couture india show draws industry’s best · reena ahluwalia receives degree, fellow award in...

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22 SOLITAIRE INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2017

Couture India Show Draws Industry’s Best

The second edition of Couture India, a trade-only jewellery exhibition, was declared a resounding success with more than 1,000 trade visitors in attendance. Held from September 9th to 11th at Taj Palace in New Delhi, the show featured 57 of India’s top jewellery exhibitors.

Manoj Dwivedi, joint secretary, ministry of commerce and industry, inaugurated the three-day event. Other dignitaries present at the opening ceremony were Vijay Khanna from Khanna Jewellers, Mansukh Kothari from Vasupati Jewellers, Shantibhai Patel from GJTCI, Alok Mandhari, designer Anand Shah of Anand Shah Jewels, show organisers Alok Kala and Arpit Kala of Indian Jeweller, and Gunjan Jain of Diamond World.

“Our country’s jewellery has a rich design heritage and we need to encourage it further. Couture India is giving a

platform to the country’s niche designers to exhibit their brands, generate enquiries, and boost their sales creating real and lasting value for their business for years to come. I must congratulate the organiser Indian Jeweller for putting together such a

brilliant show,” said Dwivedi.A total of 75 hosted buyers from 41 cities across India

took advantage of the exclusive ‘Hosted Buyer Programme’, including Jithendra Vummidi of Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, Anand Prakash of Abhushan Diamonds, Manish Khurana of Khurana Jewellery House, Anil Pethani of Cara Jewels, Anil Kataria of DP Jewellers, Arpit Rastogi of Lala Jugal Kishore Jewellers, Sacheen Vastani of Dass Jewellers, and Jignesh Rathod of Rathod Jewellers among others.

Couture India also hosted special networking evenings, knowledge forums and a fashion night for the participants. Arpit Kala said, “I am thankful to the gems and jewellery fraternity who have given their immense love and support to the second edition of the show. This is an encouragement to do better and work harder for our future editions.”

(From left) Mansukh Kothari, Vijay Khanna, Manoj Dwivedi, Alok Kala, Anand Shah and Arpit Kala at the lamp-lighting ceremony.

Nearly 900 Attend GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair and Open House

Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA’s) Jewelry Career Fair and Open House drew nearly 900 gem and jewellery professionals, job seekers and members of the local community to the event’s 26th anniversary on October 13, 2017. This annual event at GIA’s Carlsbad World Headquarters was bustling with inspiring panel discussions, classroom demonstrations, one-on-one coaching, recruiting and the opening of a new exhibit of gemstone jewellery from India. Job seekers were able to connect with 36 companies looking to fill hundreds of jobs, as well as talk one-on-one with 26 coaches from all facets of the industry.

One-on-one coaching with 26 industry experts at the 2017 Carlsbad Jewelry Career Fair. Photo by Kevin Schumacher/GIA.

Three-layered necklace from Rosentiques.

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Hari Krishna Conducts Women’s Road Safety Rally

Surat-based Hari Krishna Group conducted a mammoth road safety rally with 12,000 participants to draw attention to the threat to life when riding a two-wheeler without a helmet. The CSR initiative was triggered by the recent death of an HK employee’s wife during a road accident, leaving behind a four-year-old son and a two-month-old toddler.

Hari Krishna Exports founder and chairman Savji Dholakia distributed 6,000 helmets to each employee’s female family

members. The company said in a statement it would “leave no stone unturned and bind each and every employee with a pledge to follow the helmet rule”.

Some 6,000 two-wheelers and 12,000 participants joined in the rally from Hari Krishna’s diamond factory HK Hub, Ichchhapore to HK Campus, Simada, a distance of approximately 18km. The rally was flagged off by Surat police commissioner Satishkumar Sharma.

Fura Gems Buys Colombia’s Coscuez Emerald Mine Toronto-based gemstone mining firm Fura Gems Inc. entered into a share purchase agreement with Emporium HS S.A.S. by which Fura has agreed to purchase 76% of the issued and outstanding shares of Esmeracol S.A. from Emporium for $10.2 million.

Emporium will continue to hold a 21.71% interest in Esmeracol with the balance of 2.29% held by other minority holders. Esmeracol owns a 100% interest in the mining licence no. 122 –

95M for the Coscuez emerald mine.The Coscuez emerald mine is in the Muzo formation in

Boyacá department, Colombia and covers an area of 46

Dev Shetty, president and CEO, Fura Gems.

hectares. It has been the source for some of the finest emeralds in the world for over 400 years, but to date has been operated on a small-scale basis.

