Avenue Montaigne has opened its first large-format store of 10,000 sq ft at the Gold Souk, Gurgaon. The store boasts of over 12,000 pieces of jewellery from leading Indian and international brands.

Among some of the more well-known Indian brands available are Asmi, Nakshatra, Sangini, D'damas, Adora, Kiah and Ishi's. It also displays jewellery from Instyle, Nirvana, Sparkles, Cygnus and Swaranjali.

International brands like Celeste of UK, Hammer Plus of Germany, Sogni D'oro of Italy and Carrera, Pierre Cardin and Esprit also find space at the store.

The store was launched with a fashion show, which saw models such as Krishna Somany, Himani Thapa, Barkha Kaul and Ritu Singh displaying jewellery.

Celebrity jewellery designer Farah Khan has released her autumn-winter 2005-2006 jewellery collections. Some of her clients include Bollywood celebrities such as Hrithik Roshan, Celina Jaitley and Lara Dutta.

The collection, Tassels, Handbags and Jamevaar, is the second instalment of her brand's bi-yearly release and promises to live upto her previous star collections Amore and Forever. Farah Khan's jewellery is known for their intricate, bold, romantic and feminine styles.

Lara Dutt, former Miss Universe and Bollywood actor says, "Farah's eye for detail and the craftsmanship of her pieces makes her jewellery a joy to behold and treasure."

Vanshi Diamond Jewellery has launched two diamond collections Teenage and Designer, consisting of over 60 designs in earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, brooches and rings.

The Teenage range targetted at the 13-19 age group is available in the Rs 2,000-10,000 price bracket. "This market has begun to acknowledge branded diamond jewellery as an affordable fashion accessory," said Dharmesh Vaghashia, MD of Vanshi Diamond Jewellery. Designer prices are pegged at Rs 1 lakh.

Vanshi Diamond Jewellery presents a 90 per cent-on- MRP buy back policy and a 95 per cent exchange offer within 15 days of purchase. The collections are available at its exclusive outlet in Ahmedabad. The company plans to make the collections available in more than 150 leading jewellery showrooms across the country.

Neelam Jewels has launched three new lines of jewellery for the festive season called The Coral & Turquoise Line, The Cocktail Line and Bridals. These jewellery lines are crafted with rubies, emeralds, coral, turquoise and diamonds, predominantly in 18k gold.

The Coral & Turquoise Line is "very funky and trendy and goes with the latest trends in fashion too." It is also described as very affordable. The Cocktail Line consists of earrings, rings and pendants using rose-cut and full-cut diamonds combined with rubies and emeralds. Bridals also uses the same combination of stones, but the jewellery is designed to be an "evergreen bridal set."

"In a bid to change, lots of people have started switching back to yellow gold as most of their jewellery is in white. I've used a lot of semi-precious stones with yellow gold, which looks very trendy yet ethnic and yet goes well with today's trend in clothing," says Neelam describing the collections.
Movie-star turned designer, Neelam Kothari creates jewellery for hit TV sitcoms such as Jassi Jaise Koi Nahi and Koffee with Karan.

With a view to tap into the market for season's objets de desiré, the famed house of sterling silver home accessories, Frazer and Haws, has introduced a divine range. Applying its celebrated style of aesthetic lines and fluid contours, it has created a collection with Lord Krishna as a theme.

Some of the pieces include Baal Krishna (child Krishna), a handcrafted reproduction of Lord Krishna in terracotta, embellished with sterling silver accessories and the Lord in a Govardhan pose (cowherd) with a flute in dual-toned marble.

The pride of the range is the Raas Leela (Krishna with his consort Radha). It is handcrafted in terracotta with silver accessories and balanced on a marble base. It is a striking amalgamation of the classic and the contemporary.

Two of India's best-selling diamond jewellery brands, Nakshatra and Asmi, are venturing into the Middle East. With the launch, Indian branded jewellery will go global for the first time.

The brands, which belong to De Beers, are being launched by Damas, the Middle East's largest jewellery retailer and the Gitanjali Group. The brands will use Dubai as a launch pad before continuing their foray into other parts of the Middle East.
Brightest Circle Jewellery Pvt Ltd, a consortium of three diamond sightholders officially appointed by the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) to make Nakshatra a global brand, is working in collaboration with Damas and the Gitanjali Group.

When India's bid to the Oscars, Paheli, is exhibited to the world, it will take with it samples of Tanishq's jewellery. Tanishq created the jewellery for Paheli, a period movie set in Rajasthan. The movie displays unique work in kundan and minakari with rubies, pearls and emeralds.

Not resting on its laurels, Tanishq has introduced a new line of diamond jewellery crafted in 18k gold. The collection is inspired by women's need to celebrate the everyday joys of life by making diamonds more accessible to them.
"The collection will appeal to a woman's sense of romance and extravagance since it will put beautiful diamond sets within her easy reach. The rationale behind the collection was to make it possible for women to own whole diamond sets and buy it at a time convenient for her and not be bound to an occasion-led purchase. We have tried to create jewellery that a woman can own and wear whenever she wants to reward herself," Harman Dhillon, brand manager, said at the launch.

The collection is described as versatile with an ethno-contemporary setting. The line aims at enhancing its diamonds using a unique combination of colours and pressure setting, which holds smaller diamonds together in a cluster to give an appearance of a large diamond.

The launch was accompanied by a slogan contest 'Life's little celebrations'. Bollywood actor Diya Mirza presented the winner with a diamond set. The collection is priced between Rs 20,000-150,000 and will be available in select Tanishq stores across key cities.

Heralding the Indian festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, ORRA launched a line of spiritual jewellery under the Padma Sutra label. The new collection employs the lotus as its theme. In the Indian spiritual tradition, the lotus seat is believed to aid in attaining enlightenment.

The collection's launch was celebrated with a classical dance performance in Mumbai, which demonstrated the philosophy behind Padma Sutra. The new line consists of 14 pendants crafted in 22k gold with diamonds and coloured gemstones. Each piece of pendant will come with an explanation of what it represents.

"Padma, or the lotus, represents purity, divinity and eternity. The lotus symbolises man's quest for a higher consciousness. Each piece of lotus jewellery has a specific spiritual meaning," said Vijay Jain, CEO, ORRA, describing the collection.

Chopard, creators of some of the world's most famous jewellery and luxury watches, has introduced the Chopard Haute Joaillerie collection in India. The collection is designed by Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, co-president and art director of Chopard. Her designs focus on pure, sleek lines, that make a virtue out of lightness.

The collection is characterised by an intense use of precious stones, including diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Each piece highlights the uniqueness of a particular stone. Consequently, the collection is made up of a wide spectrum of blues, pinks, greens, oranges and violets.

The Chopard Boutique can be found at the New Oberoi.

Piaget, true to its distinguished position among the watch-making elite, is redrawing the lines between jewellery and watches with the introduction of its collection Garden of the Senses. The collection is described as extravagant, voluptuous and yet subtle. It is an invitation to a garden "where reality becomes emotion and emotion becomes reality."

Cased in 18k white and yellow gold, the watch's face is a maze of diamonds and mother of pearl. It is available in designs for men and women. The Piaget Boutique can be found at the New Oberoi.