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SOLITAIRE Dec07 / Jan2008 -
BREAK-UP! VARIOUS FORCES PULL ROUGH DIAMOND SUPPLY APART
Assertive African nations have decreed that a portion of all rough diamonds mined within their borders have to be cut and polished locally. Canada has followed suit to meet the aspirations of its own indigenous people. Russia doesn’t think beneficiation will work, but wants to by-pass the world market altogether. China has used a combination of aid packages and...
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SOLITAIRE Oct / Nov2007 -
GOLD & JEWELLERY : A LINK NO LONGER SACRED
Until now, there has been a clear distinction in the way consumers in the developed and developing worlds have viewed gold. Driven by social and religious beliefs, the latter have maintained strong emotional links to the metal that have defied all standard investment norms. Vinod Kuriyan notes, however, that the link between gold and jewellery is not the sacrosanct tie it once was…
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SOLITAIRE IIJS Sept Special 2007 -
INDIAN JEWELLERY'S NEW HORIZONS
A dramatic transformation of the Indian retail sector – particularly the vast rural market – is being brought about by the development of modern, organized retail. The sheer magnitude of this change is breathtaking. Many jewellery manufacturers, chain retailers and brand managers are making plans of their own for the dazzling new retail world of the future.
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SOLITAIRE Aug / Sept 2007 -
DISCRETIONARY SPENDING – WHAT'S LEFT FOR JEWELLERY?
Despite huge incomes even in affluent markets like the US, a surprisingly small portion is left over after the necessities have taken their share. Surprisingly, research on the wealthy shows that even when there's plenty left over, much of their income goes into savings rather than into the consumer marketplace. Vinod Kuriyan and Regan Luis look at what there is for jewellery to go after.
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SOLITAIRE Jun / Jul 2007 -
HOT DELIVERY: MUMBAI OFFERS A FREE-TRADE STARTER
By abolishing the import duty on polished diamonds, the government has allowed the Indian gem and jewellery industry to take a major step forward towards realising its dream of transforming itself from being merely a production base to a true global gem and jewellery trading hub. Entry into the fast-growing Indian market with a billion consumers, offshore jewellery production for existing markets – the move opens up several possibilities for the global gem and jewellery industry. Vinod Kuriyan reports.
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SOLITAIRE Apr / May 2007 -
WHO'S AFRAID OF SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS?
Many, particularly the mining companies, think they are the biggest danger to the diamond industry. The diamond processing industry is, however, excited at the thought of ample rough supplies at a price they can make a decent margin on. Vinod Kuriyan reports that synthetic or laboratory grown diamonds represent a threat in that their sale without disclosure could undermine consumer confidence worldwide. Yet they also represent a great opportunity as well.
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SOLITAIRE Feb / Mar 2007 -
COLOUR MATTERS
In value terms, coloured gemstones account for only a small slice of the global jewellery retail pie. They don’t have a slogan linking them to romance and there isn’t any ‘big daddy’ organisation promoting them. Yet coloured gemstones are an essential part of the global jewellery market. Vinod Kuriyan and Shanoo Bijlani report.
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SOLITAIRE Dec / jan 2007 -
THE DIAMOND PIPELINE: OVERWHELMED BY DEBT?
Industry players admit the going is extremely tough right now. Bankers are beginning to sound alarmed. Is the whole edifice being dragged down? Vinod Kuriyan talks to bankers and diamond dealers to get the big picture.
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SOLITAIRE Oct / Nov 2006 -
RETAIL HAS LANDED - AND CONSUMERS ARE RESPONDING
There is a scramble to cater to the new Indian consumer, who is more affluent, has had aspirations triggered by satellite television and a wide variety of product choices. The retail delivery system is changing at a dizzying pace, with malls, hypermarkets and specialty stores all jostling to grab as large a slice of the pie as possible. We track the changing marketplace, the opportunities - and threats - that the jewellery retail industry is faced with..
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SOLITAIRE Aug / Sept 2006 -
FUSION FIRES THE NEW INDIAN JEWELLERY
Together with China, India's jewellery consuming market is one of the fastest-growing in the world and is increasingly influenced and driven by global fashion trends. But the Indian jewellery wearer has also remained firmly connected to tradition. For the designer catering to this market, the trick is to strike the right balance between the old and the new. -
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SOLITAIRE June / July 2006 -
JEWELLERY'S VALUE PROPOSITION
Is It Still Valid
For millennia, gold has been the primary material for the fabrication of jewellery to which humans have attached any value. Other components that have delivered 'value' to jewellery include diamonds, coloured gemstones and other materials like silver and platinum. Together, these materials served to turn jewellery from being solely adornment to something that is a repository of value - not just in markets like India and the Middle and Far East where the investment motive and the intrinsic value of the product matter, but also in western markets where fashion and status have been the primary acquisition drivers.- more |
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SOLITAIRE IIJS 2006 Special Edition-
B2B JEWELLERY MANUFACTURE - New Growth Engine
The rapid growth of the Indian jewellery market is being powered by a 'new' phenomenon - the increasing reliance by even 'traditional' retailers on jewellery made by specialist business-to-business manufacturers. Retailers can now spend time on what they are good at - servicing the customer - while the manufacturer takes on the headaches of ensuring quality and adherence to delivery schedules.
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SOLITAIRE Apr / May 2006 -
NO PROFIT IN POLISHING
With increasing rough prices and sharply reduced margins, many diamond manufacturers are finding the going very tough. Surprisingly, the ones who
seem to be hurting the most are De Beers Diamond Trading Company (DTC) sightholders. Many blame De Beers' Supplier Of Choice (SOC) initiative. -
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SOLITAIRE Feb / Mar 2006 -
THE YOUNG TURKS AND THE NEW TEAM EFFORT
The Indian gem and jewellery industry is steering into the future with an under-40 generation at the helm. With new ideas and viewpoints, the Young Turks have begun to professionalise the management of the companies they run even though they uphold as their role models, the family elders who blazed a pioneering trail to put India at the forefront of the world gem and jewellery industry. -
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SOLITAIRE Dec / Jan 2006 -
AFRICA'S DIAMONDS - Adding New Facets
Since the beginning of the last century the southern countries of the African continent have been the major source of the world's diamonds. Till today they hold a key position at the starting point of the diamond pipeline, contributing almost 80 per cent by value of global mining output. But of late, the flow of Africa's rough has not been so smooth with political, social and corporate pressures causing major players to re-think their strategies. -
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SOLITAIRE Oct / Nov 2005 -
Cover Story: India and China: Romancing The Dragon
The jewellery industry is getting intensely competitive, and China is keen on getting a bigger slice of the pie. Taking cognizance of the Indian clout, local provinces in China are romancing manufacturers to spread their wings in dragon land. Is there a cause for worry? -
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SOLITAIRE Aug / Sept 2005 -
Cover Story: IIJS 2005: Beyond Expectation
IIJS 2005, the fifth largest jewellery show in the world, came out trumps in many respects, with 686 exhibitors spread over nearly 46,000 sq mtrs and 27,000 visitors giving credence to GJEPC's claim that India is truly on its way to becoming an international jewellery hub. -
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SOLITAIRE Jun / Jul 2005 -
Cover Story: Diamond Dialogue - Mines to Market Conference Report
Reinforcing the pre-eminent position it enjoys globally, India hosted the International Diamond Conference 2005, Mines to Market with aplomb. Distinguished speakers comprising the crème de la crème of the industry gathered to exchange views on a variety of issues: from exploration and mining to finance and synthetic diamonds, from the importance of number crunching to retailing - accompanied by illuminating facts and figures, graphs and commercials and most important of all, first-hand accounts that made the conference one of the most enriching experiences in recent times.-
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SOLITAIRE Apr / May 2005 -
Cover Story: The Tech Edge
Ever since they commenced operations some 15 years ago, India's leading jewellery exporters have displayed a readiness to make huge investments in technology, keep abreast of current developments in the field and integrate the latest machines and processes into their facilities.-
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SOLITAIRE Feb / Mar 2005 -
Cover Story: Jaipur - Tryst with jewellery
India's colored stone capital has added modern machine-made Jewellery to its rich repertoire of loose gemstones and handcrafted products. This combined with an abundance of skilled workers, may make the Pink City a new global hub for multi-colored Jewellery.-
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SOLITAIRE Dec 2004 / Jan 2005 -
Cover Story: India turning trend savvy
India turning trend-savvy Having won global recognition as a quality and cost effective jewellery-manufacturing centre, the thrust of the Indian industry over the last few years has increasingly been on product development and design, and, more particularly, the creation of jewellery aligned to contemporary fashion trends.-
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