Exquisite jewellery showcased at IIJW

While jewellery was in focus at the second season of the five-day India International Jewellery Week (IIJW), the Bollywood quotient grabbed more eyeballs for the event.

Conceptualised by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) in 2010, IIJW - that had actress Sonam Kapoor as its brand ambassador this year - had a strong Bollywood influence.

Each day witnessed at least three celebrities gracing the ramp, showcasing fine and opulent jewellery pieces.

From Hema Malini to Zeenat Aman, Bipasha Basu to Kangana Ranaut, many from Bollywood strutted down the ramp along with models.

Before the event concluded, it showcased designs of 35 jewellery designers and design houses that included Gitanjali, Amrapali, Tanishq, Rosily Paul, Agni and Lakshmi Jewellers, among others.

It was better organized this year with minimum delays in the beginning of the shows, better presentation, more glamour and better and more exquisite designs.

"We are happy by the way the event turned out to be. By and large, what we thought, we have achieved it because our participants are happy and our audiences are happy," said GJEPC chairman Rajiv Jain.

"This year we were more organized because last year was our first year and we had only three months to organize the show. This year we had the full year and secondly we were more experienced," he said.

"We worked on our shortcomings. Even the designers and all participants were totally geared up and on the whole we delivered what we thought," he added.

The aim of the event was to showcase India’s finest in jewellery, be it design, innovation, craftsmanship, technology or quality to the customers. The organizers are happy that they achieved what they set out to do.

Sonam’s name attached to the event gave it more publicity and attention.

"She added value to our event. She is a symbol of today’s youth, she is beautiful and charming. When she talks about jewellery, she talks like a jeweller. So we took the right decision by getting her on board as the brand ambassador," said Jain.

Since IIJW is not a business event, the amount of monetary benefits to participants cannot be calculated, but the platform gave them an opportunity to showcase their designs to a larger audience.

"This event is not for business. This was just for showcasing the collections. If a customer likes anyone’s collection, they can contact them and buy the pieces," Jain said.

The event saw delegates from different parts of the world, including from France, America, Italy, Hungry and Britain.

Kajal Aggarwal makes ramp debut at IIJW

Singham actress Kajal Aggarwal made her debut on the ramp at the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW). Kajal, who has worked in more than 20 Telugu and Tamil films and was recently seen opposite Ajay Devgan in Rohit Shetty’s "Singham", strutted down the ramp as the show stopper for CVM Exports at IIJW’s last show. The 26-year-old was wearing a yellow off shoulder gown and an elaborate neckpiece and earrings made of uncut diamonds. "I’m wearing this beautiful piece from the moon collection. It’s basically pearls with uncut diamonds. I love it because it’s unique and exquisite and the best thing I like about it is the fact that it is this lovely amalgamation of classic and contemporary which works very well. Its basically meant for brides," said Kajal.

So was she nervous walking the ramp for the first time? "Although this was my first time on the ramp, I wasn’t nervous. I was just really excited," she replied. "I wish I could rehearse, but I flew down from Chennai Monday itself so I didn’t get the time to rehearse," she added.

Finally when asked, what is her favourite piece of jewellery, the actress replied: "My favourite piece of jewellery is the diamond ring that my father gifted me. I never leave home without it."

India International Jewellery Week IIJW

After the many fashion weeks that are held round the year, India has hosted its first ever jewellery week - the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW) in Mumbai (Aug 15-19).

The first ever jewellery week is meant to provide an opportunity to the jewellery designers to showcase their talent.

“This is a fabulous platform for jewellery designers to come together and showcase their talent. The fashion industry has their events but this is the first time that the jewellery industry will witness something like this,” says Farah Khan Ali.

‘We want to showcase jewellery as a piece of art and not just an investment.’

The event is being organised by the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India, supported by the ministry of commerce and industry.

The five-day extravaganza will showcase collections of 30 designers including Farah Khan Ali, Varun D. Jani, Bina Goenka and Rhea Nasta. Well-knonw jewellery brands like Mirari, Gitanjali, Amrapali, Tanishq and Ganjam will also participate in it.

“IIJW is a platform to showcase India’s prowess in jewellery, be it design, innovation, craftsmanship or quality,” says Vasant Mehta, chairman, Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council.

‘Having attained our leadership in diamond manufacturing and being the fastest growing jewellery manufacturing destination globally, it’s time to showcase India’s expertise in design and make India the most sought after destination for designer jewellery,’ Mehta added.

IIJW will also showcase the talents of upcoming designers from the National Institute of Design(NID) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

The event has been organized at the Hotel Grand Hyatt, Santa Cruz, Mumbai.

There will be 1,600 stalls that will display the works of 776 exhibitors.

Pavillions of Thailand, Belgium, Israel, Italy, Turkey and the UAE are also set up.

Buyers from Japan, Russia, Britain, China, Italy, Malaysia, Libya, Morocco, Iran, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are expected to attend the event.