After months of dreariness, the jewellery industry is finally witnessing some hope in the form of marginal demand. Things are only going to get better from here on. But retailers have to tread cautiously, if they want to impress the young ones. They have to look beyond festivals and weddings. They need think of jewellery as an everyday accessory, an emotional investment that youngsters are keen on making, if and only if the designs are appealing to them. There have been distinct changes in youngsters’ preferences when it comes to jewellery for a few years now and with Covid, these changes have become more pronounced.

Plain gold is passé. Jewellery is not bought to store in the locker. Youngsters like their jewellery to be stylish and they are well aware of international trends. Light-weight is the buzz word. Pieces that are wearable, light and affordable will drive young consumers to your store. Make no mistake though, when it comes to their own weddings, young brides like to go the traditional route. From jadau pieces to temple jewellery and elaborate ornaments, weddings as an occasion call for ostentatious pieces. However, as India is geographically so diverse, every region and its cultural milieu is different. The pandemic has also affected the population of these places differently.

Trend Alert
NORTH & CENTRAL INDIA

Diamond loving, quality conscious & well-informed

The youngsters in the cities and towns of North India are highly aspirational. They love their diamonds and platinum is seeing an uptick when it comes to demand, especially after the surge in gold prices. Heavy, chunky jewellery are only restricted to their own wedding or wedding of a very close relative. Youngsters do their thorough research before coming into the store about the 4 Cs and want their jewellery to be hallmarked.

Youngsters buy jewellery to wear and not store in the locker. They are fashion conscious and are aware of all the international trends. They are influenced by their peer groups and design is of paramount importance to them SALIL JAIN, JAIN JEWELLERS, CHANDIGARH

Most girls are working, so they want jewellery that is versatile, something that they can wear to office as well as an evening outing. They love platinum jewellery because it is subtle, not shiny and come in modern designs. Environmental issues are a hot topic. They are both quality & cost conscious SHAIL KAPOOR, KASHI JEWELLERS, KANPUR

In a smaller city like Amritsar, people were not too eager about spending too much money on colour stones. But now the customer is very happy if the jewellery has genuine stones, like emeralds, rubies, blue sapphires or even yellow sapphires, provided they are certified. This trend is a welcome change because we can only focus on quality products PANKAJ SETH, DURGADASS SETH JEWELLERS, AMRITSAR

Heavy sets are seeing less demand. Youngsters are quality conscious and buy only hallmarked jewellery. Diamond studded jewellery is doing well. Earrings and sleek bracelets are fast moving RAKESH AGARWAL, RAGHUNANDAN JEWELLERS, MEERUT

Youngsters have do complete research before coming to the store, about diamonds, certification etc and they are extremely sure of what they want RAVI KAPOOR, KAYS JEWELS, KANPUR

Trend Alert WEST

Experimentative Know-it-Alls

Youngsters do thorough research on the brand before walking into a store. They prefer light weight jewellery as well as fusion. They are extremely active on social media and walk into the store with reference images. In the west, youngsters are predominantly experimental and they don’t let their parents influence their buying decision. They seek utility in jewellery and are into designs that are simple & elegant.

Solitaire earrings in different sizes are fast moving and youngsters like fusion jewellery as well as antique jewellery that are light in weight. Emeralds and rubies are always popular and round shape engagement rings from 25 cents to 3 cts are hot selling CHANDRESH MANDALIA, ZAVERI & CO, AHMEDABAD

Ten years ago,parents were involved in jewellery selection. Now, youngsters want to decide what they want. They are willing to try out new designs. They don’t like the shiny gold look and they love to play with colours. They are influenced by celebrities. Even with bridal jewellery, instead of one big piece, they tend to buy 3 pieces that they can wear separately later

Youngsters like to deconstruct jewellery and wear it in different ways later. They are educated a lot of about natural stones. They love gemstones like emeralds, rubies and even corals. Necklaces are moving now because of bridal season. 50% of them like chokers but brides also prefer necklaces where length can be adjusted JINAY CHOKSI – KANTILAL & BROTHERS, SURAT

store, youngsters already know what they want. They are well informed, have done research and bring reference images with them. They like contemporary jewellery and are not interested in plain gold jewellery VASTUPAL RANKA, RANKA JEWELLERS, PUNE

Customisation is key. A bride and groom didn’t agree on a certain ring style. Hence I fused two designs so that they get both their preferences in one ring. Similarly, a bride didn’t want the same old round shaped diamond engagement ring, so we custom made a trillion cut ring for her. Since green goes best with red lehengas, brides love polki with emeralds VANAJAM SONI, AB JEWELS, AHMEDABAD

Trend Alert EAST 

Modern & Ever-Stylish

The east has been traditionally in love with gold. Gold has always been looked at as an investment. Now things have taken a 360 degree turn, especially with youngsters. They are into smaller jewellery pieces, which are modern in nature. They are into diamond jewellery as it serves as both an investment and an accessory that is ever-stylish

Youngsters these days love to combine yellow, white and rose gold. Necklaces are not seeing that much of demand whereas earrings are popular as they are versatile and can be worn all the time. With brides, both diamond and jadau chokers are popular ABHISHEK KAJARIA, AVAMA JEWELLERS, KOLKATA

They love platinum bands, and small jewellery pieces which they can wear again and not store in the locker. They are inclined towards buying modern, long, solitaire earrings, fancy danglers and polki earrings. Engagement rings between 0.5 – 2 cts are fast moving PRATIK DUGGAR, INDIA GEMS AND JEWELLERY CREATIONS, KOLKATA

Trend Alert SOUTH

Rooted in Modernity as well as Tradition

Interestingly, youngsters from urban areas in the south are not into gold jewellery at all. They prefer small ticket diamond jewellery. Entry level pieces in diamonds and platinum are also fast moving. When it comes to every day wear, they don’t really give importance to brands but when it comes to weddings, youngsters prefer going to their family jeweller. They prefer minimalistic designs and are influenced by their favorite actresses or influencers to promote them. They tend to dress up less for work so jewellers will have to shift their marketing to make their products relevant. They also are increasingly attracted towards silver jewellery.

Most millennial brides seem to be in love with classic choker necklace with a contemporary twist to it. We need to understand and desire, and build your proposition around it. We have to persuade them by telling that jewellery are for all types of love and take advantage of non-bridal gifting. As digital natives, Millennials and Gen Z expect a seamless retail experience no matter the touchdowns AVR SIDDHANTH, AVR SWARNAMAHAL, SALEM

When it comes to buying with their own money, entry level pieces in platinum with diamonds are fast moving. Silver jewellery worth a few thousands up to Rs 40-50 thousand are also very popular. When it comes to their weddings, they like traditional jewellery. Chandbalis are popular as it can be worn with both modern and traditional outfits. They are more open to experimenting PRATAP KAMATH, ABARAN TIMELESS, BANGALORE

95% of the young customers who walk in our influenced by social media. They don’t like shiny, gold jewellery. They tend to invest in items in lower price brackets under Rs 2 lakhs. Bracelets, simple chains with solitaire pendants, cluster set diamonds and diamond engagement rings between 30-40 cents are popular. Bridal jewellery budget ranges between Rs 20-30 lakhs ABHISHEK CHANDA, KALASHA JEWELLERS, HYDERABAD