There is a revolution on in the Indian jewelry business. The West has jewelry brands like Cartier, Paloma Picasso, Tiffany, Bulgari, Marina B. and many more. The Indian jewelry business for years has been family owned with Tribhuvandas Bhimji Zaveri, Popley, L. Sunderdas and many other favorites.

In India it was always the trusted family goldsmith to whom all jewelry designing and making was entrusted. Besides, in India, jewelry has always been an investment first and an ornament second. A label for a jewelry piece was unheard of decades ago. It was the family run jewelry stores who dictated the designs or the karigar (designer) who was willing to make a copy from a photograph in a magazine.

One of the first branded jewelry names was Estelle from Europe, which was brought to India with a factory in Hyderabad making 14 and 18-carat jewelry. The designs were as per the parent company in the West and the concept of branding jewelry was quite unique in the country.

In the nineties a new change was perceived as the large industrial giant Tata eyed the jewelry market with newfound interest. They produced Tanishq jewelry with western designs and an affordable price tag, along with the Tata stamp of reliability. The launch of Tanishq spawned a trail of branded jewelry that blitzed the Indian market both from abroad and within the country. The Ravissant label brought in Cartier, Beautiful Boulevard displayed Tiffany and Paloma Picasso. In came Marina B, Chopard, Piaget, Dianoor, Gold Master and many more to woo the jewelry crazy Indian buyers.

It was also the start of the brand war amongst the Indian designers to battle the foreign invasion.

One of the first personal brands launched was by jewelry designer Poonam Soni. Her exclusively designed pieces strayed from the tried and beaten traditional path and moved into jewelry collections like the Greek, Moghul, and Egyptian ranges.

Anju Modi created the Art Karat Brand and presented periodic collections through exhibitions all over India. Jewelry designing now acquired a respectable and glamorous image compared to the one the traditional craftsmen had centuries ago.

The branding of jewelry also encouraged exporters of gold ornaments to move into the local market with their design expertise and manufacturing skills. Gitanjali Jewels, one of the largest exporters of diamond jewelry, launched the Gili brand with a new concept, selling not only through the leading department stores but also by mail order catalog that made it possible for everyone all over the country to order their jewelry. The latest brand name to enter the market is an offshoot of the traditional house of Tribhuvandas Bhimji Zaveri also popularly known as TBZ. Indian jewelry has now acquired a new image. Brands are launching periodic collections for each season.

There is a shift in jewelry buying from investment to ornament. From 14, 18 carat ready-to-wear jewelry collections, they have moved to 22 and even 24. Today branded jewelry is available in the price ranges and designs to suit various buyers. Branded jewelry sends a new message to the women of India — you don’t have to be rich to wear gold and diamonds.

NOTEBOOK: Now most jewelry merchants stock branded jewelry, besides displaying their own brands. Some of them are, Estelle, Pedder Road, Mumbai 400026; Poonam Soni, Signature Line, 6th Floor, Mustafa Building, Sir P. M. Road, Mumbai 400001 Tel: 2662099; Nirmal Zaveri TBZ, 62/64 Zaveri House, Hughes Road, Mumbai 400007 Tel: 3687116; Minawala, Heera Panna Arcade, Haji Ali, Mumbai 400026 Tel: 4928188.