IIGJ Mumbai’s Inaugural Alumni Reunion Celebrates Outstanding Achievements at IIJS Premiere 2023
The Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) Mumbai, a premier institution renowned for its excellence in gem and jewellery education, hosted its very first alumni reunion at the prestigious Launch Pad of the India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) Premiere 2023 (Bombay Exhibition Centre) on August 6, 2023. The event was a remarkable celebration of the institute’s 20-year’ legacy and its talented alumni, recognizing their exceptional contributions to the industry and providing a platform for alumni to reconnect, collaborate and share their experiences, ultimately contributing to the industry’s collective growth and development. The IIGJ Mumbai Alumni Reunion brought together graduates, industry professionals and dignitaries in a spirited and nostalgic gathering and showcased the significant impact that IIGJ Mumbai alumni have made in the world of gems and jewellery. The event was graced with the presence of Mr. Amit Pratihari (VP, De Beers Forevermark, India), Ms. Nirupa Bhatt (Expert/Consultant Jewellery Industry), Mr. Laksh Pahuja (Jewellery Design Expert) Mr. Milan Chokshi (Chairman, IIGJ Mumbai), Mr. Punit Mehta (Director, IIGJ Mumbai) and other dignitaries. IIGJ Mumbai Alumni Awards, honouring outstanding alumni who have demonstrated exemplary achievements and dedication to the industry, were announced. The winners of the inaugural awards are as follows: Mr. Ravish Shah, recipient of the Rising Star Award, has demonstrated creative, innovative and rapid progress as a professional. His dedication to pushing creative boundaries and contributing to the industry’s growth has earned him this recognition. Ms. Jinal Marjadi, the winner of the Emerging Entrepreneur Award, has demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial spirit and determination in establishing her jewellery brand. She has successfully carved a niche by combining business savvy with a deep appreciation for artistic integrity. Mr. Neel Pethe, honoured with the Alumni Service Award, has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the IIGJ Mumbai community and the larger jewellery industry. His continued engagement and support for the institute’s initiatives have significantly contributed to its growth and success. Speaking about the Alumni Meet, Head of the Institute, Mr. Bharat Vaswani, said “This is a historic, first-of-its-kind event at IIGJ Mumbai. Our alumni are our ambassadors in the world of gems and jewellery and represent the lasting impact made by our institute in the industry. The event represents our pride and joy in their achievements. These awards reflect the multifaceted impact our alumni have on the world, and they inspire current students to strive for excellence in their own pursuits. On behalf of IIGJ Mumbai I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the award winners and express our gratitude to the gems and jewellery fraternity for their continued support. The institute looks forward to future alumni meets that will undoubtedly strengthen its bonds with the industry and create new avenues for collaboration and success.”
Tuhin Ghosh, IIGJ Mumbai Final Year Student Selected as First Runner Up at the Artisan Awards 2023
19th May 2023, Mumbai: Winners of the prestigious Artisan Jewellery Design Awards 2023 were announced in a dazzling function at the St. Regis Hotel, Mumbai, organised by the Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). Nine winners were announced out of twenty-eight finalists, who had been selected from a total of 575 entries from designers in different parts of the world. Among the twenty-eight finalists who waited with bated breaths at the event attended by the who’s who in the gem & jewellery industry, were two alumni and three students of IIGJ Mumbai. The audience erupted in cheers when the name of Tuhin Ghosh was announced as the first runner up in the category “The Art of Abstraction”. “We are incredibly proud of Tuhin’s remarkable achievement in The Artisan Awards. His exceptional talent, dedication and hard work have been recognized on an international stage,” said Mr. Bharat Vaswani, Head of the Institute, IIGJ Mumbai, speaking on the occasion. “This achievement reflects the high-quality education and training we provide to our students at IIGJ. It is a testament to their creativity, craftsmanship, and the guidance of our experienced faculty members. Tuhin’s success not only brings honour to IIGJ but also serves as an inspiration to future jewellery designers and underscores the Institute’s commitment to nurturing and developing the next generation of creative talent in the global jewellery design industry.” In Tuhin’s own words: “I am Tuhin Ghosh, final year student of BA in Gems and Jewellery at IIGJ Mumbai. I am the second-generation to pursue jewellery designing and merchandising in my family. IIGJ Mumbai has aided me in my passion, fuelled my ambition and plays a vital role for me by helping me face (design) challenges and find solutions. Competing in GJEPC’s ‘Artisan Awards for Jewellery Design’ has been a turning point for me. I had not really expected to be in the finals, let alone be selected as the First Runner Up! My inspiration is taken from Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky’s famous artwork “Circles in a Circle”, 1923, that I shaped into a pair of earrings. Kandinsky was known for his visual symphony (synesthesia) where he used to experience the union of various colours based on different sounds that he heard. My piece is a representation of the ever-changing harmony of colours and human emotions which, I would like to believe, is perfectly tuned to correlate with the feelings Kandinsky might have had while listening to music. M/s. Laxmi Dia Pvt. Ltd. were kind enough to sponsor me, giving me the platform and encouragement that I needed to bring my idea to life. I believe this is just the beginning of my story. Through my designs I aspire to ignite a spark within everyone and wish to be a guiding light for the new generation yet to come.” IIGJ is proud and overjoyed not only for Tuhin’s achievement but also that of the other finalists – Adityan Tamilarasan (Student – B.A. in Gems & Jewellery), Divakar Badrinarayan (Alumnus – Post Graduate Diploma in Jewellery Management), Priya Das (Alumna – P G Diploma in Jewellery Management) and Sushil Bhalerao (Alumnus – Jewellery Design).
Article in JewelBuzz-4th March 2023 re. PG5, 6, 7 Convocation ceremony
Feature on IIGJ Mumbai Students’ creations in SVAR-February 2023
Annual Exhibition of Jewellery by Graduating Students, IIGJ Mumbai
Dates: 7th to 9th July 2022 The eagerly awaited annual exhibition of the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) Mumbai, known as Glimpz, was inaugurated on 7th July 2022, at IIGJ Campus, MIDC, Andheri East, Mumbai 400093. Each year the Glimpz exhibition showcases brilliant, trendsetting designs created by graduating students of the prestigious institution. Each design on display not only undergoes a rigorous process of evaluation by in-house faculty but is also assessed by renowned industry experts. Theme: This year’s theme for the Batch 2019-2022 was “Nisarga…Unveiling Nature”, based on creative exploration of the awe-inspiring wonders of nature. At the beginning of the project, students were divided into 6 groups and given themes: Texture Nouveau, Extraterrestrial, Expression of Rust, Bio-Essence, Ombré Oeuvre and Geometric Haul. They were encouraged to get their inspiration from nature. From visualisation of each of their 5 pieces of jewellery to manufacturing and finishing their products and displaying them in unique ways. 2 of the 5 pieces are handmade and the balance 3 are made by casting. IIGJ’s long-standing connection with the industry was further strengthened by 2 renowned gem and jewellery companies providing support: 1. Kamaschachter – Mentored the students for design development according to industry standards, and, 2. Sun Jewels –Sponsored the CAM part of the production process. Award Categories and Winners: Best Design Collection – Ms. Prachi Shah Best Craftsmanship (Handmade) – Ms. Sanjana Singha Best Craftsmanship (Casted) – Mr. Aman Agarwal Best Commercially Viable Collection – Ms. Hriti Kothari & Ms. Aboli Sharma Best Innovative Product (Pendant & Ring) – Mr. Suryansh Garg Best Visual Merchandising (Group) – Extraterrestrial (Ms.Heer Shah, Ms.Vaishnavi Divate, Mr.Sourav Rana, Ms.Ayushi Dhariwal, Ms.Diya Rathod and Mr.Suryansh Garg) Best Lookbook – Ms. Diya Rathod Chief Guest Mr. Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC: Speaking at the Awards Ceremony held on 9th July 2022, Mr. Colin Shah said, “I am happy to know that there has been an inclusive effort from the institute and other stakeholders to train the students and make them ready for the industry. I am impressed with the skills exhibited by the graduating students setting benchmark for the future graduating students.” Members of the Jury Panel: Ms. Nirupa Bhatt, Consultant and Coach to the gems & jewellery industry, Ms. Sonia Grinceri, who was the Regional Director of the Western Australian Government Trade and Investment Office, India from 2001 to 2006. She started her career as a high school teacher in Australia and has been passionate about education since. She expressed her admiration for the well-designed curriculum at IIGJ. Mr. Dharmesh Rathod, Merchandiser (Product Development), Malabar Gold & Diamonds. RECENT NEWS IIGJ Mumbai’s Inaugural Alumni Reunion Celebrates Outstanding Achievements at IIJS Premiere 2023 Graduating Designers of IIGJ Mumbai Celebrated at Prestigious Awards Ceremony at IIJS Premiere 2023 Launch Pad Tuhin Ghosh, IIGJ Mumbai Final Year Student Selected as First Runner Up at the Artisan Awards 2023 Article in JewelBuzz-4th March 2023 re. PG5, 6, 7 Convocation ceremony Feature on IIGJ Mumbai Students’ creations in SVAR-February 2023 HOI’s interview in SVAR-February 2023
ORRA collaborates with IIGJ Mumbai for Retail Trainee Scheme
6.3.2021, Mumbai: ORRA Fine Jewellery collaborated with IIGJ Mumbai to deliver its Graduate Retail Trainee Programme.The intensive, 2-week programme from 22nd February to 6th March 2021 was conducted by IIGJ faculty of design, gemmology and manufacturing departments and ORRA sales team members at the Institute. The first batch of 24 students from various locations were trained, certified and placed in various stores of ORRA.
IIGJ Connects with South India’s Jewellery Industry for the First Time at IIJS Tritiya 2023
Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery was proud to showcase jewellery creations of its design graduates at IIJS Tritiya 2023, for the very first time in South India. Both the Academics and Laboratories wings were present at the 4- day exhibition, eagerly meeting with participants as well as visitors and sharing information about the huge potential of trained jewellery professionals and state-of-the-art lab testing of gems & jewellery. Commenting on the exhibition, Head of the Institute, Mumbai, Mr. Bharat Vaswani said “The response from visitors to our stall was extremely positive and encouraging. Several jewellery companies expressed their interest in collaborating with IIGJ for their intern and recruitment needs, especially after seeing the quality of the jewellery on exhibit and understanding about the curriculums of various programmes and courses offered by IIGJ. Although students from the southern states have taken various programmes at IIGJ over the years, we are looking forward to sharing our expertise with the regional gem and jewellery industry in both areas – Academics as well as Laboratories.” Two installations with IIGJ students’ work brought a fresh new design appeal to the IIGJ stall and were appreciated by visitors to the stall.
IIGJ Mumbai’s Convocation Ceremony for Post Graduate Diploma in Jewellery Management Graduates held on 4th March 2023
Winner Best Student Batch -September 2020 Shraddha Khanted Winner Best Student Batch – March2021Shayori Mandal Winner Best Student Batch -September 2021 Roshan Verma The Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery, Mumbai held its convocation ceremony for graduates of the 1-year Post Graduate Diploma in Jewellery Management programme today at the Institute’ auditorium, in which graduates of three batches were conferred with diplomas. Dr. Saumya Badgayan, Vice President-HR & IR graced the occasion as Chief Guest and presented trophies and certificates to the graduates. Ms. Dolly Choudhary, Director, Marketing & Promotions, GJEPC, was Guest of Honour. Chairman of IIGJ Mumbai, Mr. Milan Chokshi and Ms. Nirupa Bhatt, Advisor, Gem & Jewellery industry were also present along with Mr. Bharat Vaswani , Head of Institute, IIGJ Mumbai. Apart from inviting the students of the 2021 batches, the Institute went the extra mile and invited students of the September 2020 batch as well, as they had not had a physical convocation ceremony last year due to the pandemic. Chief Guest: Dr. Saumya Badgayan, Vice President-HR & IR Guest of Honour: Ms. Dolly Choudhary, Director, Marketing & Promotions, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. All the students of the PG Diploma in Jewellery Management are now either employed with prestigious jewellery companies or working on their own jewellery collections as entrepreneurs or have been absorbed into their family businesses. Chief Guest, Dr. Saumya Badgayan felicitated the students and advised the students, saying, “The industry is undergoing a metamorphosis…The industry needs people like you, who are not in the business of design… or production…or merchandising, but in the business of emotions…Don’t do things for competitive reasons…don’t take your career as a luxury. Be ready for the rigour it will throw back at you…stay focused on your trajectory…” Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Bharat Vaswani, Head of Institute said, “Be the IIGJ Brand ambassadors of the impact we create as you join the 10,000 plus alumni from this great Institution.” Other distinguished guests also encouraged the graduating students and provided words of wisdom and guidance during the ceremony
Know Your Diamond’s Weight, Measurement & Size
When you know a few basics about diamonds you can confidently pick your diamond jewellery, from the best engagement ring to a diamond eternity band. Often people are unaware of the 4Cs and the basic difference between diamond weight, measurement and size. It is these factors that work together to maximize the beauty and value of a diamond. So, today let’s understand the meaning of the carat and the cut. Understanding diamond weight A carat is a globally recognized standard for the weight of a diamond. In the 4C’s of diamonds – Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat – carat refers to diamond weight, not its physical size. It is one of the main aspects that influences the price of a diamond. However, two diamonds of equal weight can be unequal in value, depending upon the other 3 specifications i.e. Cut, Colour and Clarity. How did the carat system start?For centuries gem traders used carob seeds to measure jewellery because they believed that there was minimum variance in