Diamonds being synonymous with love, it is no wonder that the biggest profit from the Valentine’s Day is reaped by the merchants of Surat.

The diamond city has already geared up to meet the demand. There are innovative designs, schemes, shapes and marketing ideas.

And if you thought that this is just a provenance for the rich, think again. Surat's diamond market has a diamond for everyone, ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000.

Pendants, rings, earrings, necklaces are on offer keeping the lower middle class group in mind. Of course, for those who can afford it, the sky is the limit. Nevertheless, love is the name of the game, for the usual solitaire has undergone a change. And a heart shaped diamond can now be yours for Rs 10 lakh.

Marketing, too, has put on muscles. Jewellers are going out of their way to woo customers.

Advertisements in newspapers talk about new schemes and there's home delivery - complete with chocolates and flowers. But what Kiah jewellers in Surat did was unique.

"One of our regular customers on V-Day is 70-year-old Kanti Patel, who stays in Adajan area,” says Dhiru Naik, the manager.

Patel had been coming to the store for the last six years. “Every V-Day, he would get diamond rings, pendants, earrings or bangles for his wife,” says Naik.

But this year, being unwell, he failed to turn up. But this did not mean that the couple, who stay alone and don't have any children, wouldn't celebrate the day.

“We have a surprise for him. We will visit his house Thursday morning and hand him a gift box containing a set of diamond pendant and rings and ask him to present it to his wife. We plan to make this moment a cherishable one,” said Naik. To cater to the demand, work begins from January itself, says Naik.

“We have realised that the major sale on V-Day is of pendants and rings. So we stock up on these diligently,” he adds.

So what sells the most?

Diamond pendants ranging between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 -- a majority of them heart-shaped - is the most sought-after design. The sale starts from February 11 and continues till the night of February 14. But those who prefer the unusual also have options.

Deepak Chokshi, owner of D Khushalbhai Jewellers in Surat, says they have come up with a pair of wristwatches with diamonds on dials. The idea has clicked and many customers are opting for these watches, as either partner can gift it to the other. Keeping in mind different customer segments, the range starts from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10 lakh.

“We have come up with lightweight diamond jewellery too. For teenagers and young couples, there are diamond pendants in different letters.”

The sale of diamonds has seen a surge in these five days. And to boost it further, there's also the home delivery service on the D-Day. “In fact, we have created a separate department particularly for V-Day. Compared to last year, the sale has been excellent so far,” he says.


Courtesy : Expressindia.com

Indian origin Cisco official Padmasree Warrior has been named one of the top 15 most influential women driving innovation (and revenue) in corporate America.

Warrior, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the Cisco Systems, has been ranked among the top 15 women in business by a magazine.

The PINK magazine's Top 15 Women in Business - "The Innovators" list identifies remarkable women leaders who use ideas to transform Companies every single day.

From Michelle Gass, just promoted to senior vice president of global strategy at Starbucks, to Union Pacific Railroad's Diane Duren, who developed a new train route that delivers millions in revenue annually, these women create change in their organisations - the kind that births new generations of products and has an immediate impact on the bottom line, says the magazine that caters to America's career-focused women.

Warrior, who joined Cisco in December 2007 after stepping down as the Vice President and CTO of Motorola has been known as a driving force for innovation at Motorola and knowing how to harness the creative power of engineers.

Warrior, 47, raised in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, India, holds a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from IIT Delhi and a M.S. degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University. In 2007 she was awarded Doctor of Engineering, Honoris Causa from New York's Polytechnic University.

Besides Padmasree, some other women making to the list in the March-April issue of the magazine are: Cathy Avgiris, Comcast, Barbara Beck, Manpower, Irene Chang Britt, Campbell Soup, Laurie Brubaker, Aetna, Diane Duren, Union Pacific Railroad, Julie England, Texas Instruments, Michelle Gass, Starbucks.


Courtesy : WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM