Today’s age can rightly be termed as ‘Technology age’; no industry is left untouched by technology also this ‘new dimension’ is much needed for enhancing customer experience. Thus we chose to bring you Top 5 technologies which have rightly claimed an important place in the gems & jewellery industry globally. Further from here you will be reading the technicalities, uses, experiences and importance of technologies namely: Mobile Applications, RFID, 3 D Printer, 3 D Holographic display and security solutions. To know it all, Kunjal Karaniya spoke to the technology experts as well as users from the jewellery industry.%% Information technology is laying an important role in India today and has transformed India’s image from a slow moving bureaucratic economy to land of innovative entrepreneurs. Technology in India has grown at a scorching pace in the past few years in almost every arena and has become an essential part of any Indian company for their day-to-day activities including the jewellery industry, rightly puts Rishabh Tongya, Creative Director , Diacolor. In order to cope with the trends of the industry one must adapt and be tech-savvy enough to add more dimensions to customer experience. New age jewellers definitely like to use new technology which helps improve efficiency and improves customer experience. We look forward to incorporate technologies that can ease our functioning and can help us focus on bringing more creativity in our designs and craftsmanship. We do see how the coming generations are more tech-savvy than us so this change happening smoothly with a great acceptance and appreciation. All the processes and procedures are put into place and technology is used well to do so, correctly notes Gautam Ghansingh, Creative Director- Ghanasingh Be True. So gauging the importance of technology in the gems & jewellery industry, we choose to track down Top-5 technologies to look for. %% {{Mobile Application }} $$ Top amongst the rapidly increasing realm of IT is the mobile platform. There has been an unprecedented growth in the adoption of mobile phones for increased profitability and productivity and mobile phones have become an essential part of virtually any business. With the advancement of smart phones and tablets etc. mobile phones have become the point of contact between the client and an organisation. “A client can now easily have a look at an entire range of products from accessing an organisation’s website from his mobile phone. Retailers see increased walk-ins and sales by messaging their target customer. Even within an organization, in order to protect the company’s assets as well as the employees cctv cameras play a pivotal role. A jewellery shop owner for instance can now keep a record of movement in and around his shop round the clock effectively from his mobile phone,” Rishabh Tongya highlights the uses of mobile applications. %%

We are witnessing a period where computers got replaced by mobile phones, and mobile phones got replaced by Smartphones in no time. Over 100m Indian smartphone users have access to News, Games, Travel and almost everything on their phones through various smart phone programs - more commonly known as Mobile Applications. %% Ritu Shah, VP – Sales, Mobile Technology Consultant, Hiteshi Technologies shares her expert opinion on the technology, “The splash hasn’t left Jewellery industry untouched. The competition has now leveled up from just creating eye-catching designs to impressing the consumers and giving them best buying experience. A lot of Indian and International Jeweller companies are heading to create mobile apps to show case their products. A mobile application gives consumers a relaxed way to browse through different designs sitting at home, consulting all of their family & friends before spending that significant amount, thereby facilitating them make decisions effortlessly. On the other hand, it also brings seller closer to the buyers by reaching more audience, even the ones for who visiting the physical store is not possible.” %% A step further, Hiteshi Technologies, was recently approached by an Indian company to develop a kiosk system and a mobile app where a buyer can actually see how a sparkling necklace does look on her neck. What we call it now is – Virtual Try-On – letting users try the jewellery virtually. The solution was achieved with the concept of ‘Augmented Reality’ enabling users to click their photo with the device front camera and then choose the product they like. Software program augments the design on user’s face letting user see how it looks on them actually. Consumers can also view a product from different angles, select a suitable size and while searching, can set filters for price range, gold content etc. And still, if you are confused on which one of the two designs you should buy, this application will also let you compare them line by line on all parameters of design, price, purity, resale value etc. %% A UK Jewellery designing company contacted Hiteshi Technologies for an online solution to promote their designs amongst the élite buyers. She goes on sharing the details, “We thought what could be better than taking the products to their home, giving them luxury to view the exclusive catalogue on a tablet. There came few concerns initially on the grounds that this may in turn reduce the connectivity and number of people visiting them personally. But this was resolved with simple solution of ‘Push Notification’ using which Company can send messages to the app users about ongoing discounts, latest trends, new stock and much more. This not only enhances the buyer-seller interaction but also saves costs of sending SMS or making phone calls to each buyer separately for advertising.” Also worth mentioning is that company holds full access of the product information in the