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Creativity Takes Center Stage: IIG Students Shine at NJA 2025

IIG has been an Education Partner of NJA for seven consecutive years, and have together consistently strived to identify, nurture, and showcase the finest emerging talent from the industry.

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The International Institute of Gemology (IIG), a pioneer and global thought leader in gem and jewelry education, proudly celebrates the triumph of its students at the prestigious National Jewellery Awards (NJA) 2025. This year, four IIG talents, Pratibha Sheshagiri, Priyanshi Chaudhary, Siddhi Lokhande, and Ujjwal Adeshara, emerged victorious on one of India’s most respected platforms for jewelry design and innovation. More than a win, their success stands as evidence to what education, mentorship, and opportunity can achieve when combined with passion and perseverance.

For IIG, these triumphs signify more than individual awards. They reflect the institute’s founding philosophy, established in 1965: to provide every aspiring jewelry professional, irrespective of geography, background, or access. The mentorship, confidence, and platform to compete at the highest levels of excellence.

Rahul Desai, CEO & MD of IIG, reflects: It has always been my vision that every IIG student, from their very first sketch to their hundredth creation, finds recognition that authentically reflects their journey. The NJA makes dreams come true by creating an equal platform where creativity is celebrated without boundaries. Over the decades, IIG has evolved from an institute of gemology into a complete ecosystem of learning and leadership. We don’t merely train skills, we cultivate mindsets. We teach our students to design with intention, influence with purpose, lead with conviction, and most importantly, present their vision with clarity, confidence, and without limits.”

This philosophy of equal access is also why IIG has instituted a dedicated Scholarship Program at NJA worth lakhs of rupees. These scholarships are designed to ensure that passionate and hardworking students, irrespective of their background, are given equal opportunity to learn, grow, and eventually be absorbed into the Gem & Jewelry industry.

Gunjan Sapra, COO and head of department, IIG, adds: I know the value of a good design. Having dedicated my life to designing, I deeply understand what it means for a student when their creation is not only appreciated but celebrated. Recognition should never be limited by geography or circumstance. A child from a Tier 2 city may carry as much zeal, if not more, than one from a Tier 1 hub. An offline student’s passion may rival that of someone in a structured classroom, and vice versa. What NJA has created is remarkable… it places every student on the same stage, giving them equal opportunity. That is both humbling and inspiring.”

The NJA victories of Pratibha, Priyanshi, Siddhi, and Ujjwal highlight this philosophy. Year after year, IIG consistently grooms and prepares its students to participate in such prestigious competitions, showcasing their talent and skills not only at national platforms like NJA but also on global stages. Their success reflects not only technical mastery, but also resilience, creativity, and the courage to present their work on a national stage.

As Rahul Desai further emphasizes: “Knowing how to design is one thing. Knowing how to present your vision with boldness, that is where true success lies. At IIG, we mentor not just skills, but confidence. That is what transforms a student into a leader, and a dream into a reality that impacts lives.”

Since its founding, IIG has stood as an academic and professional hub for the jewelry industry. Today, guided by Rahul Desai’s leadership, the institute is recognized as the “world-class center of Gemology and Jewelry Education”.

The NJA stage this year was indeed a proof that opportunity, when combined with the right ecosystem, produces excellence. Proof that talent can emerge from anywhere, and when given the stage, it shines without limit.

For the winners, this is not an endpoint, but a beginning, the beginning of many more dreams that do not remain sketches on paper, but evolve into creations that inspire, influence, and endure.

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Senco Gold & Diamonds Partners With Olocker to Give Customers Free Jewellery Insurance, Letting Precious Memories Be Worn, Not Hidden Away

A Customer-First Initiative Designed to Help People Wear Their Precious Memories with Confidence.

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Senco Gold & Diamonds, one of India’s most trusted jewellery houses, has partnered with Olocker, India’s first dedicated jewellery insurance platform, to offer free jewellery insurance to its customers, protecting purchases against risks such as snatching, robbery, and housebreaking.

