Ranchi, also known as ‘City of Waterfalls’, enjoys more than one name because of its pleasant weather, bountiful nature reserves, and scenic beauty. Apart from being a major tourist attraction and a preferred spot for nature lovers, the city is rich enough to boast of a significant consumer base and design centre for jewellery. %% Though Ranchi is usually remembered for the strikes, political unrest, naxal-infected neighbourhood and so on, surprisingly, the city has a very well maintained status of being a good consumer base for the Indian gem and jewellery industry. This reinstates the fact that the mineral rich state of Jharkhand not only caters to the nuclear or iron and steel industry but also to the flourishing Indian gem and jewellery industry. Its huge consumer base is culturally rich and has the potential of being an important consumer centre for the mentioned sector. %% While the jewellers of the city are relentlessly striving to give the best products in terms of design and value for money, the patrons too, with their seasonal and spontaneous shopping are aware and opportune. Of late, a trend that has been observed is that many jewellers have started educating people with various technical facts about jewellery like carat, wastage, finish and colour, clarity and cut in diamonds. This trend has yielded good results as it not only leaves the consumer more aware but also helps the jeweller strengthen their trust among their clientele. The step has had a favourable impact on the businesses as well, who are happy to enhance the quality of the product and services and serve their customers better. %% Talking about the changing taste and awareness level of the city, Mayank Arya of renowned Jevar Jewellers, says, “We have been into the jewellery business for more than 135 years now, however we started out Ranchi operations in 1973. Since then, the city has undergone a sea change in terms of design preference, awareness and purchase patterns. Earlier, due to various factors like—lack of exposure to investment options, not-so-developed banking system and cultural, social and religious impact on people’s mind led them to invest in solid gold jewellery. However, in recent times, speculation is the driving force.”%%

Seconding the thought was Nihar Tulsyan of Tulsyan Jewellers. He says, “There has been a drastic change in taste of the consumers in Ranchi. They are more aware and updated about various developments in the jewellery industry. For example, people now know about Hallmarked gold jewellery, BIS 916 and so on. Knowledge has not only helped customer get smarter but it has also helped us give them better service as now we can explain the difference between ordinary gold and hallmarked one. Also, there has been a shift towards diamond jewellery. Overall, people’s attitude towards buying jewellery has changed, as now apart from the ornamental value, jewellery is also looked at as a safe investment. People here are very sure of what they want and they appreciate transparent transaction.”%% Keeping in mind the changing taste and trend Tulsyan Jewellers have not only gone for experiments in terms of design and material combination, but also introduced programme to educate people about quality in jewellery. %% Arya emphasised on the fact that now Ranchi denizens are more aware about the quality of jewellery they buy. “In the past 12 to 15 years, diamonds have gained much popularity. And now, we have customers who make sure that they get a certified diamond and they know about clarity and colour and its categories like SI, VS, VVS and D, E, F, G, H respectively. The VS and VVS quality and G and H colour diamonds are quite popular here. While maximum sale is registered during the wedding season, spontaneous purchases cannot be denied. Mostly during summer wedding season, gold sells, while during the winter wedding season diamond is in demand. People are particular about the certificate, transparency in the transaction and re-sale value of the product—as now they also look at it as an investment.”%% Rajesh Verma of Kuldip Sons jewellers also vouch for the fact that though a small city, Ranchi is definitely a smart city when it comes to jewellery business. $$ “Customers with no background or information about jewellery business also make sure that they ask for technical details. Thanks to the Internet that people now know a lot about jewellery quality. Intrestingly, a few also know about Rapaport list. ” Commenting on variety in choices, Tulsyan says that in Ranchi everything is accepted well. “From gold and diamonds to silver and coloured gemstones, Ranchi denizens are game for everything. The criterion is it should catch their fancy and be in their budget. With the new found financial freedom, the youth is also open to various experiments and show a keen interest in buying rose gold, rhodium polished, matt finish jewellery and diamonds.” %%