app. So, if they have a new stock coming in every day, they can upload it on the app themselves without coming to us. “With changing buying trends, it is important to bring a change on what suppliers have got to offer. This transformation is not limited to variation in product designs but also offering a distinguished experience to buyers. Being a Mobile Technology Consultant at Hiteshi Technologies, while I assist supplier to reach consumers more coherently, I as a buyer, would love to scroll through several enticing designs on an off day, with just few clicks on my phone”, she just puts it right! %% {{3D Printing}} $$ To answer the numerous questions that come to our mind when we hear 3D printer, we spoke to Pankaj Goswami, Regional Sales Manager - South Asia Pacific and Japan, Solidscape. The Indian jewellery industry is of global standards and many manufacturers have adopted the Solidscape technology. %%

When quizzed, how useful is this technology for the jewellery industry, “CAD/CAM manufacturing is the new standard for jewellery manufacturing: Designers can design master models of increasing complexity, while manufacturers or service bureaus can produce them on Solidscape's 3D printers creating wax masters with superior surface finish and precision. These wax master models are ideal for direct casting into precious metals or mould making.”The entire process can be done in-house, greatly reducing costs associated with production time and securing greater control. Printing in-house affords the opportunity to analyze a 3-dimensional proof of the work before delivery. He goes on, “The combination of high-precision printing and castable materials also empowers jewellery manufacturers and custom retailers to meet the growing demand for custom work. Intricate detail, stunning symmetry and precision, never possible with hand carving, are all achievable with Solidscape printers.” Sharing his hands-on experience of this technology, Gautam Ghansingh says, “We do an amalgamation of manual and graphic designs in order to preserve our aesthetics of traditional jewellery. Cad designs help in reducing the weight and making our jewellery on par with international brands. We have got to move with times and use new technologies like Rhino Cad software make it very convenient for us to come up with innovative designs. It is time saving as well and increases our productivity. For every entrepreneur it is very important to incorporate these technologies in our day to day functioning as the jewellery industry has changed with times and new technology is helping new age jewellers. There has been increase in productivity through CAD drawing software and has helped us introduce new collections every three months as planned.” %% Explaining the importance of this technology in a jewellery industry, he says, “Like any other industry, jewellery industry has adopted automation in its entire process of production. 3d printing specially the Solidscape technology has made the entire process of jewellery manufacturing from design to finished product extremely seamless by using state-of-the-art technology for producing models which are directly castable without the need for any cumbersome intermittent process. The fact that Solidscape 3d printers produce 100 per cent castable wax models instead of any resin based models has made it the technology of choice for the jewellery industry and is today the de-facto standard in the process of manufacturing of high end jewellery.” Receiving over 20 design awards and displaying high ethical, social and environmental respect, Krikawa Designs is recognized as a leader of the jewellery industry. Lisa Krikawa, Owner, Krikawa Designs shares her experience, “When we purchased our first Solidscape, it absolutely changed our business because of our detailed, organic, complex designs. It really created waxes for us that were absolutely beautiful, that cast well, and like I said, our business increased by 60 per cent that year.” %%

{{3 D Holographic display}} $$ Holography has played a pivotal role in science fiction in the past years, but today it a well established technique. A 3 dimensional display provides the viewers to perceive depth and can be viewed from all angles making it a far more realistic medium that the 2d mediums like televisions and computer screens. In case of a high price product, the actual product is not required to be put on display as a 3d holographic is as close to the reality as it gets, perfectly expresses Rishabh Tongya. The new Ghanasingh Be True Jewellery Salon offers a 3D Holographic display of the collection in order to enhance the entrance of the store. “With such a popular concept, it is eye-catching and easily grabs attention of the people entering our salon. The 3D Holographic designs have been very well received by our patrons,” says Gautam Ghansingh. Sharing his experience of using it at an event, he goes on, “We did use 3D holographic display at our event when we launched Ghanasingh BE TRUE Jewellery Salon. This made our jewellery looked very pretty and enhanced the experience of our jewellery. This was the first kind of display that was ever done by us so we were thrilled with the response we got. None the less we try to cope with the different technologies that can reduce human effort and we can focus on creativity and innovation.” %% {{RFID }} $$ RFID or radio frequency identification tags are used for automatic identification and data capture. A RFID tag attached to a piece of jewellery can gather the product related information like design number or any other detail like gold weight or total diamond weight easily, explains Rishabh Tongya. %% To know more about this technology, we bring you few usages of RFID for the jewellery industry as stated by HID Global, a manufacturer of secure identity solutions like access