Jewellery is best when exclusive: Tanishq

Tell us about the current phase of the jewellery industry...
The jewellery industry is going through an exciting phase right now. Though prices are going up, the demand is still there. For a brand, factors like craftsmanship, purity of gold is very critical. Apart from these two factors, customer service also plays an important role.

Only if a brand has a good relationship with the buyer, will he become a frequent visitor. The success of a brand depends on all these factors to survive in the industry.

With several brands launching in the city, what kind of competition do you face?
Earlier there were just one or two jewellery stores in each city. Today, we have a handful of them and only a few customers are loyal to a particular brand. And it is even harder to attract the younger lot, as their taste in design keeps changing.

Having said that, a lot of people today expect a valuable return when purchasing at a particular store. If they invest in gold today, they expect a good return from it in the future. Only when these needs are met, will they become loyal to a particular brand. Transparency is very important when dealing with jewellery.

Tell us about your new collection that you have recently launched...
It is the wedding season right now and jewellery plays an important role. Though a young bride wants more of contemporary designs, one definitely needs to buy a traditional piece according to their religion or community. India being a diverse country, we have an array of traditional designs for almost all types of families. Be it Telugu, Kannada, Tamil or even Gujarati — our latest wedding collection caters to all types of customers.

Customisation of jewellery is the new mantra. Do you also take on customisation when asked?
Today, several customers want exclusivity with jewellery. They want their piece to be unique. We do cater to such kinds of customers and fulfill their needs. Though a lot of them don’t come with the design, we have our in-house designer who will work on a pattern according to their needs.

For instance, our latest Taj Collection, which is inspired by the Taj Mahal, had several unique designs. However, few customers wanted to replace colours for them. We did alternative according to their needs.

A lot of youngsters no longer prefer gold. Instead they opt for other metals that are quite affordable and trendy. Is that becoming a threat to you?
It is true that youngsters don’t invest in gold they way their parents used to and the need for wearing trendy pieces at affordable prices is definitely on the rise. It is time brands figured out a solution to understand the new crop of customers.