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Tag: Candere

  • Lucira shines bright with 5.5m dollars seed round led by Blume Ventures

    Lucira shines bright with 5.5m dollars seed round led by Blume Ventures

    MUMBAI: Lucira Jewelry is proving that lightning and sparkle can strike twice. The fine jewellery startup, founded by ex-Candere creator Rupesh Jain alongside Vandana Jain, has raised a dazzling 5.5 million dollars in seed funding, the largest seed round ever for a jewellery startup in India.

    The round was led by Blume Ventures, with participation from Spring Marketing Capital, Siriusone Capital Fund, and marquee individual investors including the founders of Dot & Key, Livspace, Snitch, and Bewakoof. The raise marks a strong show of faith in Jain’s ‘second innings’ after successfully building Candere, later acquired by Kalyan Jewellers.

    Lucira is positioning itself as a design-first, sustainable luxury brand aimed at India’s new-age jewellery buyers who want more than just investment value. They want authenticity, craftsmanship, and emotional connection. Since its launch, Lucira has built a portfolio of 1,000 plus customisable lab-grown diamond designs, all IGI/GIA/SGL/BIS certified and backed with lifetime exchange and buyback guarantees.

    The brand is also stepping into physical retail, with its first Mumbai store opening this month and plans to add four flagship outlets by the end of FY 2026. The fresh funds will fuel this omni-channel expansion while strengthening digital-first buying experiences and technology-driven personalisation.

    “Indian consumers are moving beyond jewellery as mere investment,” said Lucira, co-founder, Rupesh Jain. “They want design, trust, and a brand they can emotionally connect with. With this backing, we’re ready to make Lucira India’s most trusted design-first fine jewellery brand.”

    For Blume Ventures, it’s a chance to back a category they see ripe for disruption. “Rupesh has already proven his ability to build and scale with Candere,” said Blume, managing partner, Karthik Reddy. “What excites us most is Lucira’s omni-channel vision, blending cutting-edge digital with physical retail to create a category-defining brand.”

    With capital in hand, Lucira is doubling down on design leadership, scaling its studio, hiring top talent, and embedding consumer trust at every step. As Jain puts it, “We’re not just selling jewellery, we’re shifting mindsets.”

    Cumulative Ventures advised the transaction, with Novolex serving as legal counsel.

     

  • Jewellery brands turn on the sparkle this festive season

    Jewellery brands turn on the sparkle this festive season

    Mumbai:  What’s the festive season without some beautiful lights, smiles, and jewellery? India is a country of festivals, and people look forward to the festival season. The joy of celebration and the shopping that entails brings a boost to the entire industry. Talking about the jewellery industry, it is widely believed that shopping for them during the festive season brings good luck and prosperity in one’s life. Riding on this belief, the jewellery industry witnesses a lot of sales. And since it’s the first Diwali after two years of low-key celebrations, trade veterans and leaders in the jewellery industry have well equipped themselves to cater to the ongoing demand. In this story, I explore the advertising and marketing strategies of jewellery brands this festive season, including trends, innovations, and more.

    Understanding that this festive season is not similar to the ones in the previous two years, the consumer has been spending differently, in fact, lavishly, to be precise, this time around. Candere by Kalyan founder & CEO Rupesh Jain feels that the kind of consumer spending that he is noticing during the festive season this time is interesting.

    “The affinity of people towards gold ornaments seems to be dropping and the inclination towards fine diamond jewellery can be evidently seen. One of the reasons attributed to this could be that people are making fine jewellery a part of their daily fashion. Being dainty and elegant in design, it never fails to glam up your everyday look,” he expressed.

    Talking about the numbers, Jain states that their average order value has increased by 20 per cent and that their average order value ranges between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000.

    On the other hand, Tanishq CEO Ajoy Chawla believes that the predominant sentiment is for gold during the festive period, and this year, too, it’s no different.

    Consumers’ spending patterns across brands

    Jain observes that during this festive season, a lot of customers are buying jewellery for gifting purposes for their loved ones. “Our data suggests that over 50 per cent of Candere’s occasion-based purchases are intended towards festive gifting to family and friends. This could be a differentiating point between the customers we are serving this year and the customers we served in the last two years. Also, the kind of jewellery that is being purchased is fine diamond jewellery,” he elucidates.

    “We are seeing a lot of traction for all our new collections with record sell-through rates, particularly Chozha for Tamil Nadu and Alekhya for the rest of the country,” says Tanishq’s Chawla, confirming the woman’s desire for new designs to adorn as she prepares to socialise once more this Diwali.

    They also see continued interest in light weights, layering and colour that validates their belief that the new-age consumer values adornment over keeping jewellery in the locker—a secular trend now for the last two years, he discloses.

    BlueStone head of marketing Harshna Pasari explains that their consumer profile has stayed stable over the past few years. The brand predominantly serves cosmopolitan couples between the ages of 25 and 45 years old. “These consumers, unlike previous generations, are looking for wardrobe jewellery, not locker jewellery. The creations they prefer are more modern and suited to multiple occasions rather than only grandiose celebrations,” she says.

    “While they see jewellery as a mode of investment, it is a vital marker of style and individuality for them, driving them to wear a variety of jewellery more often for unique occasions like the workplace, casual events and more. They’re also open to experimenting with trends and new categories to make a statement—especially ones that fit into their lifestyles, like watch jewellery,” adds Pasari.

    Advertising and marketing strategies to rake in the festive moolah

    Jain believes that the festive season is always a good time for the jewellery industry. For Candere, it is no different. Even in the last two years, they were overwhelmed by the response of their customers. “Now, with life getting back to normal and everything opening up, people are really excited to step out and are engaging in offline shopping at their favourite shopping destinations during the festive season. For Candere, a growth of 25 per cent is predicted by our analysts’ team this year,” he points out.

    Candere is going aggressive with its campaign this festive season. Jain says, “Now that we are an omnichannel brand, we have to make sure that our customers know what we have to offer. We are tapping many new channels and platforms to promote our phygital presence. To be present wherever our customers are, we have raised our advertising budget by 40–50 per cent. In an attempt to maximise the brand connect, the traction and customer engagement, we have been constantly innovating our marketing strategies.”

    What is the advertising and sales mantra of brands to boost brand sales and increase consumer spending this festive season? And how are these tactics different from those that these brands applied during the festive season in the last two years?

    “Despite the high base of a record-breaking festive season last year, Tanishq is anticipating and targeting strong growth, and we are not sparing any efforts in new launches, marketing, and promotions,” Chawla says.

    From an advertising perspective, BlueStone’s mantra has been to break out of the festive clutter. Their recently launched TVC ‘Love Is In The Little Things’ is a fresh respite from the over-the-top festive visuals by celebrating the small moments of love and a very innovative category—watch jewellery.

    “Over the past two years, the world has completely shut down and reopened. The period when consumers could not step out into the real world has led to a craving for it. Anticipating this, we’ve scaled up our omnichannel play.”

    With 140+ stores across the country and services like ‘try at home,’ the brand is giving consumers the option to experience BlueStone across multiple channels, be it in-store, on their screens or on their couches. “With a range that encompasses gold, platinum, diamonds and gemstones, we ensure designs that suit every mood, moment and budget—especially with competitive festive offers on solitaires and making charges,” says Pasari.

    Candere’s advertising and sales mantra revolves around the theme of its Diwali ad campaign. In this year’s campaign, Candere celebrates togetherness. Jain elaborates, “We want people to walk down the lanes of nostalgia and celebrate Diwali like the old times, where every member of the family comes together to celebrate the occasion.”

    This year, the Kalyan brand’s Diwali campaign has been channelled through various media platforms to create a massive attraction among the buyers. “We have tapped several new modes, ranging from OTT (online video) to multiplex platforms. We are aiming to reach somewhere around 100 million people with this move,” says Jain.

    Bling trends this festive season

    Discussing the trends that have been observed in the jewellery category this festive season, Jain clarifies that the ongoing trend shows people leaning more towards traditional essences and yet comes with a modern touch, making it more unique. “To cater to such demands, Candere has come up with many collections that are in the light-weight jewellery segment, which combine and feature both traditional and contemporary aspects, defining the new-era woman and jewellery. Our data shows there is a significant jump when it comes to preferring fine diamond lightweight jewellery over heavy or chunky ones,” he says.

    BlueStone chief merchandising officer Vipin Sharma is of the view that this festive season, they’ve seen watch jewellery as a category trending for them. “The designs offer a new expression of ornamentation with a deep connection to the lifestyle of our consumers who are tech-savvy. We’ve also seen an uptick in consumers wanting to express themselves with innovative products like multi-threader earrings,” he says.

    He continues, “There’s also been a steady rise in interest in the men’s category, especially in steel bracelets with gold accents. This alternative material, with a dash of gold, gives an elevated sense of style.”

    Script jewellery, as a trend, has continued with consumers wanting to flaunt their or their loved ones’ initials or something significant to them. BlueStone offers script jewellery with various techniques and designs across various budgets. Timeless festive styles like necklaces, bangles, and other statement pieces continue to do well, says Sharma.

    Chawla also expects that this festive season will see significant wedding purchases for the season to follow Diwali and has stocked up Tanishq stores with adequate and appropriate Rivaah merchandise to serve all communities. “Gold rates have moderated from their peak, which was about six-seven months ago, and are also quite stable, hence we are optimistic for this Dhanteras, besides the upcoming wedding season thereafter,” he elucidates.

    Natural Diamond Council, too, in collaboration with the Style Collective, released the second edition of their Jewellery Trend Report 2022. The report explores the latest trends in the jewellery world which are going to reign in this festive season as well as the coming seasons, being absolute hits with the young consumer today. These trends range from mismatched fancy cut diamonds to vintage cuts such as rose cuts and briolettes, along with hoops with a twist.

    “Encompassing everything from memorable statement pieces featuring mismatched diamonds to daily wear options like hoops with a twist, the trend report encapsulates the changing dynamic of today’s youth who use jewellery as a means of self-expression. Versatile diamonds complement both ethnic or modern ensembles, elevating every look. As natural diamonds never go out of style, they make for great heirlooms which can be cherished by each generation in their own way,” says Natural Diamond Council – India & Middle East managing director Richa Singh.

    Innovations witnessed this festive season

    Jain expresses that at Candere, they are always looking out for innovations that can help them improve their customers’ experience with the brand. “Our website is equipped with many cutting-edge technologies like ‘try-on’ and ‘voice search’ that offer a store-like experience to customers from the comfort of their homes. But the differentiating point is our customers’ ability to customise their jewellery in just a single tap.”

    “Right from choosing three metal colours, different qualities of gold and five different diamond qualities, our customization feature has everything that someone might need to get jewellery that resonates with them and reflects a lot about their personality,” he explains.

    For BlueStone, watch jewellery remains one of the key innovations. It offers a subtle way to make a statement and a new way to flaunt ornaments. Offered in a range of fine metals, diamonds, gemstones and pearls, the versatile category suits festive and non-festive occasions.

    Sharma elaborates, “Consumers are hunting for jewellery that tells a story beyond its design, inspired by a more profound idea. It gives the consumer a meaningful experience in addition to making a stylish statement. One of our festive collections, Ashta, is an excellent example of that, having been inspired by the eight manifestations of the goddess divine.”

    This festive season sees an increased focus on personal style, he says, with young Indians preferring contemporary or Indo-Western fashion and giving prominence to unique styles like Y necklaces, chevron rings and more.

  • Kalyan Jewellers elevates Punith Iyer to Candere COO position

    Mumbai: Punith Iyer, formerly company general manager of Candere by Kalyan Jewellers was promoted to the post of chief operating officer. With over 15 years of experience under his belt, Iyer has extensively worked with large enterprises such as Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, Essar, and GE to name a few.

    In 2019, he was appointed company general manager of Candere and was responsible for finance, operations, alliances, marketplace, and customer delight. His new role as COO will see him shouldering the responsibility for the company’s future strategic goals, performance, and growth. 

    In accepting the position, Punith Iyer said, “Candere is committed to providing uncompromising quality and craftsmanship to the masses. The company has been a path-breaker in creating an online showroom with customisations available to its patrons, and continually endeavours to create not just high-quality products, but best-in-class experiences for their clients. I am honoured to be entrusted with the role of COO and to join the ranks of these industry innovators.”

    Candere founder and CEO Rupesh Jain,  remarked, “With each milestone, we at Candere get closer to our goal of making fine jewellery more accessible to all, while offering extraordinary value to our customers. We are excited to welcome Punith into our leadership team and are confident in his ability to streamline, ideate, and lead Candere into the future.”

    Candere by Kalyan Jewellers is an online jewellery boutique that specializes in designer fine diamond jewellery.

  • Candere introduces Double Gold Rate Protection Plan to safeguard their customers from gold rate hikes

    Candere introduces Double Gold Rate Protection Plan to safeguard their customers from gold rate hikes

    MUMBAI: In a bid to help their customers combat unwanted gold rate fluctuations, Candere by Kalyan Jewellers, one of India’s leading online fine jewellery stores, has introduced Double Gold Rate Protection Plan. Under this plan, customers can book their jewellery at the current market price of gold simply by paying 10% advance, and safeguard the jewellery booked from any future rate hikes. The brand has undertaken this initiative to facilitate online jewellery shopping as the wedding and festive season begins.

    With the gold market plagued by uncertainities owing to factors like the trade war between China and the USA, and increase in import duty, the prices have witnessed a dramatic upsurge of late. As the festive season is underway amidst this scenario, Candere attempts to rid its customers of all apprehensions regarding rate fluctuations, enabling them to go ahead and purchase jewellery freely. While one may wonder that this plan might lead to a loss in case of a price drop, the brand ensures application of the revised lower rate on the jewellery upon pre-closing of the EMI. Therefore, the most beneficial factor of signing up with this plan is getting the jewellery at the minimum-most gold rate during the tenure.  

    Further, one of the biggest and most differentiating value propositions of this scheme lies in its flexible payment terms. Candere has facilitated customers with the flexibility to pay as per their convenience on any day of the month by way of three options: EMI Amount, Other Amount, and Balance Amount. As part of EMI Amount, the installment plans range between 2-6 months and 2-9 months for gold and diamond jewellery respectively. Other Amount provides customers with the option to pay whatever amount they are comfortable paying then, and Balance Amount allows them to pay the remaining payment at one go. The jewellery will get delivered within 14-18 days post the payment of last installment.

    Essentially, through Double Gold Rate Protection Plan and its unique value propositions, Candere guarantees a stress-free jewellery shopping experience for all its customers which have become imperative in these times of unpredictability in the gold market.

    Sharing an insight behind the introduction of this plan, Rupesh Jain, Founder and CEO, Candere remarked, “With the festive season round the corner, there is no better a time to celebrate happiness and togetherness than now. However, unwelcomed gold rate hikes tend to dampen the festive mood for many. We, at Candere, strive to uplift our customers’ spirits and help them celebrate without worrying about burning holes in their pockets. By introducing the Double Gold Rate Protection Plan, we want to assure our customers that they can shop fine jewellery at the minimum gold rate even after placing their order. Further, we have come up with highly flexible payment terms under this plan while charging no processing or interest fee, or unnecessary documentation. Through such offerings, we envision to make this plan as convenient as possible for our customers so as to let them enjoy the festive season without any jewellery-related anxieties.”  

    The Double Gold Rate Protection Plan is applicable on jewellery priced above INR 10,000, excluding loose solitaires, gold coins, gold frames, and fast shipping products. To know more and to avail the plan, please visit: https://www.candere.com/gold-rate-protection.html

  • Candere celebrates Women’s Day with #EkZindagiKhudKeNaam

    MUMBAI: This Women’s Day, Candere by Kalyan Jewellers launches ‘#EkZindagiKhudKeNaam’ to celebrate the women and their passion, dreams, strength, and most importantly-their individuality, or ‘womanity’.

    Created by Bandstand Video, the campaign video revolves around the lives of seven such women, who are constantly being asked questions, which next to every woman has faced at one point or the other throughout her life. The general perception of society towards women has been talked about in the video.

    Sharing the purpose behind this campaign, Candere founder and CEO Rupesh Jain remarked, “Since ages, women have been conditioned such that their lives revolve around others-looking for them, tending to their needs, or making sacrifices on a daily basis. With #EkZindagiKhudKeNaam, we at Candere aim to stir the society’s conscience pertaining to women, dissociating her identity from her roles serving others and connecting her back to her individual self. Being a woman-centric brand, we hope to encourage society to respect and express their gratitude towards the women in their lives through this campaign, celebrating them for who they are. Most importantly, we aim to support and remind women that it is high time they put themselves first and embrace their womanity.”

  • Candere crushes Valentine’s Day stereotypes with its latest video themed #OneForLove

    Candere crushes Valentine’s Day stereotypes with its latest video themed #OneForLove

    MUMBAI: The very intimation of the term ‘Valentine’s Day’ brings to one’s mind human-sized teddy bears, overpriced chocolates and cliché rose bouquets. While these might seem to be the perfect idea to celebrate the day of love, as we have been influenced to believe owing to movies, the concept of love goes far beyond. Candere, one of India’s leading online fine jewellery boutiques, has brought forth an unconventional campaign celebrating the little nuances of love found in every relationship, be it romantic or platonic. Christened ‘#OneForLove’, this campaign has a refreshing take on love, commemorating relationships that still have a long distance to scale.