control, RFID and many more. HID Global Jewelry Tag passive contactless transponders communicate with readers via radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to enhance the ability to inventory and track high-value merchandise, such as jewellery and small electronics. Anti-collision technology in each Jewelry Tag device enables fast, comprehensive daily merchandise inventories at the retail level with the wave of a handheld reader – while never having to remove items from display cases or storage cabinets. For continuous monitoring of goods, Jewelry Tag transponders can communicate with reader systems that are integrated into custom display cases. HID's RFID Jewelry Tag offering enables more accurate, effective merchandise accounting for regulatory reporting or stock planning. In addition, the visible presence of these tags deters would-be shoplifters, reducing shrinkage and theft. Jewelry Tag devices are available with a patented tamper evident wire loop lock mechanism. Once attached to an item, the wire loop is closed to make the tag operational. To remove a tag, the loop must be broken, rendering the tag permanently unreadable. Tamper evident tags ensure that they cannot be removed and maliciously re-used. As part of the HID Global Jewelry Tag product family, the Jewellery Tag Tamper Evident RFID transponders ensure valuable items cannot be exchanged for less valuable imitations during transportation and distribution. This is especially important when merchandise must pass through international ports without oversight. In addition to merchandise, the tamper evident tag may also be used as an “intelligent” seal, enabling more effective tracking of use and maintenance of mission-critical items like fire extinguishers and automated external defibrillators (AED). %%

{{Security}} $$ Protecting your systems and business data is vitally important, critical information such as financial data and customer records can be very difficult to replace. Loss of confidential or sensitive data can be managed by IT Security measures. %% Rishabh Tongya lists the possible security requirements in a retail jewellery outlet : Restrictions can be applied on what can be copied from the system and stored on pen drives, memory sticks or CDs/ DVDs. Security software can help detect and remove computer viruses and malware. Data Encryption scrambles data and is used to protect data held on computer, stored on external media such as DVDs or transmitted over a network. Firewall is a hardware security device that filters information between internal & external networks & controls access to the internet by internal users and prevents outside parties from gaining access to your network. Data backup of your business can allow you to continue trading even if the computer data has been lost. Backups can be made to portable media such as tape drives, DVD ROMs or external hard drives. %% Moving to the physical security, he adds: Access control ensures that individuals can only access data and services for which they are authorized. Intrusion detection monitor system and network activity to spot potential security breaches. If a detection system suspects an attack, it can generate an alarm such as an email alert, based upon the type of activity it has identified. Barcode - IT can improve efficiency by labeling products with unique numbers and scannable bar codes to improve your stock control and supply chain management, this system speed up processing and recording. %% Gautam Ghansingh says, “The CCTV cameras provide enough security so the patrons are at ease and so are we while presenting our collections to them. The security measures have been taken care of by our consumer friendly gadgets and softwares.” While Rishabh Tongya shares, “For day-to-day activities we use Effission. For security purposes we use Tyco and for IT solutions we have IMAC integrations.” %%

Today’s age can rightly be termed as ‘Technology age’; no industry is left untouched by technology also this ‘new dimension’ is much needed for enhancing customer experience. Thus we chose to bring you Top 5 technologies which have rightly claimed an important place in the gems & jewellery industry globally. Further from here you will be reading the technicalities, uses, experiences and importance of technologies namely: Mobile Applications, RFID, 3 D Printer, 3 D Holographic display and security solutions. To know it all, Kunjal Karaniya spoke to the technology experts as well as users from the jewellery industry.%% Information technology is laying an important role in India today and has transformed India’s image from a slow moving bureaucratic economy to land of innovative entrepreneurs. Technology in India has grown at a scorching pace in the past few years in almost every arena and has become an essential part of any Indian company for their day-to-day activities including the jewellery industry, rightly puts Rishabh Tongya, Creative Director , Diacolor. In order to cope with the trends of the industry one must adapt and be tech-savvy enough to add more dimensions to customer experience. New age jewellers definitely like to use new technology which helps improve efficiency and improves customer experience. We look forward to incorporate technologies that can ease our functioning and can help us focus on bringing more creativity in our designs and craftsmanship. We do see how the coming generations are more tech-savvy than us so this change happening smoothly with a great acceptance and appreciation. All the processes and procedures are put into place and technology is used well to do so, correctly notes Gautam Ghansingh, Creative Director- Ghanasingh Be True. So gauging the importance of technology in the gems & jewellery industry, we choose to track down Top-5 technologies to look for. %% {{Mobile Application }} $$ Top amongst the rapidly increasing realm of IT is the mobile platform. There has been an unprecedented growth in the adoption of mobile phones for increased profitability and productivity and mobile phones have become an essential part of virtually any business. With the advancement of smart phones and tablets etc. mobile phones have become the point of contact between the client and an organisation. “A client can now easily have a look at an entire range of products from accessing an organisation’s website from his mobile phone. Retailers see increased walk-ins and sales by messaging their target customer. Even within an organization, in order to protect the company’s assets as well as the employees cctv cameras play a pivotal role. A jewellery shop owner for instance can now keep a record of movement in and around his shop round the clock effectively from his mobile phone,” Rishabh Tongya highlights the uses of mobile applications. %%

We are witnessing a period where computers got replaced by mobile phones, and mobile phones got replaced by Smartphones in no time. Over 100m Indian smartphone users have access to News, Games, Travel and almost everything on their phones through various smart phone programs - more commonly known as Mobile Applications. %% Ritu Shah, VP – Sales, Mobile Technology Consultant, Hiteshi Technologies shares her expert opinion on the technology, “The splash hasn’t left Jewellery industry untouched. The competition has now leveled up from just creating eye-catching designs to impressing the consumers and giving them best buying experience. A lot of Indian and International Jeweller companies are heading to create mobile apps to show case their products. A mobile application gives consumers a relaxed way to browse through different designs sitting at home, consulting all of their family & friends before spending that significant amount, thereby facilitating them make decisions effortlessly. On the other hand, it also brings seller closer to the buyers by reaching more audience, even the ones for who visiting the physical store is not possible.” %% A step further, Hiteshi Technologies, was recently approached by an Indian company to develop a kiosk system and a mobile app where a buyer can actually see how a sparkling necklace does look on her neck. What we call it now is – Virtual Try-On – letting users try the jewellery virtually. The solution was achieved with the concept of ‘Augmented Reality’ enabling users to click their photo with the device front camera and then choose the product they like. Software program augments the design on user’s face letting user see how it looks on them actually. Consumers can also view a product from different angles, select a suitable size and while searching, can set filters for price range, gold content etc. And still, if you are confused on which one of the two designs you should buy, this application will also let you compare them line by line on all parameters of design, price, purity, resale value etc. %% A UK Jewellery designing company contacted Hiteshi Technologies for an online solution to promote their designs amongst the élite buyers. She goes on sharing the details, “We thought what could be better than taking the products to their home, giving them luxury to view the exclusive catalogue on a tablet. There came few concerns initially on the grounds that this may in turn reduce the connectivity and number of people visiting them personally. But this was resolved with simple solution of ‘Push Notification’ using which Company can send messages to the app users about ongoing discounts, latest trends, new stock and much more. This not only enhances the buyer-seller interaction but also saves costs of sending SMS or making phone calls to each buyer separately for advertising.” Also worth mentioning is that company holds full access of the product information in the app. So, if they have a new stock coming in every day, they can upload it on the app themselves without coming to us. “With changing buying trends, it is important to bring a change on what suppliers have got to offer. This transformation is not limited to variation in product designs but also offering a distinguished experience to buyers. Being a Mobile Technology Consultant at Hiteshi Technologies, while I assist supplier to reach consumers more coherently, I as a buyer, would love to scroll through several enticing designs on an off day, with just few clicks on my phone”, she just puts it right! %% {{3D Printing}} $$ To answer the numerous questions that come to our mind when we hear 3D printer, we spoke to Pankaj Goswami, Regional Sales Manager - South Asia Pacific and Japan, Solidscape. The Indian jewellery industry is of global standards and many manufacturers have adopted the Solidscape technology. %%

When quizzed, how useful is this technology for the jewellery industry, “CAD/CAM manufacturing is the new standard for jewellery manufacturing: Designers can design master models of increasing complexity, while manufacturers or service bureaus can produce them on Solidscape's 3D printers creating wax masters with superior surface finish and precision. These wax master models are ideal for direct casting into precious metals or mould making.”The entire process can be done in-house, greatly reducing costs associated with production time and securing greater control. Printing in-house affords the opportunity to analyze a 3-dimensional proof of the work before delivery. He goes on, “The combination of high-precision printing and castable materials also empowers jewellery manufacturers and custom retailers to meet the growing demand for custom work. Intricate detail, stunning symmetry and precision, never possible with hand carving, are all achievable with Solidscape printers.” Sharing his hands-on experience of this