A sterling silver and gold plated piece of Ajit Imports and Exports' new Aura Collective line
Gem wholesaler expands into jewellery
Posted October 05, 2010 | By Sonia Nair
Ajit Imports and Exports has expanded its gem wholesaling business into jewellery, with the launch of a new fashion line called The Aura Collective.
The stylish silver jewellery range is a radical departure from Ajit’s established gem business. It launched in June this year as a response to the continuously changing fashion trends in the market, according to Ajit business analyst Paras Shah.
“Gemstones are one-off pieces preferred by people who are willing to spend money on an everlasting piece,” Shah said. The fashion jewellery line is expected to broaden Ajit’s existing client base by tapping into a market they had not explored before.
Shah believes there was a gap in the market for Ajit’s new line: “The Aura Collective was created to offer stylish real silver and gold plated silver products in place of the artificial jewellery currently out in the market,” he told Jeweller.
“We already have a proven reputation for high quality and a wide variety of products but our clientele base was mostly jewellery makers and wholesalers,” Paras said. “We wanted to bring a line for the general public.”
The Aura Collective range consists of rings, bracelets, earrings, bangles and other fashion pieces crafted from sterling silver, some combining silver with gold-plated silver.
The new line has garnered positive responses from retailers. “We have received an overwhelming response with the new range because it is different, affordable and fashionable,” Paras said. “We received a number of on-the-spot orders at the fairs in Melbourne and Sydney and we have been contacted by many retailers [since then] as well.”
Although Ajit intends to continue developing the new fashion jewellery line, the company also plans to expand its gemstone wholesale business.
“Ajit Gems will continue to cater to the needs of people who are interested in buying gemstones. We will maintain the expansion of our gemstone line with new and exciting additions in the future,” Paras said.
In some of the future additions, Ajit Gems will feature an expanded gold findings collection while The Aura Collective will start to include pure gold jewellery.
Businessman Gautam Shah launched Ajit Imports and Exports with his wife in 1999. The company was initially based in Bega, a small country town in New South Wales. It now has trading offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.