Jewellery and Indians go a long way back
Marilyn Monroe go many things right, but the fact that she got spot on was, “Diamond are a girl’s best friend”. There is no one woman on the planet who isn’t partial to precious stones and colourful gems. A statement necklace, long danglers and charming bracelets are the most coveted items on any women’s wish list.
But it isn’t just precious stones, it’s also precious metals that rule a lady’s heart. India is the largest buyer of gold in the world — a fact which may have something to do with our population being one of the highest and thus, by extension, the high demand. But more than that, it has to do with our culture and lifestyle. From the time of the rajas and maharajas, ornate an ostentatious jewellery has been part of our history and heritage.
Indians have always value gold and viewed it as a investment — be it a small pair of bali earrings to gold coins, or even trading in gold in the stock market. High jollieri collectors often travel around the world following prestigious auction to get their hands on a one-of-a-kind, rare vintage or collector item and spare no expense to ge their hands on an heirloom piece.
Keeping this mind, the day is not too far when high jewellery house like Van Cleef & Arpels, Graff and Mikimoto open their stores on Indian soil. One of the leaders in fin jewellery, Bvlgari has already led th way, having opened its flagshi store only recently in the Capital’s Emporio Mall. Since its inception in 1884, the Roman house has created elaborate creations that are a mix of contemporary and classic design with innovative technique, with its signature cabochon and colourful stones. It’s already been a few years since Tiffany, Cartier and Damini have been providing the best of international styles to their India clientele via their flagship stores.
Top auction houses like Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Bonhams not only attract Indian clients, but also have many Indians regularly supplying vintage baubles for aficionados across the world. Indian high-jeweller brand Nirav Modi create history at an auction in Hong Kong when his pink diamonds, Golcond Lotus necklace, fetched a more than generous price of Rs 16.29 crore. Jewellery is no different from are today. In fact, people those who can no longer afford to buy the Souza’s, Raza’s and Husain’s are tempering their taste to opt for precious stone collectibles instead.
Jewellery was and will always be fashionable. This is the reason why contemporary brands choose to align themselves with India’s top fashion weeks in Mumbai and Delhi. Top fashion designers in the country are also shifting gear to include jewellery designing in their repertoire. Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra offer some of the finest jewellery creations to complement their designs in their flagship stores. Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Malhotra have also tied up with jewellery brands to create designs that match their ensembles.
As much as jewellery is a luxury that is lusted after, it is also viewed as a necessity that leaves many out-of-pocket. Be that as it may, reckon the demand is only going to increase over the years.