technology, Gautam Ghansingh says, “We do an amalgamation of manual and graphic designs in order to preserve our aesthetics of traditional jewellery. Cad designs help in reducing the weight and making our jewellery on par with international brands. We have got to move with times and use new technologies like Rhino Cad software make it very convenient for us to come up with innovative designs. It is time saving as well and increases our productivity. For every entrepreneur it is very important to incorporate these technologies in our day to day functioning as the jewellery industry has changed with times and new technology is helping new age jewellers. There has been increase in productivity through CAD drawing software and has helped us introduce new collections every three months as planned.” %% Explaining the importance of this technology in a jewellery industry, he says, “Like any other industry, jewellery industry has adopted automation in its entire process of production. 3d printing specially the Solidscape technology has made the entire process of jewellery manufacturing from design to finished product extremely seamless by using state-of-the-art technology for producing models which are directly castable without the need for any cumbersome intermittent process. The fact that Solidscape 3d printers produce 100 per cent castable wax models instead of any resin based models has made it the technology of choice for the jewellery industry and is today the de-facto standard in the process of manufacturing of high end jewellery.” Receiving over 20 design awards and displaying high ethical, social and environmental respect, Krikawa Designs is recognized as a leader of the jewellery industry. Lisa Krikawa, Owner, Krikawa Designs shares her experience, “When we purchased our first Solidscape, it absolutely changed our business because of our detailed, organic, complex designs. It really created waxes for us that were absolutely beautiful, that cast well, and like I said, our business increased by 60 per cent that year.” %%

{{3 D Holographic display}} $$ Holography has played a pivotal role in science fiction in the past years, but today it a well established technique. A 3 dimensional display provides the viewers to perceive depth and can be viewed from all angles making it a far more realistic medium that the 2d mediums like televisions and computer screens. In case of a high price product, the actual product is not required to be put on display as a 3d holographic is as close to the reality as it gets, perfectly expresses Rishabh Tongya. The new Ghanasingh Be True Jewellery Salon offers a 3D Holographic display of the collection in order to enhance the entrance of the store. “With such a popular concept, it is eye-catching and easily grabs attention of the people entering our salon. The 3D Holographic designs have been very well received by our patrons,” says Gautam Ghansingh. Sharing his experience of using it at an event, he goes on, “We did use 3D holographic display at our event when we launched Ghanasingh BE TRUE Jewellery Salon. This made our jewellery looked very pretty and enhanced the experience of our jewellery. This was the first kind of display that was ever done by us so we were thrilled with the response we got. None the less we try to cope with the different technologies that can reduce human effort and we can focus on creativity and innovation.” %% {{RFID }} $$ RFID or radio frequency identification tags are used for automatic identification and data capture. A RFID tag attached to a piece of jewellery can gather the product related information like design number or any other detail like gold weight or total diamond weight easily, explains Rishabh Tongya. %% To know more about this technology, we bring you few usages of RFID for the jewellery industry as stated by HID Global, a manufacturer of secure identity solutions like access control, RFID and many more. HID Global Jewelry Tag passive contactless transponders communicate with readers via radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to enhance the ability to inventory and track high-value merchandise, such as jewellery and small electronics. Anti-collision technology in each Jewelry Tag device enables fast, comprehensive daily merchandise inventories at the retail level with the wave of a handheld reader – while never having to remove items from display cases or storage cabinets. For continuous monitoring of goods, Jewelry Tag transponders can communicate with reader systems that are integrated into custom display cases. HID's RFID Jewelry Tag offering enables more accurate, effective merchandise accounting for regulatory reporting or stock planning. In addition, the visible presence of these tags deters would-be shoplifters, reducing shrinkage and theft. Jewelry Tag devices are available with a patented tamper evident wire loop lock mechanism. Once attached to an item, the wire loop is closed to make the tag operational. To remove a tag, the loop must be broken, rendering the tag permanently unreadable. Tamper evident tags ensure that they cannot be removed and maliciously re-used. As part of the HID Global Jewelry Tag product family, the Jewellery Tag Tamper Evident RFID transponders ensure valuable items cannot be exchanged for less valuable imitations during transportation and distribution. This is especially important when merchandise must pass through international ports without oversight. In addition to merchandise, the tamper evident tag may also be used as an “intelligent” seal, enabling more effective tracking of use and maintenance of mission-critical items like fire extinguishers and automated external defibrillators (AED). %%