Fura will modernise the Coscuez mine with an objective of ramping up the production of emeralds within six months of completion of the transaction.

Dev Shetty, Fura’s president and chief executive officer, said: “With the mine, currently in operation on a small-scale basis, Fura with its experienced management team, intends to implement a significant investment programme. The programme will see best practice mining methods adopted as well as improving the geological knowledge to gradually modernise the underground mine. Fura will also set up a marketing platform to promote Colombian emeralds globally.”

“With our vision to create an employee friendly, sustainability-driven and community-centred enterprise, we remain confident in our ability to close this transaction and build a sustainable, transparent and organised supply chain for these iconic Colombian emeralds.”

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PMLA Exemption Delights JewellersThe All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF) welcomed the Government of India’s decision to keep the gem and jewellery industry out of the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Over the past few weeks, GJF along with industry delegates had a series of meetings with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Directorate General

of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGSTI), BJP president Amit Shah and with NITI Aayog and represented their concerns on this issue.

As per Notification No.4/2017 dated August 23rd 2017, the central government notified dealers in precious metals, precious stones and other high value goods having a turnover of I2 crore in a financial year as a person carrying on designated business or profession.

As a consequence, various compliances under the PMLA were required to be undertaken by the gems and jewellery sector, which was to be overseen by the DGGSTI. Critical among these were the requirement under Rule 9 of the PMLA Rules, whereby a reporting entity must verify

the identity of its clients, via a KYC process, for every transaction of I50,000 or more (whether conducted as a single transaction or several transactions that appear to be connected).

Nitin Khandelwal, chairman, GJF, said, “This is really a great news for the industry and we are thankful to Honourable PM Narendra Modi ji, FM Arun Jaitley ji and Amit Shah ji. Over the past 20 days we had met each and every department and key personnel in the government. The support that we got from various associations and chain store owners on this concern was phenomenal. This is really a proud moment for our industry and we look forward to good business during the festive season.”

The government rescinded its earlier notification in a statement dated October 7th 2017 which read: “The government has received representations from various associations in the gems and jewellery sector with respect to certain incongruities in Notification No.4/2017 dated August 23rd 2017, wherein dealers in precious metals, precious stones and other high value goods were notified as person carrying on designated business and professions under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002. After considering various aspects of the issue, the government has decided to rescind the said notification. A separate notification after due consideration of points raised and wider stakeholder consultation in this regard, shall be issued in due course.”


GJF chairman Nitin Khandelwal.

Ejohri.com: A New E-marketplace for JewelleryEjohri Jewel Hub Pvt. Ltd. recently launched www.ejohri.com, an e-marketplace dedicated to jewellery. It is an omni-channel platform that enables retailers from across the country to showcase their jewellery on the website, acting as an online facilitator of discovery, marketing and sales.

Consumers can either buy the products online or can schedule a visit to the retailer. It also provides consumers the opportunity to choose from a wide range of stores. Currently, it has partnered with 52 retailers across the country, including Ranka Jewellers, Mahabir Danwar Jewellers, Zaveri & Co. and Waman Hari Pethe and hopes to double the count by March 2018.

“By partnering with us, jewellers get the advantage of their own microsite on our platform along with accessibility to customers from across the world. From the consumers’ point of view, they can choose from a multitude of retailers at just a click of a button”, said Shailen Mehta, founder & CEO, Ejohri.

“What happens with most online purchases is that people don’t mind spending up to 50,000 rupees online but when it comes to more expensive pieces, prefer to visit brick-

and-mortar stores. At ejohri.com, one can browse through jewellery in the comfort of one’s own home and then schedule a visit to try the piece before investing in it.”

Mehta commented, “Retailers who have already partnered with us have been able to connect with new consumers this Diwali and are excited to take the partnership further.” The portal has already fulfilled a number of international orders, too.

“Partnering with ejohri.com has made a significant impact on our sales especially by allowing us to reach out to our old customers who have moved out of India, since they can now access all our products and latest designs online, browse through and select the pieces they like. Ejohri takes care of the complete customer service by picking up the jewellery from us and making sure it’s delivered to the customer with care. It is a great initiative and we are glad we made the decision to showcase our products on their portal,” said Ashish Kothari, owner, Popular Gold, Powai.

Ejohri will also share key data analysis with their partner jewellers so as to gain insights into consumer purchases and track market trends.

