A piece of jewelry is like an extension of your garment. It gives a classy look to your appearance. It takes hours of dedication and years of practice to make a perfect set of jewelry. Rare Jewels for over a century have been providing the best quality jewelry and gemstone with intricate details and marvelous design to its customers. Interview Times had a great conversation with Vastupal Ranka, The Director of Rare Jewels, who gave more knowledge about their legacy. This is how the interview went-
Can you brief about yourself to our readers?
I was born into a family of jewelers. We have been in the industry for over 140-years, so the influence and integration has always been there. As a child, I have spent a lot of time at the showrooms and with the craftsman taking a keen interest in all the aspects of the business. My father and elders have been a source of inspiration throughout my life, and it is through this, I gain my passion for the trade.
As a businessman, I like to innovatively offer customers unique and rare gemstones with designs that last long.
When did you have an idea of establishing Rare Jewels?
Rare Jewels came about as a concept to appeal to our customers’ senses with rare jewelry and made with great care to last a lifetime for its craftsmanship and unique designs. Rare Jewels is all about gemstones and regal patterns that appeal to the Indian heart. We make exceptional and custom pieces for customers. We have pieces that are kept for inspiration, so anyone who aspires to be a class-apart can make their own desired ideas into jewelry pieces that are truly their expression.
How has been your experience with your company so far?
Rare Jewels has been coming up with a variety of collections throughout the year. Many of our collections are based on customers’ demand. Our patrons have very kindly trusted our year-long journey and shown faith in the Ranka legacy we proudly carry. They have given us the chance to showcase some of the countries most outstanding designs. We’ve adorned brides that have celebrated their entire wedding with our jewelry pieces not only for them but for the entire family on both the groom and bride’s side. It has been a delightful year, and we look forward to adventurous and many more Rare designs to be made.
What is the USP of Rare Jewels?
Each piece of jewelry from Rare Jewels is not made twice, which means all designs are unique and exclusive. Our designs are inspired by different nature studded elements with precious gemstones that one aspires to have, making all owned jewelry by the customer ‘rare’.
What are the best products one must buy at Rare Jewels?
Rare Jewels have come up with one of its best Fleur collection, inspired by flowers and nature. The collection consists of bracelets, earrings, chokers with modern and contemporary designs. This exclusive collection was elegantly designed for casual occasions. Also, we have our Rare wedding collection, which is a combination of engagement, Haldi, and bridal jewelry. It is an extraordinary collection of jewelry pieces that will leave you stunned and dreaming of a dreamland decked with precious gemstones.
How has been your association hit with CO-VID?
The sudden lockdown across the nation had compelled the economy to slow down. Social engagement was discouraged by the health authorities due to which the customer footfalls also decreased in our showroom. The export and import process had also slowed down due to the pandemic. There was a sudden increase in gold rates, which refrained customers from window shopping, thus decreasing sales. Once rules were relaxed, we re-opened our store where only 30-40 persons were allowed to be inside the premises. We followed all rules strictly, ensuring all our customers and the very thoughtful staff were well looked after and healthy. Few customers would sell and buy gold at our stores. Hence, the ratio has been maintained with not much liquidity crunch.
As things are getting back to normal, is your business showing an upward trend?
It would not be easy to give a proper timeline on when normal life would come into existence. However, as the situation is coming back to the “new normal,” the market has restarted its operations. Investors are buying physical gold as a form of security. People celebrate anniversaries, marriages, and other occasions on a low scale, which has shifted the focus on buying gold jewelry and precious gemstones that are a symbol of timelessness. Besides this, festivals are being celebrated in which buying gold and different jewelry are considered sacred. Besides gold, light-weighted jewelry is also a trend in 2020. We are optimistic about the future, even though it will be a slow recovery for all.
A company’s biggest strength is its employees. What are the things you do to keep your employees happy?
We have followed the Central Government and Health authorities measures, we’ve strived to maintain proper social distancing at our showroom along with sanitization and hygiene standards. Proper sanitization measures are taken daily at regular intervals to prevent our employees from getting infected. There maintain a roster method in which employees record coming to the showroom every alternate day. Besides these, we also provide proper training to our employees regarding new jewelry trends, gold, and gemstone. Our employees are one of the most well-groomed and almost experts in their departments.
Any plans for your organization?
At Rare Jewels, we strive to extend our customers’ support with trendy and customized jewelry. We will ensure to make pieces that our customers will treasure for the rest of their life. We are optimistic about the coming times where the jewelry will have more meaning for one’s self-expression. We want to bring that expression to life.
