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The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), launched its IIJS Prelude event in Mumbai on Wednesday. The event, co-sponsored by the Diamond Producers Association and designed to bring together jewellery manufacturers and retailers, was structured around a series of fashion shows sponsored by a number of jewellery manufacturers.

“We decided to delink the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW) from the IIJS and move it closer to the major buying season in September and October,” said GJEPC Chairman Praveenshankar Pandya. He added, “India has the largest workforce in diamonds and even in jewellery – bigger even than China, but this workforce is overwhelmingly focussed on hand-made jewellery targeted at the domestic market. It needs to be modernised and mobilised to target the global market.”

Pandya said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been extremely supportive of the gem and jewellery industry, primarily because it generates such a lot of employment, asked for a vision document from the industry detailing how it would go about making the transition from a domestic supplier to a world powerhouse.

“I have been working on this document for the past three months,” Pandya said, “and I have just finished it. The diamond industry transformed itself from a low-tech cottage-industry-style operation to today’s modern powerhouse. This can be done in jewellery as well. Our road forward will be built on developing jewellery parks that offer high-tech facilities for the jewellery industry all around the country. This will have the effect of technologically upgrading the Indian industry. Simultaneously, common facility centres, like the ones now opened in Gujarat are also planned throughout the country. These will allow even the micro, small and medium enterprises to avail of state-of-the-art facilities for design, casting and finishing, at a nominal cost.”

As Pandya put it, growth in the industry would be inclusive and carry even the small players forward and not focus on only helping the large grow larger.

The jewellery manufacturers who participated in the Prelude event were Agarwal & Co., Anand Shah, Baheti Gems & Jewels Pvt. Ltd., Chokshi Vachhraj Makanji & Co., Geeta Shyam Jewellers (Sunil J), Gitanjali Gems Ltd., Kiran Jewels (India), Prakash Gold Palace Pvt. Ltd., Palak Jewellers Pvt. Ltd., Priority Jewels Pvt. Ltd., Romil Jewellery, Sanskriti Jewels, Sheetal Jewellery House LLP and Vasupati Jewellers.

https://www.gemkonnect.com/news/gjepc-unveils-jewellery-industry-growth-vision-iijs-prelude-event