LONDON, March 2010 – London retailer PureJewels is seeking applications from talented designers to create a new platinum jewellery collection based on its heritage for launch during London Jewellery Week in June 2010.
“We will work with three designers to come up with three concepts based on PureJewels’ heritage – Indian, African and UK themes,” said PureJewels’ spokesman Jayant Raniga.
From humble beginnings in east Africa, PureJewels is emerging as an important brand in the fast-growing east London jewellery quarter on Green Street, appealing to South Asian and Western tastes.
When Bhanji Gokaldas started creating bespoke jewellery designs in Kenya in 1950, he could not possibly have imagined the journey leading to a purchase of a block of shops in east London to serve a rapidly mushrooming British Asian community.
Still a family-run company, when Bhanji Gokaldas and Sons transformed into the newly branded PureJewels in June 2008, PureJewels had reinvented itself as a retailer with a highly visible presence on Green Street, as well as a growing force in mail order online retailing.
Applications from designers to create the PureJewels Platinum Heritage Collection are sought by the end of March 2010.
The three designers, who will preferably have experience working with platinum, will work closely with PureJewels to prepare a collection of three pieces – necklace, earrings and ring – to form part of the new collection.
The PureJewels Platinum Heritage Collection will be launched at Goldsmiths’ Hall during London Jewellery Week, which will run from June 7-13, 2010.
“These collections will be manufactured here in the UK – a vanguard collaboration between the design community, the manufacturing community and the retail community, breaking new ground in the UK sector,” Raniga said.
PureJewels will showcase its Platinum Heritage Collection at trade and customer cocktail events as part of activities organised by the Green Street Jewellers’ Association (GJSA) during London Jewellery Week.
The GSJA will play an active role to raise the profile of Green Street during London Jewellery Week, which will showcase the industry’s skills during a series of events.
Green Street accounts for about one percent of total UK retail jewellery turnover, Green Street jewellers say.