{{Security}} $$ Protecting your systems and business data is vitally important, critical information such as financial data and customer records can be very difficult to replace. Loss of confidential or sensitive data can be managed by IT Security measures. %% Rishabh Tongya lists the possible security requirements in a retail jewellery outlet : Restrictions can be applied on what can be copied from the system and stored on pen drives, memory sticks or CDs/ DVDs. Security software can help detect and remove computer viruses and malware. Data Encryption scrambles data and is used to protect data held on computer, stored on external media such as DVDs or transmitted over a network. Firewall is a hardware security device that filters information between internal & external networks & controls access to the internet by internal users and prevents outside parties from gaining access to your network. Data backup of your business can allow you to continue trading even if the computer data has been lost. Backups can be made to portable media such as tape drives, DVD ROMs or external hard drives. %% Moving to the physical security, he adds: Access control ensures that individuals can only access data and services for which they are authorized. Intrusion detection monitor system and network activity to spot potential security breaches. If a detection system suspects an attack, it can generate an alarm such as an email alert, based upon the type of activity it has identified. Barcode - IT can improve efficiency by labeling products with unique numbers and scannable bar codes to improve your stock control and supply chain management, this system speed up processing and recording. %% Gautam Ghansingh says, “The CCTV cameras provide enough security so the patrons are at ease and so are we while presenting our collections to them. The security measures have been taken care of by our consumer friendly gadgets and softwares.” While Rishabh Tongya shares, “For day-to-day activities we use Effission. For security purposes we use Tyco and for IT solutions we have IMAC integrations.” %%

Today’s age can rightly be termed as ‘Technology age’; no industry is left untouched by technology also this ‘new dimension’ is much needed for enhancing customer experience. Thus we chose to bring you Top 5 technologies which have rightly claimed an important place in the gems & jewellery industry globally. Further from here you will be reading the technicalities, uses, experiences and importance of technologies namely: Mobile Applications, RFID, 3 D Printer, 3 D Holographic display and security solutions. To know it all, Kunjal Karaniya spoke to the technology experts as well as users from the jewellery industry.%% Information technology is laying an important role in India today and has transformed India’s image from a slow moving bureaucratic economy to land of innovative entrepreneurs. Technology in India has grown at a scorching pace in the past few years in almost every arena and has become an essential part of any Indian company for their day-to-day activities including the jewellery industry, rightly puts Rishabh Tongya, Creative Director , Diacolor. In order to cope with the trends of the industry one must adapt and be tech-savvy enough to add more dimensions to customer experience. New age jewellers definitely like to use new technology which helps improve efficiency and improves customer experience. We look forward to incorporate technologies that can ease our functioning and can help us focus on bringing more creativity in our designs and craftsmanship. We do see how the coming generations are more tech-savvy than us so this change happening smoothly with a great acceptance and appreciation. All the processes and procedures are put into place and technology is used well to do so, correctly notes Gautam Ghansingh, Creative Director- Ghanasingh Be True. So gauging the importance of technology in the gems & jewellery industry, we choose to track down Top-5 technologies to look for. %% {{Mobile Application }} $$ Top amongst the rapidly increasing realm of IT is the mobile platform. There has been an unprecedented growth in the adoption of mobile phones for increased profitability and productivity and mobile phones have become an essential part of virtually any business. With the advancement of smart phones and tablets etc. mobile phones have become the point of contact between the client and an organisation. “A client can now easily have a look at an entire range of products from accessing an organisation’s website from his mobile phone. Retailers see increased walk-ins and sales by messaging their target customer. Even within an organization, in order to protect the company’s assets as well as the employees cctv cameras play a pivotal role. A jewellery shop owner for instance can now keep a record of movement in and around his shop round the clock effectively from his mobile phone,” Rishabh Tongya highlights the uses of mobile applications. %%

We are witnessing a period where computers got replaced by mobile phones, and mobile phones got replaced by Smartphones in no time. Over 100m Indian smartphone users have access to News, Games, Travel and almost everything on their phones through various smart phone programs - more commonly known as Mobile Applications. %% Ritu Shah, VP – Sales, Mobile Technology Consultant, Hiteshi Technologies shares her expert opinion on the technology, “The splash hasn’t left Jewellery industry untouched. The competition has now leveled up from just creating eye-catching designs to impressing the consumers and giving them best buying experience. A lot of Indian and International Jeweller companies are heading to create mobile apps to show case their products. A mobile application gives consumers a relaxed way to browse through different designs sitting at home, consulting all of their family & friends before spending that significant amount, thereby facilitating them make decisions effortlessly. On