East India Jewellery Retail Show 2009

Jewellery exhibition Sonar Sansar which started its journey in 1997 and took a break three years ago is back in Kolkata. Christened

the East India Jewellery Retail Show 2009, the exhibition will be held from November 27 to 30 at Netaji Indoor Stadium where 75 national and international jewellery houses would participate. “Kolkata is the birthplace of some of the most skilled craftsmen and many jewellery brand ambassadors come from Kolkata too – like

actors Bipasha Basu, Ria Sen, Raima Sen. But there was no large-scale show here to promote jewellery like in other cities. With this show, Kolkata comes on the map of world jewellery shows,” said Navin Sadarangani, founder of NYUZ, a jewellery retail enterprise.

“Simple gold jewellery has been out for about four to five years now. Today jewellery has to have other accompaniments, especially colored stones. The exhibition will thus have jewellery with kundan, jadau, polki, and other works with inclusion of Burmese and

Thailand jewellery. Fashion and silver jewellery, Victorian jewellery will be there too,” said Sanjay Modi, proprietor, Exposure, exhibition organiser.

Speaking on what can the ladies expect at the exhibition, Pankaj Parekh, chairman, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, eastern region, said today’s women prefer to go for light jewellery. “No one likes to buy a 300gm set anymore; instead, you go for 20gm pieces each with a lot of stones which can give the piece breadth and break the monotony too. Diamonds studded jewellery (in gold) with colored stones is the order of the day. This jewellery is fast replacing especially diamonds and taking a big pie from the buyer’s pocket.” Parerkh, however, also shared the drawback of this trend - one can wear the colored stones only with matching attires, not anything and everything, as the case is with diamond jewellery.

According to Bachcharaj Bamalwa, vice chairman, All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation, “Trend changes every day and nothing but creativity is common between jewellers. This exhibition will be a reflection of the changing mentality of customers. The general idea of buying jewellery has been going to the family jeweller and getting it done. But today people want variety and are ready to go out to various other jewellers. This one exhibition gives them that trust.”

Visiting an exhibition is always good for a trendsetter and a trend creator. “Students and designers yearning to get a glimpse of latest world jewellery will get a learning opportunity here. One evening will be devoted for networking among the retailers,” said Sadarangani.

The starting price at the exhibition will be Rs 1000.

Posted by Sunil Tosawar Proprietor of Jewel Fortune