~Winners selected by eminent personalities from diverse arenas~
~India’s most creative & stunning jewellery pieces displayed; giving glimpses of utmost craftsmanship~
Mumbai, 6th August 2016: Recognized as India’s Oscars of the retail jewellery industry, the 12th Gemfields Retail Jeweller India Awards 2016 (RJIA) in association with Evara was held on August 6, 2016 at The Grand Hyatt, Santacruz. Hosted by the charming Rochelle Maria Rao, the evening was an exciting affair that was graced by the presence of celebrated personalities from the Bollywood fraternity. Present at the event were Ileana D'Cruz, Tanishaa Mukerji, Divya Kumar Khosla, Kainaat Arora, Michelle Poonawalla, Rouble Nagi and Nawaz Modi Singhania.
Over the years, The Retail Jeweller India Awards have come to be recognized as the most coveted and prestigious acknowledgment of talent within the Indian retail jewellery industry. It is a platform that showcases the creative genius of India’s leading jewellery houses. This year’s Award witnessed more than 1000 entries from across country and finally, after two rigorous rounds of judging only 90 designs made it as the final nominations.
This year, RJIA introduced a new category- The Jewellery Buff’s Choice Award. Judged by bold and ambitious millennial achievers and youth icons like Nishka Lulla, Sanah Kapur and Sanjana Patel, awards in this category will reflect the fancies of young and upward-mobile India.
“This award is the only event that sets the benchmark in the industry with respect to designs, innovation and trendsetting. Over the past years we have seen an incredible change in the caliber of jewellery with a spurt of innovative and cutting edge designs. The Retail Jeweller India Awards not only appreciate design and creation but also celebrate them.” said Soma Bhatta, Editor, The Retail Jeweller.
The Retail Jeweller India Awards is especially distinctive in its involvement of a jury of diverse creative backgrounds which is an integral part of the selection process. This year, esteemed panelists included Divya Kumar Khosla, Esha Deol, Ananya Banerjee, Pearl Contractor, Nawaz Modi Singhania, Rouble Nagi and Shaziya Khan.
The notable guests & jury walked the red carpet donning stunning jewellery pieces made with diamonds, rubies & emeralds. The awards witnessed a celebration of excellence in Indian jewellery Industry with the highest rated jewellery pieces being duly acknowledged by awards for their design distinctiveness.
Divya Kumar Khosla (Director, Co-Owner & Producer T-Series) said, “I have been associated with RJIA for some time now. I saw some awesome display of jewellery, the pieces are all beautiful and unique. I hope RJIA keeps growing and keeps getting bigger.”
Rouble Nagi (Artist & Muralist) who dazzled the red carpet with her Neeta Lulla dress, said, “I have seen the awards grow in stature and scale over the last three years of my association as a jury.”
Nawaz Modi Singhania (Fitness & Lifestyle Expert & Artist) said, “Well, this is the first year I am associated with RJIA and I am really excited about it. I am happy to judge so many different and diverse collections. My personal preference in jewellery is style & innovation.”
Michelle Poonawalla (Director, Poonawalla Group of Engineering Companies) said,”TRJIA is a platform that has been a frontrunner in its space. It is really nice to see such talented jewellery designs from across the country. I personally like jewellery that is classy and works well with my personality. Today I am wearing ‘Sweetheart earrings by Nirav Modi’ and my dress is by a relatively new designer called ‘Needles and Thread’.
Illeana D’Cruz (Actress), who chose to wear a comfortable & classy suit instead of a gown said, “This is a lovely event and it is especially fascinating for women; obviously for the love they have for jewellery. I saw some really unique and gorgeous designs, thanks to the amazingly talented nominees of RJIA.”
Rochelle Maria Rao (Model & Actress) who hosted the event said, “I have been associated with RJIA for a couple of years now and it feels great to be a part of it. They are the ‘next level ante’ and it is leading India in the field of jewellery designing. My favorite piece of jewelry is earring and as you can see today I am wearing a statement earring which adds the much needed bling to my look.”
