Blue Diamonds explores influencer co-designed jewellery collections for retail market expansion

Andrew Lee and Manjaree Gamage-Booker open doors to Design & Innovation Centre

• Enters partnership with Cyaniq Consulting for project implementation
• Opens doors to Design & Innovation Centre in Katunayake

Blue Diamonds Jewellery Worldwide PLC (BDJW) opened doors to its Design & Innovation Centre at the Katunayake Export Processing Zone at a recently held event in the presence of many distinguished guests.
BDJW Chairman Andrew Lee and CEO Manjaree Gamage-Booker announced an exciting future roadmap of projects on the back of a highly successful rights issue, which raised funds amounting to Rs.129.5 million. The raise has been instrumental in funding the launch of the Design & Innovation Centre along with plans for a major retail push focused on promising international markets.   

An innovative influencer co-design project is cast among the strategic initiatives undertaken to expand the jewellery maker’s retail business. Cyaniq Consulting & Advisory has been selected to implement the project on behalf of BDJW and the service contract was signed at the event, marking the commencement of a truly unique market innovation strategy for BDJW.

Co-design, also referred to as collaborative design, is gaining popularity in the Western markets and involves jewellery makers working in close partnership with celebrities and elite customers to produce often limited, iconic collections of jewellery. 

“It’s a new direction for the company - our design team is being challenged in a different way but I’m confident they are up to the task. Our patented floating diamond setting also allows us to get more creative with this designed collection compared to any other brand,” elaborated Lee.

Co-designed jewellery is among the many innovations that constitute the ambitious retail push BDJW aims to make in the coming months to capture share from promising foreign markets. The launch project in collaboration with three Sri Lankan social media influencers will be a pilot ahead of plans to adopt the business model in collaboration with foreign social media influencers and Sri Lankan influencers currently operating in foreign markets. 

The business model is supported by the expert capability of the experienced designers and jewellery makers at BDJW and the state-of-the-art facility unveiled in Katunayake by Lee and Gamage-Booker. Blue Diamonds counts decades of heritage and history as a premier jewellery maker in Sri Lanka and is well-poised to explore the co-design business model successfully and make a statement headlining Sri Lanka’s design and jewellery making capabilities to the global market.

“As a consultancy, we have always made recommendations on the belief that radical innovation is necessary for radical outcomes. We are thrilled to find like-minded stakeholders in the leadership team at Blue Diamonds. We are confident that this will be a hallmark project for us and a great platform to showcase the proficiency of Sri Lankans jewellery making as well as the potential for leveraging the power of social media and the talent of influencers in Sri Lanka,” commented Cyaniq Consulting & Advisory Consulting Lead Praveeni Alahakoon. 

The success achieved by BDJW after a sustained period of challenges is a testament to its relentless dedication to enhancing its business model. Shareholders can look forward to the company’s continued growth and success in the coming months and years, as it focuses on establishing itself as an internationally recognised premium and preferred gem and jewellery provider, with its innovative Design & Innovation Centre at the forefront of its strategic endeavours.