Mindspeak 2025: Conversations that Sparked a Thousand Ideas

There are exhibitions that display jewellery and then there are those that polish ideas. Mindspeak 2025, the intellectual heart of the GJS show, was not just a conclave of industry leaders but a confluence of stories, struggles, and shining insights that mirrored the brilliance of the gems they represented.

The air inside the seminar hall buzzed with anticipation as the sessions began, each one unfolding like a well-cut diamond, every facet revealing a new reflection of the industry's journey.

It began with a session that immediately set the tone, "The Retailer's Illusion: Why Sales Alone Are Not Sufficient." Dr. Gaurav Bawa, a name synonymous with retail strategy, took to the stage to launch his new book under the moderation of the ever-insightful Mr. Ashok Minawala. What followed was not a lecture but a revelation. Dr. Bawa urged retailers to look beyond the immediate glitter of sales and focus instead on customer loyalty, experience, and emotional engagement, the invisible gold that sustains true retail success. The audience listened, rapt, as he decoded the illusion that traps many retailers: the belief that numbers alone define triumph.

From there, the conversation brewed richer with Coffee with Dr. Chetan Kumar Mehta. In what felt more like a fireside chat than a formal session, Dr. Mehta, CMD of Laxmi Diamonds, sat across from Mr. Rajesh Rokde, Chairman of GJC and Director of Rokde Jewellers. Their dialogue flowed like an old melody, two veterans discussing the art of endurance and evolution. Mr. Rokde's story, from his early experiments in design to building one of Vidarbha's most respected jewellery brands, resonated with every entrepreneur in the room. It wasn't merely a success story; it was a testament to grit, vision, and the courage to adapt to change.

The theme of transformation continued with a panel that many described as the emotional core of Mindspeak, The Transformation of Family Jewellery Businesses. Moderated again by Mr. Minawala, it brought together second- and third-generation jewellers, Avinash and Abhishek Gupta of Mamraj Mussadilal, Ashish and Neel Pethe of Waman Hari Pethe, Sumeet and Vedant Anand, and the father-son duo Ashish and Abhishek Kothari. The discussion turned into a tapestry of legacy and renewal, of how tradition and modernity could coexist without conflict. There were anecdotes of mentorship, creative disagreements, and the quiet pride of carrying a family name into the digital age.

If the morning was about wisdom, the afternoon belonged to innovation. The session "Game Changers in the Lab Grown Diamond Industry", moderated by Mr. Anil Prabhakar, glittered with ideas from leaders of Limelight Diamonds, Aza Fashion, Kohira Diamonds, Iris Jewels, Akivaa Jewels, Tanzire, and SGL Labs. It was less a debate, more a declaration, that the future of brilliance lies in sustainability, science, and storytelling.

Adding a futuristic edge, Ms. Sridevi Reddy delved into the world of AI in jewellery, a subject once seen as distant, now an imminent revolution. The hall buzzed with excitement as she unveiled how artificial intelligence is reshaping design, inventory, and even customer experience.

The GJSCI's presentation on Skilling with Speed and Quality through P.R.E.C.I.O.U.S. reaffirmed the industry's focus on craftsmanship, a reminder that behind every glittering creation lies the unseen artistry of skilled hands.

The final Mindspeak session, featuring Mr. Ravi Kumar from the RSS All India Outreach Team, provided a reflective close. Speaking of resilience and reform, he invited the audience to see challenges not as barriers but as blueprints for growth.

By the time the lights dimmed, the day had become more than a sequence of seminars, it was a collective story of an industry in motion. From tradition to technology, legacy to leadership, Mindspeak 2025 wasn't just a forum of minds, it was, in every sense, a mirror of India's jewellery industry finding its next sparkle.