the distribution of their mass. They used these small and uniform seeds as counterweights in their balance scales to mostly weigh gold. In the 1570s, jewellery traders began to use carob seeds to weigh diamonds as well. Slowly this practice grew, and each country began to adopt its own carat system, but there was no uniformity.In 1907, at the Fourth General Conference on Weights, the modern metric carat was adopted. It was introduced in the USA in 1913, and later spread to other countries as a standard measure for diamonds and other gemstones. Today, in the jewellery trade worldwide, a one carat (1 ct) diamond is equal to 200 milligrams or 0.2 grams. This is a universal measure for gemstones. How carat weight influences diamond valueWhen you divide the price of a diamond by its carats, it gives you its price per carat. The larger the diamond, the more expensive is the per carat weight. In natural large size diamonds, that are rarer than smaller-sized diamonds, as the carat weight increases, the value of the diamond also increases. However, the rise in value is not proportionate to the increase in the size of the diamond. It simply means the diamond prices increase exponentially as carat weight increases.There is also the magic weight that influences the price of diamonds. At a magic weight, the price of a diamond generally shoots up. Therefore, if you are planning to buy a one-carat solitaire engagement ring, it may be a good idea to compare the price with a 0.96ct diamond. There will be a significant price difference between the two stones but a negligible difference in the overall size. The reason is that the one carat (1 ct) size is a magic weight that greatly increases the price of the diamond.Diamonds are weighed very precisely to the nearest 0.01ct. In the diamond trade, another term associated with diamond weight is pointers. A diamond below one carat weight is measured by points, where one carat is equal to 100 ‘points.’ A one-pointer refers to a 0.01 carat diamond. A 50 pointer or half-carat diamond refers to a 0.50 carat stone. On the other hand, a diamond above one carat weight, is described in carats and decimals, e.g. a 2.15cts stone would be described as ‘two point fifteen carats.’Besides the carat weight as described above, the cut, colour and clarity of a diamond also influences the final pricing of the diamond. Magic sizesSome carat weights are considered critical weights or magic sizes. That means if a diamond weighs at any of these critical weights, the price shoots up exponentially, not in a linear fashion. These magic sizes are 0.25ct, 0.50ct, 0.75ct, 1.00ct, 1.50ct, 2.00ct, 3.00ct, 4.00ct, 5.00ct and 10.00ct.For diamonds with equal parameters in the other 3 Cs, the diamond value increases with carat weight mainly because of its popularity and global demand. If you can stay away from the magic sizes when buying diamonds, you can save upwards of 20% and there is no vast visual difference.Diamonds that are not of these magic sizes are called off-size diamonds. What is diamond measurement?The cut is another equally important 4C. When a diamond is in the right proportions it emits maximum brilliance and sparkle. The diamond measurement is basically its size. It includes the shape, cut and the length-to width ratio of the gemstone. The size of a diamond is measured in millimetres (mm). The size denotes how large the diamond will appear when viewed from the top or from its table.Standard diamond measurements roughly coincide with the carat weights. A 1-carat round diamond is typically 6.5 mm, while a 1.25-carat round diamond is 6.8 mm. Each diamond cut has a range of ideal length to width ratios depending on its shape. Here are some of the diamond shapes and their most proportional ranges that qualify as a good cut: Round: length to width ratio of 1.0 – 1.05 Princess: length to width ratio of 1.0 – 1.04 Cushion: length to width ratio of 1.0 – 1.08 Emerald: length to width ratio of 1.3 – 1.4 Oval: length to width ratio of 1.25 – 1.5 Pear: length to width ratio of 1.45 – 1.75 Marquise: length to width ratio of 1.85 – 2.0 The size of the diamondBoth the cut and the carat affect the size of a diamond.As we have observed, a proper balance of carat weight and proportions in a diamond is achieved by finding the right size that will yield the best price for the stone. Thus, the diamond size refers to the height and width of the diamond, as well as the measurements of some of its key parts like girdle thickness. It determines the size and quality of the diamond cut. However, two stones of the same diameter or depth can still have different carat weights and vice versa.Finally, the design element and the setting of the diamond will accentuate the size of the diamond.In conclusion, now that we know the difference in carat,