Tanishaa Mukerji (Actress) said, “I think RJIA is a great platform to celebrate jewellery and I think RJIA is rightly the Oscars of jewellery awards. My choice of jewellery is very subjective and I enjoy wearing different kinds of jewellery. Today I have kept it simple and I am wearing just a finger ring.”
Kainaat Arora (Model & Actress) said,” I love basic jewelry and it doesn’t have to be necessarily expensive. Today I am weapring a gold Pakistani gown as gold represents royalty. I am very glad to be a part of RJIA as it celebrates talent from every corner of the country. My special piece of jewellery would be a heart-shaped pendant that my father gifted me which belong to my mother.”
Pria Kataaria Puri (Fashion Designer) said,” I love jewellery and I truly enjoy being a part of RJIA. Today I am wearing emeralds which I absolutely love. Also, I am wearing a statement nose ring which is a trend yet to catch up in India but it is quite popular in the west.”
“Our association with RJIA goes back a long way. These are the country’s most prestigious awards and our association is based on a lot of shared values – transparency, quality and ethics.” Says Rupak Sen (Sales & Marketing Director – Asia, Gemfields)
Vaishali Banerjee (MD, India, PGI) said, “The association of PGI with RJIA is exciting! The awards celebrates emerging & established talents in the jewellery industry. Together, our vision is to create excellence in every aspect of jewellery. Our alliance inspires us to do better & it equally provides a platform to cherish excellence in the Indian jewellery industry”
Winners of the 12th Gemfields Retail Jeweller India Awards 2016 :
- Diamond Jewellery of the Year – Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri & BR Designs
- Diamond Vivah Jewellery of the Year- Narayan Jewellers
- Gold Jewellery of the Year – Khurana Jewellery House
- Gold Vivah Jewellery of the Year – Rare Heritage by Mehta Emporium
- Couture Jewellery of the Year – A S Motiwala Fine Jewellery & Manik Gems
- Colored Gemstone Jewellery of the Year – Anmol Jewellers
- Innovative Jewellery of the Year – Aurelle by Leshna Shah
- Heritage Jewellery of the Year – Hazoorilal Legacy
- Platinum Jewellery of the Year – P N Gadgil Jewellers
- Jewellery Designer of the Year – Shehzad Zaveri
- Best Accessory of the Year – Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers
- Colored Gemstone Vivah Jewellery of the Year – Rare Heritage by Mehta Emporium
- Jewellery Buff Choice Award (Vivah) - C H Jewellers
- Jewellery Buff Choice Award (Non-Vivah) - Belisma
- Bloggers Choice Award – (Vivah) – Narayan Jewellers
- Bloggers Choice Award – (Non- Vivah)– Orra
Retail & Marketing Categories:
- Print Campaign of the Year – Diacolor
- 360 Marketing campaign of the Year – P N Gadgil Jewellers
- TV Campaign of the Year – Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri & Joyalukkas
- Radio Campaign of the Year – Abhishek Zaveri
- Retail Promotion of the Year – Punjab Jewellers
- New Showroom or Retail Transformation of the Year – Imperial & Haritson Designs
- Social Media – Jaipur Jewels
Lifetime Achievement in Retail – Jos Alukka, from Jos Alukkas
Lifetime Achievement in Manufacturing –Hanumant Rai Sanghi from Sanghi Manufacturing
About Retail Jeweller India Awards:
- Retail Jeweller India Awards was established in 2005 with the mission to take the US $30 billion retail jewellery industry forward by creating a platform for recognizing the best work of the industry in fields of design, retail and marketing.
- Also known as India’s Oscars for the retail jewellery industry , these are the only business awards specifically for retail jewellers in a country of 3 lakh retail jewellers.
- With a jury of great repute, IMRB as the process auditors and NDTV Good Times as Television partner, the awards are the country’s premier and most authoritative national competition.
- It is an initiative of the Retail Jeweller Magazine which is a specialized bi-monthly business magazine read by top jewellery retailers across 415 cities of India. Completely focused on the subject of jewellery retailing, the magazine enjoys highest readership amongst progressive jewellery retailers in the country. Delivering focused communication for 48,000 HNI readers, it has emerged as a dependable and reliable source for industry happenings and developments.