On the surface, it’s a simple value-add: buy jewellery from Senco, get it insured, at no extra cost. But the thinking behind it is more personal — the freedom to actually live with the things you love. 

There is a quiet ritual that plays out in homes across India every wedding season, every anniversary. A piece of jewellery is bought with love, worn once or twice with pride — and then, almost apologetically, tucked away in a bank locker for “safekeeping.” The very thing meant to be cherished ends up spending most of its life in the dark.

A Locker Is No Place for a Memory

Ask any family that owns fine jewellery, and you’ll hear the same quiet anxiety: the fear of stepping out wearing something precious, the fear of a break-in while the house is empty. For many, the solution has always been the same — lock it away, take it out only for weddings and festivals, and let it sit untouched the rest of the year.

It’s a practical response to a real risk, but it also means jewellery bought to mark a marriage or a milestone ends up being seen far less than it deserves.

This is the exact problem Senco Gold & Diamonds’ Managing Director, Suvankar Sen,

has spoken about wanting to solve. Known for a customer-first philosophy that goes beyond transactions, Sen has often said jewellery should be something people live with, not something they merely own. “Jewellery is never just metal and stone,” Sen said, explaining the thinking behind the Olocker partnership. “It’s a wedding day, a mother’s blessing, a promise kept. When customers can’t step out wearing it, or can’t leave home without worrying about a break-in, something is broken in that experience. We wanted to fix that.” 

That sentiment is the quiet engine behind this initiative. Rather than simply selling jewellery and stepping back, Senco has chosen to walk the extra mile — ensuring that once a customer takes a piece home, they can wear it freely and pass it down through generations, without the constant undercurrent of worry. 

What the Partnership Actually Offers

Through this collaboration, Senco customers receive free jewellery insurance via Olocker on qualifying purchases, protecting against snatching, robbery, and housebreaking.

Olocker, India’s first digital platform dedicated to jewellery insurance and asset tracking, brings the technical and insurance backbone — while Senco brings its decades of trust, built since 1938, to make sure customers actually use it. 

For a family that has just bought a piece for a wedding, this means peace of mind — wearing that necklace to a dinner without the nagging thought of “what if someone snatches it,” or “what if someone breaks in while we’re away.” 

A Partnership Built on Shared Intent

The excitement isn’t one-sided. At Olocker, the partnership is seen as validation of the idea the platform was built on — that jewellery insurance should be a natural, everyday companion to ownership, not a niche afterthought.

“This is genuinely one of the most exciting collaborations we’ve been part of,” said Milind Shethia, Founder & Chief Marketing Officer at Olocker. “Our mission has been to help people wear their jewellery instead of locking it away, and partnering with a name as trusted as Senco brings that mission to millions of customers at once.

What’s heartening is Mr. Sen’s own approach — he didn’t look at it as a marketing tie-up, but as giving something back to people who’ve trusted Senco for generations. That kind of intent is rare, and it’s exactly the spirit we built Olocker around.” 

That mutual sense of purpose is what gives this partnership its quiet credibility. It isn’t a scheme or a promotional hook, but two organisations agreeing on a simple, shared belief: jewellery should be lived in, not locked up. 

A Bigger Idea About Ownership

There is a broader philosophy at play, one Suvankar Sen has championed throughout his tenure at Senco — that jewellery is an emotional asset as much as a financial one, and customers shouldn’t have to choose between enjoying it and protecting it.

This partnership feels less like a marketing initiative and more like a promise kept, reflecting a leadership style that measures success in something harder to quantify — how cared for a customer feels long after leaving the showroom. 

As jewellery increasingly doubles as adornment and investment, initiatives like this one may well set a new benchmark for customer care in the industry.

Senco, through its partnership with Olocker, isn’t just insuring jewellery against snatching or a break-in — it’s giving people back the freedom to wear their memories, out loud, without fear. 

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