The Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) Mumbai proudly presented GLIMPZ 2025, the Capstone Project of the final-year B.A. in Gems & Jewellery Design students (batch 2022-2025), on April 4th at Bharat Ratnam – Mega CFC. This prestigious annual exhibition and awards ceremony showcased the creative brilliance of 37 graduating students, who conceptualised, designed, and manufactured their unique jewellery collections under expert faculty mentorship.
The exhibition took place on April 2nd and 3rd at the IIGJ campus, featuring well-crafted jewellery pieces displayed with student-designed visual merchandising. The event was open for public viewing and jury evaluation, highlighting the next generation of jewellery design pioneers.
The theme for this year was “Newstalgia”, which was divided into four sub-themes: Soft Surreal, Super Charged Deco, Vintage Victorian, and Baroque.
The distinguished jury members who judged the pieces were Mr. Pratik Shah, Chairman & MD, Estaa Gems Pvt. Ltd., and Mr. Aneesh H Kumarr, Head, New Product Development, Indriya (Aditya Birla Jewellery), and Ms. Richa Singh, MD (India & Middle East), Natural Diamond Council.
The event began with Mr. Debasish Biswas, CEO, IIGJ India, greeting the audience, which included dignitaries, students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals, before commencing with the national anthem. In his brief opening speech, he outlined IIGJ Mumbai’s founding in 2003 and highlighted key success stories from the past two decades.
In his keynote address, Mr. Milan Chokshi, Chairman, IIGJ Mumbai, remarked, “Congratulations to each of you on completing this intense three-year journey. It’s truly inspiring to see what you’ve accomplished. Remember, there will always be things in our control and things beyond it—but India is a great place to build something meaningful. Let your ideas grow from the inside out. Build with India at heart, and take it to the world.”
In an inspiring message to the students, Chief Guest Mr. Shaunak Parikh, Vice Chairman of GJEPC, noted: “Graduates, as you step into the world, carry with you the values of IIGJ – creativity, integrity, and innovation. The jewellery you create will adorn lives, mark milestones, and become heirlooms of tomorrow. Go forth and shine!”
Guest of Honour Mr. Amit Pratihari, Managing Director of De Beers India, offered insightful advice to the graduating students: “Talent is a myth if you don’t work hard. What truly matters is showing up every single day and being curious enough to keep learning. In today’s world, it’s not about doing just one thing well—it’s about having the range, the hunger, and the discipline to keep improving, even by just 1% each day. That’s how you reach the top.”
Distinguished guest, Mr. Sanjay Kothari, Convener, IIGJ Governing Board “You’ve learned in three years what once took a decade and more, to learn the skills on the workbench. In this ever-evolving industry, aim to be No. 1—because there’s space for everyone, and the sky is the limit.”
The awards were presented by Mr. Milan Chokshi, Chairman, IIGJ Mumbai, Mr. Parikh, Mr. Pratihari, and Mr. Sanjay Kothari, and the distinguished jury members Mr. Pratik Shah and Mr. Aneesh H Kumarr.
GLIMPZ 2025 reflects IIGJ’s commitment to talent and innovation in the jewellery industry.
Keep an eye on this space to see who bagged the awards and check out the amazing designs from each of the talented students!