Kaamya Jewels of Mumbai grabbed the attention of overseas buyers at their very first foray at GJEPC’s International Gem & Jewellery Show (IGJS) held in Jaipur in May 2022. Jinesh Mehta, Co-Founder of the four-year old jewellery brand, speaks to Solitaire about what makes them stand out.
Kaamya Jewels was founded by Sandip Shah and Jinesh Mehta as recently as 2018, but it boasts of a game-changing trajectory in just a short span of being in business.
The brand may be new, but the founders have a wealth of experience in the jewellery industry. Jinesh has been an integral part of the industry for over three decades, while Sandip’s family has been in the business for five decades. Little wonder then, that they have a firm grip on all the fronts – from design, to finish and quality and marketing aspects.
Tell us more about the USP of Kaamya Jewels.
The brand itself was born out of passion, perseverance, and the constant need to create something that’s not bound by trends. Our creations are about superior quality and every design that we produce is distinct. The initial idea is conceived on paper and finally brought to life by our able craftsmen.
We would like to know a little bit of your family history related to the world of jewellery, and your early experiences in the industry that made you realise that you were cut out for this profession.
My grandfather used to live in Paris and deal in pearls. My partner Sandip’s family has been in the diamond wholesale industry for five decades. So, getting into the jewellery business was in our DNA.
My early run in some companies proved to be a great learning experience and I was lucky to have got the opportunity to work with the best!
Kaamya was born when Sandip and I decided to start our own brand overnight!
Customisation is a big trend these days – are you also witnessing the trend among your consumers?
Absolutely. It is the time of bespoke and commissioned work. We have created some masterpieces where the maang tika (forehead ornament) can be doubled up as a necklace. And under our sub-brand KUSP, which caters to men’s jewellery as of now, we have unique cufflinks that can be converted to earrings.
Have you transitioned online as well? Is online becoming more important than in-store retail? Do you have an online retail presence?
We are already present on Instagram and are looking to grow our community.
I would not say that online is becoming important, but it is becoming inevitable to retail on an online platform. You get a much bigger audience that connects with your aesthetics.
Has the pandemic changed the buying habits of consumers? What is the price range of the pieces you sell across categories?
The pandemic has helped us rather than slowing down our business because now people appreciate quality and longevity way more than they used to do before the pandemic.
What are the trend directions you anticipate in terms of design, diamond cuts and colour gemstone, and metal preferences.
Bespoke jewellery designs and gems will rule the markets. People may make bolder choices and move away from generic designs. Anything that can be done with machines will be replaced with handcrafted jewellery. As now human artisanal skills are valued much more than ever before.
I see jewellery becoming an aspirational purchase because of scaling prices of gold and diamonds. This directly results in quality buying over quantity buying.
Also, with the help of social media and digitization, retailers and manufacturers can reach larger and diversified audiences with greater ease. This allows the manufacturer to be at par with the latest trends and demands, while simultaneously giving the buyers more information about aspects such as diamond qualities, weights, designs, etc.
Which are your major export and domestic markets?
India, UAE, Europe, America