National News
IIG Expands Learning Horizon, Launches Jewellery Retail Strategy Bootcamp in Gujarat
The International Institute of Gemology (IIG), India’s leading institute dedicated to jewellery education and professional training, is setting a new benchmark in knowledge leadership. Known for decades of excellence in diamond, gemology, retail, and jewellery education, IIG is now bridging an important gap, the “need-of-the-hour” skills that today’s jewellery businesses must master to remain competitive.
While the industry has achieved proficiency in product knowledge and sales, a deeper curiosity remains around strategic areas such as retail growth strategies, brand building, team training, and the future of jewellery in the AI era. Recognizing this, IIG has partnered with BrandVerse, a digital marketing and retail strategy specialist, to curate an advanced workshop series exclusively designed for jewellery professionals.
The first in this series, Jewellery Retail Strategy Bootcamp, will be hosted in Gujarat, a region that has long been the epicenter of India’s jewellery trade. This session will focus on giving entrepreneurs, retailers, and next-gen business leaders the tools to not just “scratch the surface” but truly understand and apply transformative strategies that drive brand impact and sales growth.

“At IIG, our single focus has always been education, but education that evolves with the times. Today’s jewellery businesses need more than product knowledge; they need strategy, branding insight, communication mastery, and the foresight to embrace AI. This bootcamp is designed to unlock those dimensions and empower the next wave of industry leaders.” commented Rahul Desai, CEO & MD of IIG.
With enquiries already pouring in and a carefully curated batch size to ensure personalized learning, IIG is set to deliver a high-impact, practical learning experience that blends academic rigor with real-world applicability.
This initiative reflects IIG’s larger mission, to remain the go-to knowledge partner for students, entrepreneurs, and corporations in the jewellery space, providing not just courses but a complete palette of learning formats that are relevant to a global future.
National News
Bengaluru-based lab-grown diamond jewellery startup ONYA raises ₹5.5 crore in pre-seed funding led by Zeropearl VC
The brand scales to four profitable high-street stores in Bengaluru, touching ₹2 crore MRR in 11 months
ONYA, one of India’s fastest-growing offline-first, premium lab-grown diamond jewellery brands, has raised Rs.5.5 crore in a pre-seed round led by Zeropearl VC. The round also saw participation from prominent angel investors including MyGate founders Vijay Arishetty, Abhishek Kumar, Shreyans Daga, and Rohit Jindal; UrbanVault founder Amal Mishra; and Alkendra Pratap Singh, Managing Director of Crescendo Industries Pvt. Ltd. and Director of KE Engineers Pvt. Ltd., among others. The fresh capital will be used to accelerate ONYA’s offline retail expansion across major Indian cities.
ONYA, short for “On You,” was founded on a simple idea: to create art that looks good On You. The inspiration came from a deeply personal moment when two people ready to begin their life together realized that the ring they loved was beyond reach. That experience sparked a mission to make beautifully designed and meaningful diamond jewellery accessible to everyone. Today, ONYA stands for crafting soulful lab-grown diamond pieces that mark life’s most cherished celebrations in every Indian home.
Within 11 months, ONYA has expanded to four profitable high-street stores in Bengaluru, achieving a monthly revenue run rate of ₹2 crore. The company has also strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Gaurav Choudhary, former Director of Products at xto10x, who joins as Co-founder.

Himani Yadav, Founder of ONYA, said, “ONYA didn’t begin as a business idea — it began with a personal moment. My engagement ring was a lab-grown diamond long before the category became mainstream, and that experience made me realize how many people felt priced out of meaningful jewellery. ONYA was created to change that by bringing emotion, accessibility, and intention back into fine jewellery.
Being backed by Zeropearl VC at this stage — and by someone like Bipin, who brings a decade of deep consumer-brand investing experience, including in jewellery — adds immense value and clarity to our journey. The fact that ONYA fits naturally into Zeropearl VC’s Indiluxe thesis reinforces that we’re building in the right direction. This partnership gives us the confidence to take thoughtfully designed lab-grown diamonds to more homes across India.”
Bipin Shah, Founder and Managing Partner, Zeropearl VC, said At Zeropearl VC, we back founders who deeply understand the problem they’re solving — and Himani’s clarity stood out from day one. The ONYA team is already showing early signs of cracking an offline & Design first approach in premium lab-grown diamond space which strongly aligns with our Indiluxe thesis. Young India’s shift in how they view jewellery is undeniable, and ONYA is building right at that inflection point.

Their design focus and customer obsession give us strong confidence — and we see this as a gateway to expanding into more premium, next-gen consumer categories over time.” ONYA’s jewellery features IGI-certified lab-grown diamonds set in BIS Hallmarked gold, blending scientific precision with elegant design. With this investment, ONYA plans to expand its product lines, open more customer-first experience stores, and deepen its connection with India’s growing base of conscious luxury
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