As jewellery connoisseurs, buffs or buyers here’s a jewellery story that merits being heard, seen and experienced, just to comprehend the uniqueness of it. Amongst the big players, where the focus is often on creating an opulent demeanour and integration of technological advances, the House of PMJ, the brand’s flagship store at Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad sticks to its dogma even when it comes to defining its spaces.
Their motto of 100 per cent transparency, literally and figuratively, is a philosophy woven into the entire fabric of the existence of this store. Backed by a deep-rooted legacy, this one-of-its-kind experience aims to bestow customers with a sense of trust beyond spoken words. It is a promise of quality, transparency, and product brilliance.
1. Tracing the birth of a design
‘Seeing is believing. This adage takes a bow here. For once, the theme is not some European period, mythological, historical or geographical setting. Thus, a list of imports; granites, chandeliers, and rugs are not the highlight here. If at all there is an inspiration that drives the decor, it is their own jewellery pieces and how they want to immerse the customer into the brand.
This store was principally envisioned to demonstrate the evolution of jewellery making from designing to manufacturing. In their words, it is an honest attempt to help clients understand why every piece of jewellery at PMJ is almost like an heirloom or a masterpiece.
In terms of retail space, it is 20000 sq ft plus an area with manufacturing set up in the same building. The number of hours painstakingly spent, from ideation, to quality control and to certifications, every single aspect, is out in the open. You also get to see filing and polishing, and the residual gold dust which is often a cause for speculation.
With close to 30 jewellery artisans in action, one can also witness processes like gold making, wax injections, casting, polishing, micro-setting, etc so that you know what goes on. The glass enclosures are quite truly see-through in every sense.
The ground, first and second floors are entirely dedicated to retail. On the third floor, there are 20 sketch designers who carry out customised designs. Within the same facility, customers are also shown how the same designs are converted into CAD with the help of CAD designers. Then the designs are printed on a 3D printer. You could also choose to take a full-fledged guided tour of the facility, in fact, you are encouraged to do so.
Usually, this kind of luxury is only afforded through a factory visit. And to make that available, the store has it all, setting a new benchmark in transparency.
2. Ideal Settings of Sumptuousness
While an open experience is key, the decor has not been compromised. The mammoth facade itself is a tell-tale sign of grandeur and you step in to face a vast De Beers island. The ground floor exudes a contemporary appeal rendered in white and blue conforming to the kind of jewellery that is available at the sales counters there. Everyday wear, work wear, party wear, kids and menswear and also by occasion and usage. Cool and vibrant. There are hand-picked furniture and lighting accessories but they don’t overshadow the jewellery.
3. Hospitality like a Family Jeweller
Little wonder, since the founder members are from Rajasthan, they extend the ‘khatirdari’ and live up to the tenet of ‘Atithi Devo bhava’. Each floor has a kitchen and typical Ghar ka khana, thali style is served hot and prepared by special Maharaj’s who have been brought in from Rajasthan to provide authentic flavours. Beverages include in-house brewed tea, and coffee and the juice offered is freshly squeezed, as they don’t serve soft drinks or tetra packs, exuding purity in hospitality too!
4. A Library of Original Designs
When you are spending heavy bucks, exclusivity is your right. And they know that. Another one of their USPs, as part of the design studio, there are wall-to-ceiling shelves with a couple of lacks of original, in-house hand-sketched designs. Not copied from a catalogue, or picked up from suppliers. You get to choose something exclusive and get it customised too. When it comes to showcasing designs to customers, they understand that a salesperson is not able to translate a sketch into what it will look when crafted with metals and gems. Hence, a team of design experts help visualise and communicate with the customer.
5. A Bridal Paradise
While PMJ is known to be a diamond focussed retailer, its bridal repertoire is massive. The brand has jewellery designers, bridal jewellery and diamond experts at the disposal of customers, helping them pick the best for the big day. Huge necklaces, chokers, bangles, matha-patties, waist belts and customised pieces, they customize the most intricate designs to meet customers’ expectations.
While the collection is mostly South Indian-fashioned jewellery, a variety of open- settings in all categories are also available. Additionally, there are fancy shape diamonds, multi-colour sapphires, coloured stones and an exclusive range of yellow diamonds.
6. At your finger-step
While the entire store is a must-visit of sorts, but those who prefer shopping from the comfort of their homes, sometimes even after a store tour, the brand is a click away through a 24/7 video calling facility. There is also a digital catalogue, and upon selection, the physical pieces are also shown. Also, over a zoom call, using a digital design sketchpad, designs can be customised as well. A marked difference from most others, there are no rendered images on the website, they are all real photographs of real jewellery ensuring that the customers get exactly what they see!
7. Quality is Paramount
At PMJ, 80 per cent of production is done in-house with manufacturing hubs in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. Apart from 100% industry-standardised certified jewellery, each piece goes through almost 20 rounds of quality checks and hallmarking. They also have the in-house natural diamond testing machine – Synth Detect hallmarking. All customers are open to see. And obviously, they sell natural diamonds only.
In the end, the idea behind the flagship store was to make it a custodian of the entire PMJ brand. It is a projection of the brand’s ideologies. With transparency at the core and the cornerstone of decor, this store is indeed the heart of the PMJ heritage.
Courtesy: Priyanka Banerjee