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Reena Ahluwalia Receives Degree, Fellow Award In Toronto

After an extensive vetting process, Toronto’s George Brown College chose jewellery designer Reena Ahluwalia to serve as its keynote speaker for the Centre of Arts, Design & Information Technology Convocation ceremony, which was held at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Canada.

During the ceremony Ahluwalia received an honorary degree in International Fashion Management and an Institute without Boundaries (IwB) Fellow Award for leaving an indelible mark on industry, country, community and for her contributions to the areas of study offered at George Brown for being an exceptional role model for the students.

George Brown College dean Luigi Ferrara said, “Reena’s influential work in the global diamond and jewellery industry, her achievements in the world of fashion and visual art and service as faculty and mentor to so many of our students, made her the ideal choice for inspiring

our graduates and sending them off into this exciting new phase of their lives.”

Drawing from some of the pivotal lessons from her life, Ahluwalia, a jewellery designer, painter, professor and community builder, urged students to nurture and value their unbounded mind, their unique inner compass and the passion to persevere. Her full keynote speech can be seen here: https://youtu.be/jnuiYuxtLtI

Anne Sado, president of George Brown College, said, “Our academic management committee made up of all college deans, were unanimous in recommending Reena Ahluwalia. Our criteria for granting an honorary degree is for people who have made an exceptional contribution to the country, world, with relevance to the college. As a person worthy of this recognition, Reena Ahluwalia exemplifies the qualities that George Brown College staff and students strive for – perseverance, passion and excellence.”

Reena Ahluwalia delivering the Convocation keynote at George Brown College.


PNG Jewellers Opens Store In Hinjawadi, Pune’s IT HubPNG Jewellers strengthened its presence in India by launching its sixth store in Pune, and twenty-sixth overall, on October 6th. Miss Universe and actress Susmita Sen inaugurated the showroom in the presence of Saurabh Gadgil, chairman & managing director, PNG Jewellers and Parag Gadgil, executive director, PNG Jewellers.

Spread over 2,500 sq ft, the large format store is located in Hinjawadi, Pune, and is surrounded by multiple IT parks. Given its location, the showroom houses a wide range of

daily wear, lightweight gold and diamond jewellery mainly targeted at young, independent customers. It also features meenakari, jadau, kundan, and classic understated yellow gold, diamond, and silver jewellery.

Saurabh Gadgil said, “PNG Jewellers’ journey started from Pune and hence, it holds a special significance in our hearts. It is the trust of our beloved customers who have been supporting us through generations that we are now able to open our 26th store across the globe.”

Susmita Sen shares, “I am really honoured to be associated with a heritage jewellery brand like PNG Jewellers who have progressed by gaining trust of generations. I love to adorn myself with jewellery, and this store is definitely a perfect place for jewellery lovers. I take this opportunity to congratulate PNG Jewellers for this wonderful achievement and wish that many such successive endeavours come their way.”

Rapaport To Auction 709-ct Peace Diamond In December

The Rapaport Group will auction the 709-carat Peace Diamond in New York in early December following viewings in global trading centres. The rough stone, considered the 14th-largest diamond in history, is on display in Israel until October 27th, and will go on show in Belgium from October 30th to November 10th. It will appear in New York starting November 13th ahead of the evening auction on December 4th.

Artisanal miners found the diamond in Sierra Leone’s Kono district in the village of Koryardu in March. The government auctioned the stone in May, but rejected the highest bid of $7.8 million, and subsequently appointed Rapaport as its sales and marketing agent.

The sale of the Peace Diamond in a transparent manner will ensure the proceeds go to building up key local infrastructure, explained Martin Rapaport, the group’s chairman, in an online video conference.

The sale will be liable to a 15% royalty to the Sierra Leone government and 30% income tax. In addition to Pastor Emmanuel Momoh, who owns the diamond, the five artisanal diggers who found it will receive a significant amount.

Over 50% of the sale value will directly benefit the people of Sierra Leone, as well as the village and district where the diamond was found. It will directly fund clean water, electricity, school, medical facilities, bridges and roads, none of which are currently available in Koryardu.

While Rapaport has not released the rough diamond’s colour and clarity specifications, it likely contains at least one 95-carat to 100-carat polished diamond, Martin Rapaport said. “This is not a simple diamond,” he explained. “It is a diamond which has many diamonds in it. This is probably one of the most complicated diamonds in the world. This is the beginning of a whole new concept of diamond marketing. For me personally, this is a labour of love.”

Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone, said, “I thank the local chief and his people for not smuggling the diamond out of the country, and the owners should get what is due to them and it should also benefit the country as a whole. The government remains committed to ensuring a transparent and competitive auction process that will ensure fair market value for Sierra Leone’s diamonds. We call on the worldwide diamond industry to bid generously for the Peace Diamond as it will bring vital infrastructure and benefit to thousands of Sierra Leone’s artisanal diggers.”

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Alrosa Mined A Unique 34.17-Carat Yellow DiamondAlrosa’s affiliate Almazy Anabara has extracted a large 34.17-carat yellow diamond, the largest fancy coloured rough diamond extracted by the company this year. The rough diamond, extracted from Ebelyakh alluvial deposit, measures 20.17 х 19.65 х 15.1 mm.

It is a transparent intense yellow crystal with a small inclusion in the intermediate zone. Before the end of October, it will be delivered to the United Selling Organization Alrosa (USO Alrosa) in Moscow, where the company specialists will give it a more detailed and accurate assessment.

“This year for Alrosa has already hit the record in the number of large fancy coloured stones. We used to extract fancy coloured rough diamonds over 10 carats once a year on average. This year, we have already recovered several large fancy coloured diamonds, and this 34.17-carat yellow stone is the largest one so far.

“The company’s specialists are still to study the stone more in detail, but we can say in advance that it is fancy

vivid yellow, which is very rare and highly valued. The stone will become a worthy addition to our collection of large rare coloured diamonds that we are forming and will bring to the market,” said Evgeny Agureev, director of USO Alrosa,.

Almazy Anabara is traditionally the leader in the number of fancy coloured stones. Earlier this year, Almazy Anabara also extracted a unique 27.85-carat pure pink diamond, the largest pink stone in Alrosa’s history.


Diacolor Buys 6,100-ct Zambian Emerald

An extremely rare, high quality Zambian emerald was sold at auction in Lusaka in early October for an undisclosed amount. The exceptional 1,220g (6,100-carat) gemstone, discovered at the Kagem mine in Lufwanyama, was bought by one of the world’s leading gemstone and jewellery companies, Diacolor India.

The emerald, named Insofu (meaning baby elephant in the local Bemba language) is considered “exceptional” by industry experts because of its large size, clarity and colour.

“This is one of the best pieces I have seen. It has a beautiful history. The sheer size makes it a rare stone and on top of that it has beautiful quality. It has glamour; it has a history and I am very proud of it. It is of course very high value, but it is priceless for me.

“It’s a museum piece for me, I don’t want to sell it. I would like to enjoy keeping it,” said Rajkumar Tongya, chairman of Diacolor, a family-run business that has been operating for four generations.

Insofu was mined in 2010 at Kagem, the world’s single largest producing emerald mine, which is owned by London-based Gemfields (75%), in partnership with the Zambian government.

The emerald was named by Gemfields to reflect the company’s support for wildlife conservation as part of its wider

commitment to ensuring responsible mining through social, environmental and economic contributions to Zambia.

Gemfields has been instrumental in putting Zambia on the world map as a competitive, reliable and trusted source of responsibly sourced gemstones while pioneering new environmental, social and safety standards in the coloured gemstone sector.

“This is a truly remarkable example of a spectacular gemstone from the Kagem emerald mine. We have rarely seen this in the seven and a half years since we mined it in 2010; it’s an incredible piece and it’s definitely in the right hands,” said Gemfields chief executive officer Sean Gilbertson.

Jaipur Gems Unveils Solaris Star NeckpieceMumbai-based luxury jeweller Jaipur Gems recently designed and crafted a stunning bejewelled neckpiece, the Solaris Star, which features a yellow diamond weighing 40.29 carats. The rare gemstone was sourced from South Africa and was sent for polishing to one of the finest stone-cutting workshop studios situated in Belgium.

Siddartha Sacheti, the creative head of Jaipur Gems, spent 36 hours sketching the design that centres on the Solaris Star diamond. The necklace is designed as a single chain of 41 flawless, pear-shaped solitaires weighing a total of 33.74 carats that terminates with the yellow diamond. The Solaris Star lavalliere is set in 21g of white gold.

The artisans created a replica model before making the actual necklace. Every tiny detail was paid attention to during the casting, moulding and setting of the stones. The necklace was completed in a span of 30 days.

Astaguru To Hold Jewellery & Silver Auction

something in store for all demographics of the collector community.

The lots range from indigenous antiques representing the design patterns of different parts of India, to artefacts with princely and aristocratic provenances such as the Royals of Patiala and the Nizam of Hyderabad.

