JOIN USBangaloreans can look forward to a weekend of jewellery shopping with ‘Jewels Exotica’, a jewellery exhibition in town.
Along with a range of gold jewellery, the expo will also include a limited collection. It will host around 50 jewellers, who will showcase their exclusive collections.
Some of the attractions at the expo are handcrafted gold jewellery from Kolkata’s PC Chandra; Muliya Jewellers from Puttur showcasing Coorgi and Mangaloreandesigns; the ‘Victorian Nizams’ collection from Jagadamba, Hyderabad; designer wear from Amrapali Jewellers; antique jewellery from Navarathan; North Indian designs from Neelkanth Jewellers and Burmese jewellery from Mirari.
“India has the biggest market for gold jewellery and 45 per cent of the demand comes from South India.
There is huge demand from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, closely followed by Kerala and Karnataka,” said Sandeep Bekal, convenor of the event.
“This jewellery expo is meant to cater to a particular kind of audience — those who are well-travelled, who have taste and can distinguish between different kinds of jewellery.
It caters to the kind of woman who is fussy and not easy to please, wants a better range and a certain shopping environment,” he explained, adding, “celebrities, in particular, don’t like their pieces to be replicated. The market has matured to such a thought.”
He added that the mindset of South Indians must change to look at jewellery based on design rather than pricing.
“We make sure that there is a fine balance between pricing and design. We have studied the regional requirement and have adapted accordingly. We have also looked very closely at the Southern requirements,” said Laxmi Moncourt from Amrapali Jewellers, Jaipur and Bangalore.
T A Saravana, president of the Karnataka Jewellers Association, said, “People in Karnataka are constantly looking for new kinds of jewellery. The demand for jewellery never goes down. It is a good time to invest in gold.”
Actor Priyanka Upendra, who walked the ramp with some of the pieces that will be displayed at the expo, added, “My jewellery represents my personality and moods.
I always look to make a statement with the kind of jewellery I wear. I look for jewellery that is modern yet traditional. My personal favourite is Bengali jewellery — I find the local handiwork amazing.”
The expo will be held at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium till 17.