Tuesday

31


July , 2018
Shining women entrepreneurs
12:41 pm

B.E. Bureau


The creative force behind the jewellery brand, Pretios is Dwiti Bhuwalka. Her brand offers fresh and contemporary sensibilities with a global appeal and yet remains very Indian. BE’s Isha Chakraborty spoke to Dwiti Bhuwalka about her designs, ideas, and market.

Q. Why did you start Pretios?

A. The idea for starting Pretios was to fill a gap in the jewellery segment by providing affordable luxury products. With a surge in destination weddings and travel, women now need an alternative to real jewellery that can easily be carried overseas. The USP of our brand lies in our exclusive designs and the finesse of our products which remain pocket friendly. The brand creates adornments, which are Indian in their sensibility, yet international in their appeal. Our designs are totally different from the market. It’s more classic, contemporary and modern. We use a lot of pearls, black diamonds and different coloured stones. The brand’s charter involves pushing boundaries and we endeavour to create unique and sophisticated products.

Q. Silver jewellery is available easily. What is about your company that is special or why should customers select you?

A. I agree that silver jewellery is easily available. But Pretios distinguishes itself as a brand because all our pieces are handcrafted in silver with Swarovski zirconia, giving it the same look and feel of real jewellery. Moreover, with the usage of a metal called sterlium, we ensure that each piece is scratch resistant, non tarnish able and hypoallergenic. We believe each of our hand-crafted pieces makes a treasured keepsake.

Q. What is the consumer segment that you are targeting?

A. The consumer segment that we are targeting is quite diverse. It includes people travelling for weddings and leisure but is not limited to them. We are also targeting consumers who are looking for a change and need something to match their apparels. We also do full customisations.

Q. What is so different about your designs? What are the special tools that you use?

A. My design sensibilities are very contemporary and I take a lot of inspiration from international jewellers like Graff, De Grisogono, Chaumet and others. My designs are very versatile and can easily be worn with both Indian and western garments. Our dedicated jewellery makers are goldsmiths who are highly trained and they lend a professional finesse to our jewellery.

Q. What is your branding and sales strategy?

A. My branding strategy is to elevate the brand, making it to be the ‘go- to- store’ when you think of quality artificial jewellery. So right now, the focus is to spread the word about the brand. We are doing a lot of promotions online and planning to participate in a host of exhibitions.

Q. Why did you select silver jewellery over the precious jewellery? What is your inspiration?

A. My family firm has been into real jewellery for the past 100 years so when it came to me to choose a career path, the obvious answer was jewellery. But seeing the competitive market and realising the gap in the costume jewellery market, I wanted to break away. That’s when I decided to launch Pretios.

Q. What kind of jewellery do you prefer?

A. Hailing from a family of jewellers, I grew up surrounded with exquisite heirloom jewels. Colours, cuts and gems always attracted me. I love jewellery and I wear a lot of jewellery and I love matching jewellery to my outfits.

Q. What is the most important trend or style in the present market?

A. The trend is now to wear statement pieces which include asymmetrical earrings, bold necklaces and beyond. The modern women are letting their jewellery do all the talking. This year, the industry has redefined gemstone settings by using a halo of precious colour stones and mesh to hold the gemstones within the piece. Trends have changed over the years, as initially people used to view jewellery as more of an investment. But now jewellery has become very individualistic. People are shifting away from more traditional jewellery to more contemporary and versatile pieces.

Q. Do you plan on moving to the online sector?

A. Online is where the buzz is. So I am in the process of creating my website and we should be online by early next year. Moreover, the role of social media has become very important in our lives. Hence, selling through these platforms and carving a brand visibility is surely on my agenda.

Q. What are the different discounts that you plan to offer to your customers?

A. The discounts that I plan to offer is based on different seasons and festivals that we have in India. So for Rakshabandhan we are going to come up with an offer. Similarly, we will have offers rolling out for Pujas as our label is based out of Kolkata and we plan to target Diwali as well.

 

 

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