Verma too emphasised, “While random purchase cannot be completely denied, wedding is primarily the peak time for jewellery business. Rising gold prices and reducing diamond price has brought diamond within the reach of the common man, who is now buying diamonds as well. From meenakari and antique to kundan and rhodium—all kinds of jewellery find takers in the city.” %% Unlike common perception, Ranchi denizens are the look-conscious people, who are conscious about the design and latest trends. “People in this city respond to the trends nicely. They are not only open to new designs and latest fads in the market, but also take into consideration factors like personality, occasion and so on before they finalise on a piece. Age and budget are undeniably important factors that has an effect on the purchase pattern, like youth prefers to have sophisticated, light weight jewellery that are good for daily wear. Rhodium and diamonds are pretty popular among youth. But fascination for gold cannot be challenged,” Arya points out. %% Talking about customer service, Verma says, “From a small to a big town, a human will be human. And one of the important human needs is importance. With changing time, the product has evolved and so has the relationship of the buyer and seller. The educated young lot today is professional in approach and wants complete value for money along with personal attention. In any business, customers are the most important person and so is the case in our business. We have made it more personalised and we make sure that every customer, irrespective of their budget or choice, goes home happy.” %% While the jewellers are happy with people, the political unrest in the city definitely acts as a deterrent. “We had to keep the store closed on many days because some or the other bandhs were announced. This affects the business and also inconveniences the customer,” adds he. %%

Tulsyan too pointed out that though small, Ranchi is an important city, as it is politically very active. However, political and social unrest pose as a major hurdle.%% Though new in the Ranchi market, but Manish Kumar Burman of Maa Alankar Jewellers also approves of the fact that Ranchi consumers are smarter than what others know. “I have consumers, who know four C’s of a diamond and are well aware of the current pricing. Though people have started buying diamonds, love for gold still rules given many factors like social and religious relevance of the yellow metal and resale value.”%% Talking about the current market scenario, Burman says that due to damp international market, businesses in small towns are also affected. “Blame it on the rising gold prices, dull market or changing choice—even during wedding, people are going for light weight and heavy looking jewellery. Meenakari sells only during the wedding season, otherwise we mostly sell daily wear jewellery,” says Burman. %% Both old and new jewellers of the city vouch for the increased awareness level, in terms of jewellery design and quality, among the citizens of Ranchi. Though the city falls in the tribal belt, there is very little influence of the tribal culture on the designs of jewellery. On a concluding note, while the jewellers are happy that they are dealing with an aware consumer base, they are also concerned about the volatile political and social set up that makes them vulnerable and prone to losses.

Ranchi, also known as ‘City of Waterfalls’, enjoys more than one name because of its pleasant weather, bountiful nature reserves, and scenic beauty. Apart from being a major tourist attraction and a preferred spot for nature lovers, the city is rich enough to boast of a significant consumer base and design centre for jewellery. %% Though Ranchi is usually remembered for the strikes, political unrest, naxal-infected neighbourhood and so on, surprisingly, the city has a very well maintained status of being a good consumer base for the Indian gem and jewellery industry. This reinstates the fact that the mineral rich state of Jharkhand not only caters to the nuclear or iron and steel industry but also to the flourishing Indian gem and jewellery industry. Its huge consumer base is culturally rich and has the potential of being an important consumer centre for the mentioned sector. %% While the jewellers of the city are relentlessly striving to give the best products in terms of design and value for money, the patrons too, with their seasonal and spontaneous shopping are aware and opportune. Of late, a trend that has been observed is that many jewellers have started educating people with various technical facts about jewellery like carat, wastage, finish and colour, clarity and cut in diamonds. This trend has yielded good results as it not only leaves the consumer more aware but also helps the jeweller strengthen their trust among their clientele. The step has had a favourable impact on the businesses as well, who are happy to enhance the quality of the product and services and serve their customers better. %% Talking about the changing taste and awareness level of the city, Mayank Arya of renowned Jevar Jewellers, says, “We have been into the jewellery business for more than 135 years now, however we started out Ranchi operations in 1973. Since then, the city has undergone a sea change in terms of design preference, awareness and purchase patterns. Earlier, due to various factors like—lack of exposure to investment options, not-so-developed banking system and cultural, social and religious impact on people’s mind led them to invest in solid gold jewellery. However, in recent times, speculation is the driving force.”%%

