"Diamonds are a girl's best friend" sang Marilyn Monroe well over a quarter of a century ago. There are still women around who would agree. Not just that, the men seem to have been infected with the diamond-bug as well.

Jewellery has always held the greatest fascination in the Indian psyche, validated by the fact that Indians are the greatest hoarders of jewels and precious metals. In fact, the Indian industry contributes 43% of the total jewellery and gem export around the globe. After all, people see jewellery not just as a fashion accessory or a status symbol, but an investment as well.

While jewellery is an age-old profession, mostly ancestral, recent trends have forced a break from this custom. With fashion fast becoming an everyday aspect of our lives, all branches of accessory-designing including jewellery have come into the limelight, gaining widespread acceptance and prominence.

Today, jewellery designing is about a desire to experiment and innovate, to create new desi