    Titled ‘This Valentine’s Day, let’s do something memorable for our loved ones’, this video by Candere by Kalyan Jewellers begins with an old-fashioned household and a traditional family setting the table up for a certain occasion. A little while later the female protagonist enters the scene upon having reached home after a usual day at work. What was supposed to be a typical family dinnertime turns into a sweet little surprise, with the elderly couple gifting her a beautiful jewellery set to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is only after the protagonist is referred to as ‘bhabhi’ that it becomes clear that she is the daughter-in-law of the house and the wife to Army personnel, who is not present at the table.

    This sweet gesture expressed by her in-laws indicates that the protagonist is not rendered alone on a special occasion as Valentine’s Day, and that she has a loving family by her always. This simple yet impactful video reiterates on the vibrant dynamics of different relationships, shattering stereotypes in a sweet and subtle manner.

    The story throws light on relationships that are not romantic in nature by bringing a sense of love, warmth and belonging. It conveys the message that Valentine’s Day is not just meant for couples but instead can be spent appreciating all the loved ones in one’s life. Moreover, it emphasizes on how one does not need to be in a relationship to enjoy this special day, and that every dynamic shared counts. Love is found in different forms, especially seen among families, who are the ultimate support systems. This video highlights the atypical bond and the modern values shared between in-laws beautifully, aiming to change the mind-set of the society.

    Sharing an insight on the video and the campaign, Rupesh Jain, Founder & CEO of Candere, remarked, “Love is found in every relationship of our lives, all we need to do is look for it. Our Valentine's Day video takes a refreshing take on love that will definitely make you smile. Through our campaign #OneForLove, we at Candere aim to break stereotypes and ignite thought-provoking conversations that would eventually lead towards a society that acknowledges and celebrates unconditional love and bonding.”

    Real change is a gradual, constant, and continual process. Candere believes that this change that it truly begins at home. Through this heartfelt campaign, the brand urges everyone to come together and love each other unconditionally this Valentine’s Day.

  • Candere buy to help Kalyan Jewellers add 5-7% to its topline

    MUMBAI: Kalyan Jewellers, one of India’s trusted and leading jewellery brands, announced the acquisition of online jewellery firm Candere. The acquisition will augment Kalyan Jewellers presence in the growing online jewellery segment in India.

    Kalyan will acquire the equity held by Singularity Strategic, the family office of Brijesh Chandwani and Subram Kapoor. This is Kalyan Jeweller’s first strategic move of its kind as the company continues to pursue aggressive growth plans, both organically and inorganically.

    Established in 2013, Candere sells jewellery online in India, USA and UK. It has a portfolio of over 4,000 designs including a strong offering in the high growth diamond jewellery segment. This transaction will help Kalyan establish a strong presence in the ecommerce segment to complement its vast physical retail presence.

    Following the acquisition, Candere will be “powered by Kalyan Jewellers” as it continues to build resonance with existing and potential online jewellery shoppers. Kalyan Jewellers will significantly boost Candere’s customer offerings by virtue of its depth of merchandise, which caters to different market segments and customer tastes.

    Post Investment, Kalyan plans to launch some of its established sub-brands like Glo, Antara, Anokhi, Nimah, through the Candere online store. Through this investment, Kalyan will also be able to expand Candere’s geography into the growing West Asian market including UAE, Kuwait and Qatar thus augmenting Candere’s existing coverage.

    Kalyan will leverage its vast network of 105 showrooms and distributed supply chain across India and West Asia to enhance Candere’s fulfillment layer and work towards creating a robust online-offline hybrid customer experience.

    Kalyan Jewellers executive director Rajesh Kalyanaraman said, “Candere’s recent foray into UK and USA markets also helps Kalyan augment its ambition of becoming a global Indian brand. Both companies have strong design and manufacturing capabilities and the synergies therein will help strengthen our offering to existing as well as new customers. The integrated offline and online offering will provide customers more flexibility and convenience while enhancing their shopping experience.”

    “We believe that the online jewellery market offers tremendous growth potential and expect it to contribute 5-7% of our topline over the next five years. The acquisition will also accelerate contribution of our global revenues.’’

    Founder-promoter Rupesh Jain said, “Kalyan is a formidable jewellery brand and Candere will be able to scale up rapidly by using Kalyan’s strong supply chain network and physical presence. The integration will also provide up selling and cross-selling opportunities and bolster revenues.’’