The auction will also include an impressive number of European jewellery and silver pieces. One of the highlights of the upcoming auction is an elegant necklace consisting of 766 natural pearls strung in perfect symmetry on seven graduating strands. The necklace weighs 180.4g including the clasp studded with a pink sapphire and diamonds.

Astaguru has also curated an interesting silverware collection comprising lots such as a Kashmiri paan-daan (a box traditionally used to store chewing betel nut leaves) in the shape of a boat, and a French silver gilt, gem-set and enamelled chalice made by Louis & Pierre Gille in Lyon, circa 1889.

Mumbai-based auction house Astaguru’s upcoming jewellery and silver auction that is scheduled to take place on November 25-26, includes artefacts of various time periods and influences. The auction, which will take place online (www.astaguru.com) over a span of two days, has

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De Beers Executive Gareth Mostyn To Leave In Early 2018

De Beers Group announced that Gareth Mostyn, executive head of strategy and corporate affairs, has decided to leave the business to join the Church of England as chief finance and operations officer.

Mostyn joined Anglo American in 2008 as head of corporate finance before moving to De Beers in 2012 as chief financial officer, joining both the executive committee and board. In 2016 he became executive head, strategy and corporate affairs.

Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “Gareth has been a central part of De Beers’ success during the last six years, and a trusted partner to me. The Church is an important part of Gareth’s life, and I know he will be an important part of the Church’s future. We wish him every success and thank him for all he has done for De Beers.”

Gareth will leave De Beers in early 2018. An announcement regarding his successor will be made in due course.

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Linneys Showcases Coloured Diamond Jewellery Worth $100m

The collection also features Argyle Thea™, a 2.24-carat fancy vivid purplish pink diamond which was a signature diamond from the 2016 tender now set in a classical platinum ring.

Fardon added, “We are delighted to present such a significant collection of coloured diamond jewellery to our clients and this is the first time in Australia we have seen a jewellery collection valued in excess of $100 million.”

The rare pink diamonds from Argyle are highly collectable and have continued to appreciate as the mine moves closer to the end of its mine life.

The largest collection of exquisite fancy coloured diamonds and diamond jewellery ever publicly exhibited in the southern hemisphere is being showcased across Australia by iconic Australian jeweller Linneys.

Linneys’ director David Fardon said, “Featuring the finest coloured diamonds from the Argyle diamond mine and across the globe, this exclusive showcase represents rarity never before seen.”

The collection includes more than 75 fine jewellery pieces and important fancy coloured diamonds. The Argyle Violet™, an incredible gem which was the Hero stone of the 2016 Argyle tender is the highlight of the collection. The Argyle Violet, a 2.83-carat fancy deep greyish bluish violet diamond recovered from Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia, is now in a stunning piece of jewellery surrounded by vivid pink diamonds.

Jewellery retail chain Orra honoured the real life couple Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya, the winners of ‘Nach Baliye Season 8’, with its bestselling “Platinum Couple Bands” at its store at Inorbit Malad. The couple exchanged a pair of love bands etched with the words “Love” in Morse code.

Vijay Jain, CEO and director, Orra, said, “We are happy to have Divyanka and Vivek grace our store with their presence during this festive season of Diwali. They have carved a very special place in our hearts not only through their eloquent dance moves, but also through their special celebration of love for one another! They are therefore for us a perfect Orra Platinum Couple and we wish them all the success and the choicest of life’s blessings.”

The centrepiece of this ring is a signature stone from the 2016 Argyle Pink Tender, the Argyle Thea, a 2.24-carat fancy vivid purplish pink radiant-cut diamond. Argyle Thea is complemented by two side emerald-cut diamonds. The centrepiece of this ring is the

Hero stone from the 2016 Argyle Pink Diamond Tender, the Argyle Violet, a 2.83-carat violet diamond, the largest from the Argyle diamond mine. The Argyle Violet is surrounded by 10 round vivid Argyle pink diamonds weighing a total of 0.83 carat and two heart-shaped Argyle vivid pink diamonds weighing 0.67 carat.

This ring features a 2.75-carat fancy intense blue green cushion-cut diamond complemented by two fancy pinkish purple radiant-cut diamonds (0.83 carat).

The pink diamond button earrings feature two fancy vivid purplish pink centre diamonds (0.91 carat) surrounded by a further 16 matching heart-shaped pink diamonds totalling 0.93 carat.

Orra Gifts Platinum Bands To ‘Nach Baliye 8’ Winners

Vijay Jain with Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya at the Orra store in Malad.

couture india show draws industry’s best · reena ahluwalia receives degree, fellow award in...

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