All that glitters is gold Vipin Sharma, director, Jewellery India, tells us how weddings are incomplete without this eternal yellow metal

All that glitters is gold

Vipin Sharma, director, Jewellery India, tells us how weddings are incomplete without this eternal yellow metal

l World Gold Council

 It is a status symbol, an indication of power and also the metal many find comfort in – gold. Adorned by royalty, passed along generation to generation and now used as an investment, the yellow metal has surely come a long way. "The beauty of gold is that it caters to the needs of everybody. You can dream a design and it can be moulded into a gold piece," says Vipin Sharma, director, Jewellery India, World Gold Council (WGC).
The Council which is a market development organisation, plays a major role in the gold business."We try to understand what the consumers want, study the latest trends and then bring different players into the market, from the manufacturing as well as the retail sectors. We also undertake such initiatives for investment and technology," says Sharma.
A recent study by WGC, on buying jewellery trends, has shown surprising results he says. "Our research says that nowadays youngsters are buying fine jewellery. They view it not only as an investment but also something that they would like to be seen wearing," smiles Sharma. And this maharaja of metals is also the most important guest in a wedding."A wedding without gold is just impossible. Gold sells strongly at weddings and the market is full of traditional designs in 22 carat gold," he says. Keeping this in mind, WGC launched their new bridal jewellery collection, Azva."In Sanskrit, the word Azva symbolises the seven vows or saat pheras which forms the crux of an Indian wedding," says Sharma."We have tried to keep the theme of seven constant in all our pieces."
Gold, which signifies a ‘forever-together’ bond, reflects the vows of marriage, says Sharma. Although young brides today look for jewellery that is modern, they don't forget their traditional values and roots. "We have tried to interpret these rituals and give the wedding jewellery collection a modern look. Our pieces are unique and the bride and the groom can connect with them," says Sharma. But how do they manage to mix traditional and modern ideas in their designs? "We reach out to some of the best manufacturers who have a large set up of designers and craftsmen. They have craftsmen and designers who are extremely skilled at dealing with traditional techniques," he says.
"The most interesting challenge we have is to allow the craftsmanship and technique to come out in a form that is well received and which appeals to the public. The Azva collection is a perfect example of that," signs off Sharma.