IIG Gujarat: The International Institute of Gemology, Gujarat, marked a milestone moment with the successful launch of its first-ever Retail Strategy Bootcamp, a first-of-its-kind initiative that brought together jewellery business owners, retailers, and next-gen entrepreneurs under one roof. 

The Gujarat Chapter was spearheaded by Khushi Gupta, IIG’s Regional Head for Gujarat and Co-Founder of Brand Verse, who played a pivotal role in conceptualizing, curating, and leading the marketing for the event. The event was curated and marketed by Brand Verse, IIG’s official marketing partner. It was powered by Dassani Brothers as the Sponsor, Ridhira Jewels as the Goodies Partner, and conducted in association with the Jewellers Association, Ahmedabad.

The event was graced by leading retailers, industry professionals, and distinguished guest Jigar Soni, President of the Jewellers Association, Ahmedabad, whose presence added immense value to the occasion. What made the bootcamp stand apart was its depth and practicality. Participants explored core pillars shaping the future of jewellery retail: Strategy, Branding That Works, Team Communication & Training, and AI & The Future of Jewellery Retail, through an immersive mix of case studies, live exercises, and real-world insights. 

The idea behind curating such a comprehensive bootcamp stemmed from IIG’s belief that today’s jewellery professionals need more than just technical knowledge, they need “need-of-the-hour” skills that bridge creativity, commerce, and consumer psychology. In an era where the retail landscape is transforming by the day, these programs are IIG’s way of democratizing business education: B-school learnings made short, sharp, and bite-sized for the jewellery world.

Known for his ability to simplify the complex, Rahul Desai, CEO & Managing Director of IIG, has built a reputation for delivering deep insights through accessible formats: be it his bite-sized podcast Loupe Insight, his sharp LinkedIn lessons, or now, this immersive bootcamp. Speaking about the vision behind the initiative, he shared,“Jewellery retail is not just about selling beauty; it’s about decoding human behavior, trust, and emotion. Through this bootcamp, our goal was to empower retailers to think strategically, and embrace insights that drive sustainable growth. We wanted to make business education accessible, relevant, and immediately actionable for the jewellery world.”

Echoing the sentiment, Gunjan Sapra, COO and Head of Jewellery Design Department, added, “This bootcamp was designed to bridge creativity with commerce. As someone who lives at the intersection of design and strategy, I believe the modern jeweller must think like a designer, speak like a storyteller, and act like a strategist. What we witnessed in Gujarat, the response was phenomenal, not just because of the content, but because participants saw themselves reflected in it.” 

Khushi Gupta, Co-Founder of The BrandVerse Atelier and the Regional head IIG Gujarat, added, “AI and creativity aren’t at odds, they’re partners in progress. At Brand Verse, we’ve seen how technology can amplify human imagination, not replace it. Collaborating with IIG allowed us to bring that belief alive, crafting a learning experience that felt like the haute couture of learning strategy and storytelling, served exclusively for those ready to evolve.”

The success of the Gujarat Chapter marks the beginning of a larger movement. With future chapters planned across major Indian cities, the IIG Jewellery Retail Strategy Bootcamp aims to redefine how business education reaches the jewellery industry, one city, one chapter at a time.  Each chapter will act as a knowledge capsule, sharp, experiential, and deeply relevant, bridging traditional craftsmanship with modern strategy.