the other hand, it also brings seller closer to the buyers by reaching more audience, even the ones for who visiting the physical store is not possible.” %% A step further, Hiteshi Technologies, was recently approached by an Indian company to develop a kiosk system and a mobile app where a buyer can actually see how a sparkling necklace does look on her neck. What we call it now is – Virtual Try-On – letting users try the jewellery virtually. The solution was achieved with the concept of ‘Augmented Reality’ enabling users to click their photo with the device front camera and then choose the product they like. Software program augments the design on user’s face letting user see how it looks on them actually. Consumers can also view a product from different angles, select a suitable size and while searching, can set filters for price range, gold content etc. And still, if you are confused on which one of the two designs you should buy, this application will also let you compare them line by line on all parameters of design, price, purity, resale value etc. %% A UK Jewellery designing company contacted Hiteshi Technologies for an online solution to promote their designs amongst the élite buyers. She goes on sharing the details, “We thought what could be better than taking the products to their home, giving them luxury to view the exclusive catalogue on a tablet. There came few concerns initially on the grounds that this may in turn reduce the connectivity and number of people visiting them personally. But this was resolved with simple solution of ‘Push Notification’ using which Company can send messages to the app users about ongoing discounts, latest trends, new stock and much more. This not only enhances the buyer-seller interaction but also saves costs of sending SMS or making phone calls to each buyer separately for advertising.” Also worth mentioning is that company holds full access of the product information in the app. So, if they have a new stock coming in every day, they can upload it on the app themselves without coming to us. “With changing buying trends, it is important to bring a change on what suppliers have got to offer. This transformation is not limited to variation in product designs but also offering a distinguished experience to buyers. Being a Mobile Technology Consultant at Hiteshi Technologies, while I assist supplier to reach consumers more coherently, I as a buyer, would love to scroll through several enticing designs on an off day, with just few clicks on my phone”, she just puts it right! %% {{3D Printing}} $$ To answer the numerous questions that come to our mind when we hear 3D printer, we spoke to Pankaj Goswami, Regional Sales Manager - South Asia Pacific and Japan, Solidscape. The Indian jewellery industry is of global standards and many manufacturers have adopted the Solidscape technology. %%

When quizzed, how useful is this technology for the jewellery industry, “CAD/CAM manufacturing is the new standard for jewellery manufacturing: Designers can design master models of increasing complexity, while manufacturers or service bureaus can produce them on Solidscape's 3D printers creating wax masters with superior surface finish and precision. These wax master models are ideal for direct casting into precious metals or mould making.”The entire process can be done in-house, greatly reducing costs associated with production time and securing greater control. Printing in-house affords the opportunity to analyze a 3-dimensional proof of the work before delivery. He goes on, “The combination of high-precision printing and castable materials also empowers jewellery manufacturers and custom retailers to meet the growing demand for custom work. Intricate detail, stunning symmetry and precision, never possible with hand carving, are all achievable with Solidscape printers.” Sharing his hands-on experience of this technology, Gautam Ghansingh says, “We do an amalgamation of manual and graphic designs in order to preserve our aesthetics of traditional jewellery. Cad designs help in reducing the weight and making our jewellery on par with international brands. We have got to move with times and use new technologies like Rhino Cad software make it very convenient for us to come up with innovative designs. It is time saving as well and increases our productivity. For every entrepreneur it is very important to incorporate these technologies in our day to day functioning as the jewellery industry has changed with times and new technology is helping new age jewellers. There has been increase in productivity through CAD drawing software and has helped us introduce new collections every three months as planned.” %% Explaining the importance of this technology in a jewellery industry, he says, “Like any other industry, jewellery industry has adopted automation in its entire process of production. 3d printing specially the Solidscape technology has made the entire process of jewellery manufacturing from design to finished product extremely seamless by using state-of-the-art technology for producing models which are directly castable without the need for any cumbersome intermittent process. The fact that Solidscape 3d printers produce 100 per cent castable wax models instead of any resin based models has made it the technology of choice for the jewellery industry and is today the de-facto standard in the process of manufacturing of high end jewellery.” Receiving over 20 design awards and displaying high ethical, social and environmental respect, Krikawa Designs is recognized as a leader of the jewellery industry. Lisa Krikawa, Owner, Krikawa Designs shares her experience, “When we purchased our first Solidscape, it absolutely changed our business because of our detailed, organic, complex designs. It really created waxes for us that were absolutely beautiful, that cast well, and like I said, our business increased by 60 per cent that year.” %%