Seconding the thought was Nihar Tulsyan of Tulsyan Jewellers. He says, “There has been a drastic change in taste of the consumers in Ranchi. They are more aware and updated about various developments in the jewellery industry. For example, people now know about Hallmarked gold jewellery, BIS 916 and so on. Knowledge has not only helped customer get smarter but it has also helped us give them better service as now we can explain the difference between ordinary gold and hallmarked one. Also, there has been a shift towards diamond jewellery. Overall, people’s attitude towards buying jewellery has changed, as now apart from the ornamental value, jewellery is also looked at as a safe investment. People here are very sure of what they want and they appreciate transparent transaction.”%% Keeping in mind the changing taste and trend Tulsyan Jewellers have not only gone for experiments in terms of design and material combination, but also introduced programme to educate people about quality in jewellery. %% Arya emphasised on the fact that now Ranchi denizens are more aware about the quality of jewellery they buy. “In the past 12 to 15 years, diamonds have gained much popularity. And now, we have customers who make sure that they get a certified diamond and they know about clarity and colour and its categories like SI, VS, VVS and D, E, F, G, H respectively. The VS and VVS quality and G and H colour diamonds are quite popular here. While maximum sale is registered during the wedding season, spontaneous purchases cannot be denied. Mostly during summer wedding season, gold sells, while during the winter wedding season diamond is in demand. People are particular about the certificate, transparency in the transaction and re-sale value of the product—as now they also look at it as an investment.”%% Rajesh Verma of Kuldip Sons jewellers also vouch for the fact that though a small city, Ranchi is definitely a smart city when it comes to jewellery business. $$ “Customers with no background or information about jewellery business also make sure that they ask for technical details. Thanks to the Internet that people now know a lot about jewellery quality. Intrestingly, a few also know about Rapaport list. ” Commenting on variety in choices, Tulsyan says that in Ranchi everything is accepted well. “From gold and diamonds to silver and coloured gemstones, Ranchi denizens are game for everything. The criterion is it should catch their fancy and be in their budget. With the new found financial freedom, the youth is also open to various experiments and show a keen interest in buying rose gold, rhodium polished, matt finish jewellery and diamonds.” %%

Verma too emphasised, “While random purchase cannot be completely denied, wedding is primarily the peak time for jewellery business. Rising gold prices and reducing diamond price has brought diamond within the reach of the common man, who is now buying diamonds as well. From meenakari and antique to kundan and rhodium—all kinds of jewellery find takers in the city.” %% Unlike common perception, Ranchi denizens are the look-conscious people, who are conscious about the design and latest trends. “People in this city respond to the trends nicely. They are not only open to new designs and latest fads in the market, but also take into consideration factors like personality, occasion and so on before they finalise on a piece. Age and budget are undeniably important factors that has an effect on the purchase pattern, like youth prefers to have sophisticated, light weight jewellery that are good for daily wear. Rhodium and diamonds are pretty popular among youth. But fascination for gold cannot be challenged,” Arya points out. %% Talking about customer service, Verma says, “From a small to a big town, a human will be human. And one of the important human needs is importance. With changing time, the product has evolved and so has the relationship of the buyer and seller. The educated young lot today is professional in approach and wants complete value for money along with personal attention. In any business, customers are the most important person and so is the case in our business. We have made it more personalised and we make sure that every customer, irrespective of their budget or choice, goes home happy.” %% While the jewellers are happy with people, the political unrest in the city definitely acts as a deterrent. “We had to keep the store closed on many days because some or the other bandhs were announced. This affects the business and also inconveniences the customer,” adds he. %%

