector providing the backbone support to the jewellery retailers,” says Rajesh Jain of the company. “The show helps us to showcase our new offerings to a wide audience.”

Jain reported a “fabulous  response” with a regular flow of visitors. “The shift to Hall 7 where we have 8 booths (as compared to just two earlier) has given us much greater visibility,” he says.

“Our latest concept is B2B2C in the form of a platform ‘ilovediamonds’, through which we provide digital support to our retail partners,” elaborates Jain. “Based on the volume of orders, we give them support for all, or any of the following: use of data analytics to communicate with a very specific target audience; creating websites, pictures and posts for social media and even whatsapp videos.”

Jain says that their offering has  evoked a lot of interest and they have finalised some deals too. The  business interest is from the South, where they are already present; and from  other states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh,  which they  have just entered. They have found new contacts in North India too.