{{3 D Holographic display}} $$ Holography has played a pivotal role in science fiction in the past years, but today it a well established technique. A 3 dimensional display provides the viewers to perceive depth and can be viewed from all angles making it a far more realistic medium that the 2d mediums like televisions and computer screens. In case of a high price product, the actual product is not required to be put on display as a 3d holographic is as close to the reality as it gets, perfectly expresses Rishabh Tongya. The new Ghanasingh Be True Jewellery Salon offers a 3D Holographic display of the collection in order to enhance the entrance of the store. “With such a popular concept, it is eye-catching and easily grabs attention of the people entering our salon. The 3D Holographic designs have been very well received by our patrons,” says Gautam Ghansingh. Sharing his experience of using it at an event, he goes on, “We did use 3D holographic display at our event when we launched Ghanasingh BE TRUE Jewellery Salon. This made our jewellery looked very pretty and enhanced the experience of our jewellery. This was the first kind of display that was ever done by us so we were thrilled with the response we got. None the less we try to cope with the different technologies that can reduce human effort and we can focus on creativity and innovation.” %% {{RFID }} $$ RFID or radio frequency identification tags are used for automatic identification and data capture. A RFID tag attached to a piece of jewellery can gather the product related information like design number or any other detail like gold weight or total diamond weight easily, explains Rishabh Tongya. %% To know more about this technology, we bring you few usages of RFID for the jewellery industry as stated by HID Global, a manufacturer of secure identity solutions like access control, RFID and many more. HID Global Jewelry Tag passive contactless transponders communicate with readers via radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to enhance the ability to inventory and track high-value merchandise, such as jewellery and small electronics. Anti-collision technology in each Jewelry Tag device enables fast, comprehensive daily merchandise inventories at the retail level with the wave of a handheld reader – while never having to remove items from display cases or storage cabinets. For continuous monitoring of goods, Jewelry Tag transponders can communicate with reader systems that are integrated into custom display cases. HID's RFID Jewelry Tag offering enables more accurate, effective merchandise accounting for regulatory reporting or stock planning. In addition, the visible presence of these tags deters would-be shoplifters, reducing shrinkage and theft. Jewelry Tag devices are available with a patented tamper evident wire loop lock mechanism. Once attached to an item, the wire loop is closed to make the tag operational. To remove a tag, the loop must be broken, rendering the tag permanently unreadable. Tamper evident tags ensure that they cannot be removed and maliciously re-used. As part of the HID Global Jewelry Tag product family, the Jewellery Tag Tamper Evident RFID transponders ensure valuable items cannot be exchanged for less valuable imitations during transportation and distribution. This is especially important when merchandise must pass through international ports without oversight. In addition to merchandise, the tamper evident tag may also be used as an “intelligent” seal, enabling more effective tracking of use and maintenance of mission-critical items like fire extinguishers and automated external defibrillators (AED). %%

{{Security}} $$ Protecting your systems and business data is vitally important, critical information such as financial data and customer records can be very difficult to replace. Loss of confidential or sensitive data can be managed by IT Security measures. %% Rishabh Tongya lists the possible security requirements in a retail jewellery outlet : Restrictions can be applied on what can be copied from the system and stored on pen drives, memory sticks or CDs/ DVDs. Security software can help detect and remove computer viruses and malware. Data Encryption scrambles data and is used to protect data held on computer, stored on external media such as DVDs or transmitted over a network. Firewall is a hardware security device that filters information between internal & external networks & controls access to the internet by internal users and prevents outside parties from gaining access to your network. Data backup of your business can allow you to continue trading even if the computer data has been lost. Backups can be made to portable media such as tape drives, DVD ROMs or external hard drives. %% Moving to the physical security, he adds: Access control ensures that individuals can only access data and services for which they are authorized. Intrusion detection monitor system and network activity to spot potential security breaches. If a detection system suspects an attack, it can generate an alarm such as an email alert, based upon the type of activity it has identified. Barcode - IT can improve efficiency by labeling products with unique numbers and scannable bar codes to improve your stock control and supply chain management, this system speed up processing and recording. %% Gautam Ghansingh says, “The CCTV cameras provide enough security so the patrons are at ease and so are we while presenting our collections to them. The security measures have been taken care of by our consumer friendly gadgets and softwares.” While Rishabh Tongya shares, “For day-to-day activities we use Effission. For security purposes we use Tyco and for IT solutions we have IMAC integrations.” %%