Tulsyan too pointed out that though small, Ranchi is an important city, as it is politically very active. However, political and social unrest pose as a major hurdle.%% Though new in the Ranchi market, but Manish Kumar Burman of Maa Alankar Jewellers also approves of the fact that Ranchi consumers are smarter than what others know. “I have consumers, who know four C’s of a diamond and are well aware of the current pricing. Though people have started buying diamonds, love for gold still rules given many factors like social and religious relevance of the yellow metal and resale value.”%% Talking about the current market scenario, Burman says that due to damp international market, businesses in small towns are also affected. “Blame it on the rising gold prices, dull market or changing choice—even during wedding, people are going for light weight and heavy looking jewellery. Meenakari sells only during the wedding season, otherwise we mostly sell daily wear jewellery,” says Burman. %% Both old and new jewellers of the city vouch for the increased awareness level, in terms of jewellery design and quality, among the citizens of Ranchi. Though the city falls in the tribal belt, there is very little influence of the tribal culture on the designs of jewellery. On a concluding note, while the jewellers are happy that they are dealing with an aware consumer base, they are also concerned about the volatile political and social set up that makes them vulnerable and prone to losses.

Ranchi, also known as ‘City of Waterfalls’, enjoys more than one name because of its pleasant weather, bountiful nature reserves, and scenic beauty. Apart from being a major tourist attraction and a preferred spot for nature lovers, the city is rich enough to boast of a significant consumer base and design centre for jewellery. %% Though Ranchi is usually remembered for the strikes, political unrest, naxal-infected neighbourhood and so on, surprisingly, the city has a very well maintained status of being a good consumer base for the Indian gem and jewellery industry. This reinstates the fact that the mineral rich state of Jharkhand not only caters to the nuclear or iron and steel industry but also to the flourishing Indian gem and jewellery industry. Its huge consumer base is culturally rich and has the potential of being an important consumer centre for the mentioned sector. %% While the jewellers of the city are relentlessly striving to give the best products in terms of design and value for money, the patrons too, with their seasonal and spontaneous shopping are aware and opportune. Of late, a trend that has been observed is that many jewellers have started educating people with various technical facts about jewellery like carat, wastage, finish and colour, clarity and cut in diamonds. This trend has yielded good results as it not only leaves the consumer more aware but also helps the jeweller strengthen their trust among their clientele. The step has had a favourable impact on the businesses as well, who are happy to enhance the quality of the product and services and serve their customers better. %% Talking about the changing taste and awareness level of the city, Mayank Arya of renowned Jevar Jewellers, says, “We have been into the jewellery business for more than 135 years now, however we started out Ranchi operations in 1973. Since then, the city has undergone a sea change in terms of design preference, awareness and purchase patterns. Earlier, due to various factors like—lack of exposure to investment options, not-so-developed banking system and cultural, social and religious impact on people’s mind led them to invest in solid gold jewellery. However, in recent times, speculation is the driving force.”%%

