he Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council’s flagship show IIJS Premiere, held from 4th to 8th August in Mumbai, saw a record number of visitors which will generate business worth Rs. 50000 Crore to exhibitors in the coming 4-6 months.

The event was inaugurated on 4th August by Ms. Hema Malini, Member of Parliament, along with Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC; Vipul Shah, Vice Chairman, GJEPC; Shailesh Sangani, Convener, National Exhibitions, GJEPC; and Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC amongst others.

The show witnessed 1,790 exhibitors showcasing their exquisite gems & jewellery, and spread over 801,879+ sq ft. of exhibition area. Different product sections of the show included Gold & Gold CZ Studded Jewellery; Diamond, Gemstone & Other Studded Jewellery; Loose stones, CVD; Silver Jewellery, Artefacts & Gifting Items; Laboratories & Education; and Machinery & Allied.

The event was inaugurated on 4th August by Ms. Hema Malini, Member of Parliament.

Talking about the success of the show Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC said: “It is estimated that Rs.50,000 crore worth of business will be generated in the next 4-6 months! It has brought cheer to not just its participants, but also indicated that the festive and wedding season will drive jewellery sales at the retail end.”

“Despite the recent duty hike on gold, market sentiments remained strong towards the yellow metal. With the phenomenal buying that has taken place at IIJS Premiere, there’s no doubt that this is going to be a bumper Diwali.”

Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC

Shailesh Sangani, Convener, National Exhibitions, GJEPC said: “The show had around 50,000 visitors including 1,500 international visitors from more than 60 countries including USA, Canada, UK, Hong Kong, Middle East, Europe, Bangladesh, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Egypt.”

“I would like to thank the MSME Ministry for listing IIJS Premiere under MSME scheme and offering a grant of Rs. 2.75 Crore to MSME Participants. The disbursements under the scheme have already begun to the 194 companies that applied for the grant,” Sangani added.

A wave of pride and patriotism spread across the aisles of IIJS Premiere 2022. Joining the mass movement of “Har Ghar Tiranga”, under the initiative of Honorable Prime Minister’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign, to celebrate the 75th year of India’s Independence, the Council and all the 1,790 exhibiting companies displayed the National Flag at every booth and aisle at the show.

In terms of trends, fancy-cut and fancy colour diamonds are the flavour of the season; illusion-setting diamonds that create the look of a solitaire are in vogue. Modular bridal chokers add more bang to the buck. Rose gold diamond jewellery is still popular.

Large bridal bibs and chokers in 22-karat gold with antique finish and yellow gold are in demand.

Layered bridal jewellery with long pendant necklaces paired with chokers are popular.

In pret gold, feather-light collections made either solely by hand or teamed with 3D and laser technology were top picks at the show.

Shapes that are more geometric and symmetrical in nature are catching up fast, thus lending a contemporary twist to collections.

In studded jewellery, emerald demand has skyrocketed, but other gemstones are not far behind. Corals, lapis lazuli, morganite, tanzanite, multi colour sapphires, opals are favoured, too. Custom cut gemstones are largely being used these days based on the design dictates.

Among visitors, Beate Steinfeld, Head Trend & Design, Tanishq International Business & brand Mia, said: “IIJS gives a fantastic overview of the Indian jewellery market in its multitudes of facets and layers of techniques and materials used. We found lot of innovation in even the tiniest details such as stone settings. With everyone striving for differentiation and for fun approach, ceramic enamel seems to become a big hit.”

Chandu Siroya of Siroya Jewellers, Dubai, remarked: “On behalf of Siroya Jewellers Dubai and all the attendees, I would like to congratulate the IIJS organising team at GJEPC for a putting up a very successful show . Exhibitors as well as visitors, I spoke to or visited were very happy with the business done. I do believe that this mammoth show must have taken a lot of planning and preparation and I am so happy that the team efforts resulted in a very vibrant and busy show. Looking forward to more rewarding business experiences and visiting India.”

Ishu Datwani, Founder, Anmol, Mumbai shared: “I have been attending IIJS since the early 80s when it was held at the World Trade Centre in Cuffe Parade. Over the years, I have seen IIJS transforming into a truly international show. This year was probably the biggest IIJS that I have seen and very honestly I was expecting some glitches. But to my pleasant surprise I found the arrangements to be exceptionally good. The coming into the show, the security check and the exit was seamless. The buggy arrangements for taking visitors to different halls made it so much convenient and faster. All in all, it was a nice and fruitful experience.”

Among exhibitors, Sunny Chordia, Director, Swarnsarita Jewels India Ltd, said: “We were pleased with the response at the show. Our handcrafted antique jewellery weighing between 50 gm and 100 gm has been the most sought-after. The show has kept us busy all day long. For our clients from USA, Singapore, and Dubai, we specially make Kolkata jewellery.”

Varun PN, Owner, Vara Krupa Jewellers, said: “The show has been remarkable. We have seen a 50% rise in new buyers this time, who are booking heavy and light antique gold jewellery. Metal weight is not a consideration for our customers, from Dubai, USA, Maharashtra and Chennai.”

Bhairavi Shah of Aadish Gold remarks: “IIJS is the place where we get to meet new buyers. It’s been an amazing show and we got clients from Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We also got a fabulous response for our new collection Aamulyaa-The Priceless. Heavy bridal jewellery with focus on design is trending. We have smaller retailers looking for Temple jewellery between 10 gm and 15 gm, and others booking sets between 200 gm and 600 gm.”

Ashish Sand of Savio Jewellery observes that the IIJS Premiere has got bigger, better and grander: “The show has been phenomenal for us. High quality buyers not only from pan India but overseas have met us. The best part this year is that from big chain stores to small independent stores everyone was there and looking for exclusive collections, which every manufacturer had showcased. In the past, visitors used to spend the first two days at the show in the Gold section, but this time since Day 1, we saw similar large crowds in the Diamond section too.”

Siddarthaa Sawansukha, MD, Sawansukha Jewellers said that their new line of white and rose gold open necklaces with leafy diamond and coloured stone finials were a rage: “This time we have also introduced diamond-centric lines highlighted with Australian opals and fine enamelling. Of course, our heavier sets in diamonds were in demand due to the upcoming festive and bridal seasons, but our lightweight diamond lines are rocking!”

About The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC)

The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), set up by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India (GoI) in 1966, is one of several Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) launched by the Indian Government, to boost the country’s export thrust, when India’s post-Independence economy began making forays in the international markets. Since 1998, the GJEPC has been granted autonomous status. The GJEPC is the apex body of gems & jewellery industry and today represents 8000 exporters in the sector. With headquarters in Mumbai, GJEPC has Regional Offices in New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Surat and Jaipur, all of which are major centres for the industry. It thus has a wide reach and is able to have a closer interaction with members to serve them in a direct and more meaningful manner. Over the past decades, GJEPC has emerged as one of the most active EPCs and has continuously strived to both expand its reach and depth in its promotional activities as well as widen and increase services to its members.