Couture India Holiday Edition, held at Goa from March 19 to 21  was a grand success and as the first offline show to be held since the pandemic, it brought together topmost manufacturers and retailers and therefore stood out from the rest of the G & J exhibitions and shows conducted worldwide – with its distinctive content, format, eclectic exhibitors of fine gems and jewellery

Getting new clients for any business has always been challenging. The last year has aggravated this challenge considerably owing to the fact that physical G & J shows had to be cancelled and converted into virtual ones. Jewellery manufacturers share the practices they adopt to get new clients with Sugandha R

Customs duty on gold and silver decreased to 7.5 per cent from 12.5 per cent with an addition of 2.5 per cent AIDC (Agri Infra & Development Cess) – in effect reduced to 10 per cent -- applauded unanimously by the whole G & J industry

The Indian jewellery manufacturing fraternity is resilient and amidst a surge in Covid 19 cases in some states, lack of skilled artisans, liquidity issues and economic downturn, they are ploughing through the crisis to meet the ongoing festive and wedding demand

What is required at this juncture is not a set of haphazard short-term policies, but a coherent and planned development strategy for the whole G & J sector, says R Sugandha

Covid-19 has affected every single stakeholder in the gems and jewellery industry. As demand for jewellery remains subdued in India, jewellery manufacturers worry about receiving payments from retailers, paying their staff salaries and managing overheads and the most important of all, getting back their karigars who have migrated back to their hometowns says Vijetha Rangabashyam