Seconding the thought was Nihar Tulsyan of Tulsyan Jewellers. He says, “There has been a drastic change in taste of the consumers in Ranchi. They are more aware and updated about various developments in the jewellery industry. For example, people now know about Hallmarked gold jewellery, BIS 916 and so on. Knowledge has not only helped customer get smarter but it has also helped us give them better service as now we can explain the difference between ordinary gold and hallmarked one. Also, there has been a shift towards diamond jewellery. Overall, people’s attitude towards buying jewellery has changed, as now apart from the ornamental value, jewellery is also looked at as a safe investment. People here are very sure of what they want and they appreciate transparent transaction.”%% Keeping in mind the changing taste and trend Tulsyan Jewellers have not only gone for experiments in terms of design and material combination, but also introduced programme to educate people about quality in jewellery. %% Arya emphasised on the fact that now Ranchi denizens are more aware about the quality of jewellery they buy. “In the past 12 to 15 years, diamonds have gained much popularity. And now, we have customers who make sure that they get a certified diamond and they know about clarity and colour and its categories like SI, VS, VVS and D, E, F, G, H respectively. The VS and VVS quality and G and H colour diamonds are quite popular here. While maximum sale is registered during the wedding season, spontaneous purchases cannot be denied. Mostly during summer wedding season, gold sells, while during the winter wedding season diamond is in demand. People are particular about the certificate, transparency in the transaction and re-sale value of the product—as now they also look at it as an investment.”%% Rajesh Verma of Kuldip Sons jewellers also vouch for the fact that though a small city, Ranchi is definitely a smart city when it comes to jewellery business. $$ “Customers with no background or information about jewellery business also make sure that they ask for technical details. Thanks to the Internet that people now know a lot about jewellery quality. Intrestingly, a few also know about Rapaport list. ” Commenting on variety in choices, Tulsyan says that in Ranchi everything is accepted well. “From gold and diamonds to silver and coloured gemstones, Ranchi denizens are game for everything. The criterion is it should catch their fancy and be in their budget. With the new found financial freedom, the youth is also open to various experiments and show a keen interest in buying rose gold, rhodium polished, matt finish jewellery and diamonds.” %%

Verma too emphasised, “While random purchase cannot be completely denied, wedding is primarily the peak time for jewellery business. Rising gold prices and reducing diamond price has brought diamond within the reach of the common man, who is now buying diamonds as well. From meenakari and antique to kundan and rhodium—all kinds of jewellery find takers in the city.” %% Unlike common perception, Ranchi denizens are the look-conscious people, who are conscious about the design and latest trends. “People in this city respond to the trends nicely. They are not only open to new designs and latest fads in the market, but also take into consideration factors like personality, occasion and so on before they finalise on a piece. Age and budget are undeniably important factors that has an effect on the purchase pattern, like youth prefers to have sophisticated, light weight jewellery that are good for daily wear. Rhodium and diamonds are pretty popular among youth. But fascination for gold cannot be challenged,” Arya points out. %% Talking about customer service, Verma says, “From a small to a big town, a human will be human. And one of the important human needs is importance. With changing time, the product has evolved and so has the relationship of the buyer and seller. The educated young lot today is professional in approach and wants complete value for money along with personal attention. In any business, customers are the most important person and so is the case in our business. We have made it more personalised and we make sure that every customer, irrespective of their budget or choice, goes home happy.” %% While the jewellers are happy with people, the political unrest in the city definitely acts as a deterrent. “We had to keep the store closed on many days because some or the other bandhs were announced. This affects the business and also inconveniences the customer,” adds he. %%

Tulsyan too pointed out that though small, Ranchi is an important city, as it is politically very active. However, political and social unrest pose as a major hurdle.%% Though new in the Ranchi market, but Manish Kumar Burman of Maa Alankar Jewellers also approves of the fact that Ranchi consumers are smarter than what others know. “I have consumers, who know four C’s of a diamond and are well aware of the current pricing. Though people have started buying diamonds, love for gold still rules given many factors like social and religious relevance of the yellow metal and resale value.”%% Talking about the current market scenario, Burman says that due to damp international market, businesses in small towns are also affected. “Blame it on the rising gold prices, dull market or changing choice—even during wedding, people are going for light weight and heavy looking jewellery. Meenakari sells only during the wedding season, otherwise we mostly sell daily wear jewellery,” says Burman. %% Both old and new jewellers of the city vouch for the increased awareness level, in terms of jewellery design and quality, among the citizens of Ranchi. Though the city falls in the tribal belt, there is very little influence of the tribal culture on the designs of jewellery. On a concluding note, while the jewellers are happy that they are dealing with an aware consumer base, they are also concerned about the volatile political and social set up that makes them vulnerable and prone to losses.