The fourth edition of the Kolkata Jewellery & Gem Fair (KJGF) 2018, the B2B international jewellery trade fair by UBM India, supported by the Calcutta Gems & Jewellery Association (CG & JWA) saw an impressive response from the buyers and exhibitors, at AMMERF, New Town, Rajarhat, Kolkata. The expo was inaugurated by Chief Guest: Hon’ble MP of Rajya Sabha, Sri. Ahmad Hassan Imran; Guest of Honour Smt. Vandana Yadav, IAS, Managing Director, WBIDC; along with Ms. Agnimitra Paul, renowned Fashion Designer; Sri Ashok Bengani, President, CG & JWA; Sri Pramod Dugar, Secretary, CG & JWA; Sri Bijendra Bhotra, Co-convenor, CG & JWA; Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India and Mr. Abhijit Mukherjee, Group Director, UBM India amidst an industry gathering. Around 100 exhibitors from across the country participated at the expo, along with visiting delegates from countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, UAE, and Singapore, among others.
As the largest fine jewellery event of Eastern India, the three-day expo was aimed to project Kolkata as one of the highest contributors to the jewellery industry along with a successful projection of the city on the global map. The expo was suitably timed, just prior to the seasonal festivities such as ‘Poila Baishakh’, the Bengali New Year and the auspicious occasion of ‘Akshay Tritiya’, as well as the summer wedding season.
The premium trade fair highlighted a rich agglomeration of Kolkata’s exquisite handcrafted jewellery. These splendid and intricately designed jewellery included statement sets in diamonds, gold, silver and pearls along with gemstones and related products. Apart from traditional bridal pieces like Chandbalis, Choor, Ratanchoor, Mantasha, Saptalahari, Hansulis, Nabaratna sets, Kundan, Polki and Meenakari sets, among others, a significant amount of gemstones in Kolkata were also used for astrological purposes in the form of Graharatna jewellery.
Speaking on conclusion of the fourth edition of KJGF, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India, said, “We are extremely pleased to be associated with CG & JWA to host East India’s largest International B2B jewellery exhibition in Kolkata again. Our aim was to showcase Bengal’s handcrafted jewellery and its legacy through our expo. We made a consolidated effort at our end to promote their cause, welfare and art. We have received an impressive response from buyers and visitors and we witnessed a good turnout from the exhibitors this year in terms of participation as well as business.”
According to Mr. Ashok Bengani, President – CG & JWA: “It is prestigious for CG & JWA to partner with UBM India for KJGF. This year too we have received a heart-warming response from buyers and retailers who attended the show. The suitable timing of the fair helped both exhibitors and buyers commendably.”
Some of the notable exhibitors, who participated in this year’s edition, included, Royal Chains Pvt Ltd., Banka Bullions Pvt. Ltd., Unique Chains Pvt. Ltd., Pranda Jewelry Pvt. Ltd., Bluestone Jewellery & Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd., Chain – N – Chains Jewels Ltd., Shree Vikram Jewellers, Aadey Jewels Pvt. Ltd., Pushpa Jewellers Pvt. Ltd., GIA India Laboratory Pvt. Ltd., Prince Hallmarking and Refinery Pvt. Ltd. and Aurum Bullion and Refinery Pvt. Ltd. etc. amongst others.
In addition to pavilions for precious metals and stones, the expo had dedicated stalls displaying the latest technology and machinery in jewellery making along with trendy and classical packaging. These were present to promote technical knowhow necessary in modern jewellery manufacturing.
Exhibitor speak and launches at KJGF 2018:
- Speaking on receiving a good response at KJGF 2018, Mr Prem R Mehra, Director of ‘Unique Chains’ from Unique Jewellers, said, “With Poila Boisakh ahead, we have specially designed light weight casting jewellery which are in gold mouldings.” He further added that electroforming jewellery and lightweight Calcutta Jewellery with filigree work are among the most popular ones. He also believes that customers from Kolkata look forward to such exhibitions, which give them a sense of the jewellery collection across the country. Unique Jewellers is a Mumbai based jewellery company with a branch in Kolkata.
- Zar, a Mumbai-based Company and India’s largest manufacturer of gold bangles, showcased around 9-10 collections on the same for varied occasions. Being in this business for the last 8-10 years, the exclusive Khillas — fine-looking handmade bangles — are their USPs for all seasons. One of their best-selling collection is the ‘Exquisite Collection’ which was displayed at the KJGF. The company purchases the electroforming flowers from abroad and converts them into the grand jewellery collections.
- V.T.L. Exclusive Italian Jewellery is a Mumbai-based company who participated at Kolkata Jewellery & Gem Fair for the first time. This brand mainly focusses on different Italian designs and trends. Mr Ankit Jain, Proprietor of V.T.L Jewellery, said, “Our primary focus is on light-weight jewellery. We have varied collections in 18k jewellery suitable for diverse occasions. Some of our best-selling collections amongst them are ‘Boud’, ‘Roncko’, ‘Luco’, ‘Trade Max’, ‘ORF’, ‘Regold’. We are truly grateful to UBM India for providing us with a platform to showcase our creations.”
- Another Mumbai based jewellery company, ‘Blue Stone’, with varied collection of gold and diamond jewellery suiting varied customer needs, was glad to be a part of the 4th edition of Kolkata Jewellery & Gem Fair. Mr Harshit Upreti, Operations Manager of Blue Stone, said, “We have primarily focused on diamond jewellery with a price point of not above 50k. In addition to this, to suit the current customer requirements for daily wear, we have a range of lightweight jewellery. Some of our best-selling designs include rose structured rings, heavenly sunflower rings and daffodil lattice rings.”