The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council officially inaugurated its Seventh edition of Signature in Mumbai on February 21, 2014, at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC), Mumbai. Spread over 30,000 sq m with 1100 Booths, Signature 2014 which was held from Feb 21-24, 2014, was the largest of the Signature events held thus far with participation from over 550 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors from 350 cities & towns across India and over 500 International visitors from 28 countries.

The event was inaugurated by Chief Guest, H E Dr Hassan Fakhroo, The Honorable Minister of Commerce and Industry, Kingdom of Bahrain and Guest of Honour, Mr. AndreyPolyakov, Vice President, Alrosa, Russian Federation along with Shri. Vipul Shah, Chairman, GJEPC, Shri. Pankaj Parekh, Vice Chairman, GJEPC, Mr. NiravBhansali, Convener – Exhibitions Sub Committee (National), GJEPC, other senior officials from GJEPC and eminent members of the trade. The distinguished guests lit the lamp as a mark of commencement, which was followed by a guided tour around the exhibition.Speaking about the 4-day event, Mr. Vipul Shah, Chairman, GJEPC said, “This year, Signature turned out to be a great platform where international and national retailers and manufacturers came together to build associations, transact business and forge long-lasting relations that will enable business transactions all year around. The couture show has evolved into a significant sourcing event for premium retailers and this year too, the show has met expectations of all stakeholders and we continue to work towards making Signature a bigger and grander property as we move forward.”

Signature Mumbai has evolved into a key event in India’s Jewellery calendar. Positioned as a niche event, the Signature is a vibrant and exclusive sourcing event for the domestic and international trade, where 80% of its exhibitors have been participating on a regular basis. Following its tradition, Signature 2014 showcased exquisite jewellery collections and created opportunities for buyers to discover the latest trends, meet with trade partners and plan their collections and inventories as only manufacturers and exporters adhering to the highest standards of design, quality and craftsmanship participated at the show. Given the compact nature of the show, Signature 2014 allowed closer business ties between the participants which led to stronger trade relations in an industry.

The Signature show this year featured the Belgium international pavilion and delegations from Romania, Russia, Uzbekistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal, Turkey, China, UAE and Saudi Arabia. The product offering had been segmented to include all aspects of jewellery and offered some of the most unique designs in gold, diamond, and precious stones jewellery while the Signature Club featured high end couture jewellery, besides loose diamonds and precious colored gemstones. Said Dr. Nawal Agarwal, Proprietor, BirdhichandGhanshyamdas, Jaipur, “Signature is the leading jewellery show of India and we have always had some special pieces to exhibit here. We have witnessed sales growth year-on-year and we have been getting new buyers from all over the world at the show. The market sentiment has improved since last year and the outcome for us has been good.”While the overall turnout of Signature 2014 was phenomenal, some of the key highlights included the online buyer matching program which helped numerous participants to meet other exhibitors and simplified the trading process. Also, the Signature Mobile App enhanced the visitors’ experience as they could access all show related information on their smart phones.

Mr. JimitSanghvi, CEO Jewellery, KP Sanghvi& Sons, Mumbai said, “Signature has matured with every passing year and its ability to attract more and more retailers has been a good business opportunity for us. Signature’s USP lies in the fact that it attracts serious buyers.”Signature 2014 saw the introduction of various new trends and designs, especially light weight jewellery and innovative designs which resulted to an array of beautifully crafted jewellery that are easier on the wallet. Delicate pieces and intricate artwork, use of enamel work, Indian motifs, and filigree seemed to be the dominating style in this season’s Signature.The result of which, as seen this year, buyers were presented with a variety of options that met their individual requirements, resulting in generating huge volumes of business at the show, which rightfully is a convergence of premium quality and serious business enterprises.