Wedding jewellery purchases remain deeply sentiment-driven despite historic gold prices: Ramesh Kalyanaraman

Every Indian wedding begins long before the vows are exchanged. Sometimes it starts in the goldsmith’s workshop, where intricate bangles take shape; sometimes it’s at the tea table, as families gather to discuss bridal jewellery; or in the Pinterest moodboards that brides and friends painstakingly curate. For decades, jewellery has been a symbol of pride at Indian weddings. And for brands, this season has become a vital chapter in their marketing playbook.

Few industries capture India’s diversity like wedding jewellery. From the temple-inspired grandeur a Tamil bride dreams of, to the ornate gold sets treasured across Indian families, marketing in this landscape requires more than storytelling. It demands a delicate balance between hyperlocal authenticity and a cohesive national identity.

For Kalyan Jewellers, this balance can be seen in every campaign, amplified through a mix of celebrity ambassadors as diverse as the country itself, and rooted in regional traditions. 

This wedding season, the jewellery industry faces a big challenge: historic gold prices. Yet, Kalyan Jewellers’ Executive Director, Ramesh Kalyanaraman, notes that wedding jewellery buying remains deeply sentimental, with customers carefully planning their purchases within set budgets.

In conversation, we look at how the brand navigates the great Indian wedding season, blending digital discovery with in-store rituals, highlighting the enduring value of gold amid rising prices, and crafting campaigns that reflect both tradition and the evolving tastes of modern brides.

Edited Excerpts:

Wedding jewellery purchases in India are intensely regional; a Tamil bride's expectations differ vastly from a Punjabi or Bengali bride's. How are you balancing pan-India brand building with the hyperlocal storytelling that wedding purchases demand?

That's right - a Tamil bride’s vision of her bridal jewellery is vastly different from that of a Punjabi or Bengali bride. At Kalyan Jewellers, we’ve built a model that honours this diversity while maintaining a cohesive national identity. Our strength lies in creating collections and campaigns that are hyperlocal at the core, supported by insights from each market. Every region’s showroom and MyKalyan network contribute to this understanding, from customer preferences and rituals to design sensibilities, which in turn inform our regional campaign planning. 

While our pan-India campaigns reinforce the larger narrative of trust and legacy, the hyperlocal storytelling allows us to reflect regional bridal traditions authentically. This dual approach, amplified through our national, regional and international brand ambassadors from Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif to Prabhu Ganesan, Nagarjuna and Pooja Sawant or Ritabhari Chakrobarthy, ensures that we stay culturally rooted yet nationally unified.

The wedding jewellery market is arguably one of the few retail categories where the purchase journey still begins offline, with family visits to showrooms being almost ritualistic. Yet digital discovery is increasingly influencing even these traditional purchase paths. What does your omnichannel strategy look like for wedding jewellery specifically, and what percentage of your wedding jewellery customers can be traced back to digital touchpoints versus walk-ins?

Wedding jewellery continues to remain largely offline-led experiences; however, digital discovery is now a crucial first step. Customers initiate their journey online via our social media or popular campaigns, often shortlisting designs before visiting. A growing percentage of our wedding jewellery walk-ins are directly traceable to these digital touchpoints, showcasing a hybrid purchase journey where online convenience complements the trusted in-store experience.

The jewellery industry sees extreme revenue concentration during festive and wedding seasons, particularly Akshaya Tritiya, Dhanteras, and the wedding months. Industry estimates suggest 60-70% of annual jewelry sales happen in these compressed windows. How does Kalyan Jewellers' revenue distribution align with this pattern, and what strategies are you deploying to extend the wedding jewellery shopping window or create demand in traditionally slow months?

We’ve recorded consistent quarter-on-quarter performance over the past few years. While the festive period naturally contributes a larger share, our same-store sales growth has steadily improved even during the leaner months.  

The jewellery industry is witnessing a fundamental shift with 9-karat gold gaining hallmarking recognition, and competitors are aggressively advertising in this segment. This represents a democratisation moment similar to what lab-grown diamonds did for the diamond industry. How does Kalyan Jewellers view this shift, and how does this impact your marketing?

We are constantly observing evolving market dynamics. Our focus remains strongly on 18K and 22K gold, reflecting customer preferences for purity and value. Our marketing emphasises the intrinsic value and trusted quality of our offerings, promoting transparency through our 4-level assurance and BIS Hallmarking. Any shifts will be evaluated to align with our commitment to customer trust and market relevance, ensuring our designs cater to both traditional and evolving customer tastes.

With gold prices touching historic highs and inflation impacting discretionary spending, are you seeing wedding jewellery purchases becoming more value-conscious? How is this influencing your product strategy and marketing messaging?

Despite historic gold prices, wedding jewellery purchases remain deeply sentiment-driven, with families planning within defined budgets. As we move into the wedding season, purchases are increasingly occasion-led rather than discretionary. Weddings, for Indians, are intrinsically tied to tradition, and families have historically planned their purchases using options like monthly instalments and old gold exchanges. 

We are also seeing a growing interest in designs that offer a ‘heavier look’ through intricate craftsmanship and volumetric detailing, but with lower grammage, allowing for an opulent aesthetic without the additional weight. 

Gold continues to be viewed as an asset that holds its value over time, making bridal purchases both emotional and enduring. Our messaging reinforces gold's enduring value as an investment and its cultural significance, alongside promotions like up to 50% off on making charges to ensure accessibility without compromising tradition.

Jewelry brands have traditionally been heavy spenders on television and print, but the media landscape has fragmented dramatically. What does your media spend distribution look like? How much goes to traditional media versus digital performance marketing, influencer partnerships, and experiential marketing?

We have significantly evolved our media strategy. While television and print remain vital for mass reach and credibility, we have steadily increased investment in digital with performance-led campaigns. Our distribution is a blend of traditional media, securing broad visibility, while digital allows for precision targeting and engagement. 

Regionally tailored ad films enhance cultural relevance. Experiential marketing and showroom events remain crucial for reinforcing trust and emotional connection locally, complemented by online marketplace presence for gold and silver coins, driving significant sales among digitally savvy buyers.

The influencer marketing playbook for jewelry is inherently different from fashion or beauty, purchases are high-value, low-frequency, and deeply emotional. How are you approaching influencer marketing this wedding season?

Wedding jewellery is a high-value, once-in-a-lifetime purchase, so authenticity and trust matter far more than reach. Our approach this season has been to use our celebrity ambassadors as storytellers and influencers — showcasing the craftsmanship, design, and emotion behind each piece, while keeping the product as the true hero. 

Whether it’s through festive content with Jhanvi and Kriti Sanon or regional narratives with our South Indian ambassadors, the focus remains on evoking the emotional significance of jewellery in a wedding context. These collaborations also allow us to highlight our 4-Level Assurance and BIS Hallmarking, reinforcing the confidence behind every high-value purchase.

There's a clear premiumization trend in wedding jewelry, customers are investing in fewer but higher-value, better-designed pieces rather than volume purchases. This mirrors the shift in ethnic wear from mass to premium. How has your customer demographic for wedding jewelry evolved over the past five years, and how has this shifted your marketing approach?

Today’s brides seek individuality and self-expression, often blending traditional gold with contemporary styles. Our customer demographic for wedding jewellery increasingly demands pieces that are both culturally significant and uniquely expressive. This has shifted our marketing to highlight design innovation—like our Huescape Collection—which celebrates the modern bride by reimagining traditional motifs with vibrant gemstones and contemporary silhouettes, ensuring jewellery tells personal stories while retaining its soulful tradition. 

AI adoption is accelerating across retail. For jewelry specifically, what AI-driven marketing capabilities do you believe will become table stakes?

Right now, we’re using AI to personalise recommendations, optimise campaigns, and anticipate customer demand. It helps us make every interaction more relevant, ensuring the right jewellery reaches the right customer at the right time.

With the next wave of growth expected to come from younger, semi-urban, and first-time gold buyers, how do you see the idea of jewellery itself transforming and what future opportunities or product innovations are you preparing for? 

For generations, jewellery in India has been an heirloom of emotion and a symbol of blessings. As younger, semi-urban, and first-time buyers emerge, this emotional connection remains paramount. What's transforming is their expression of it. They seek pieces blending heritage craftsmanship with modern design and everyday wearability. We are preparing for this by reimagining traditional motifs through contemporary silhouettes, creating jewellery that tells personal stories while keeping tradition alive. This includes innovative designs for 18K gold and 'heavier look' 22K pieces at lower grammage, ensuring accessibility and relevance for the next wave of buyers, and leveraging digital platforms for discovery.