Is Bijorhca worth it for an Indian jewellery brand or manufacturer?

Yes, Bijorhca is worth it for an Indian jewellery brand or manufacturer with real craft and a point of view, especially now that the EU's import duty on Indian jewellery is dropping to zero. It puts your product in front of the whole Paris fashion market, on a level field with European brands. At the GJEPC France Market Insights webinar on 24 June 2026, Bijorhca's Sylvie Pourrat (Offer Director, Bijorhca; Director of Development, WSN) laid out what the Paris jewellery market wants from India, and how its show opens the door. We represent Bijorhca for the Indian market, so here's the short version, for both brands and manufacturers.

What is Bijorhca?

Bijorhca is Paris's twice-a-year jewellery trade show. Paris has had a jewellery week since 1930, when BOCI opened the first one. Twice a year ever since, Bijorhca has been the meeting place for the global jewellery market: fine jewellery, costume jewellery, watches and the savoir-faire behind them (WSN). It runs on the Paris fashion calendar, in the same hall as Who's Next, inside the WSN group, backed by BOCI and Francéclat. In 2030 it turns 100.

How big is the French market for Indian jewellery?

France imports about $12.6 billion of jewellery a year, and India barely features in it. India ranks 11th among France's suppliers, behind Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Germany, with an untapped potential GJEPC puts at roughly $716 million. That gap is the opportunity.

The trend is already moving in India's favour. India's gem and jewellery exports to France have grown around 13% a year since FY2020, from $174 million to about $371 million, and rose 13.3% in FY26, a seven-year high. India is strongest in coloured gemstones, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, where it holds about 21% of France's $376 million import market, while gold jewellery exports jumped 40% year on year. The base is small; the slope is steep.

What makes Bijorhca different from a standalone jewellery fair?

The Who's Next alliance is what makes Bijorhca different from a standalone jewellery fair, and the reason it suits an ambitious Indian brand.

Bijorhca never stands alone. It runs in the same hall as Who's Next. This January, five WSN shows shared the floor: Who's Next, Bijorhca, Shoppe Object Paris, the Salon International de la Lingerie and Interfilière, 1,760 brands and suppliers, 139 countries, 60% international visitors (WSN, January 2026). So a jewellery brand at Bijorhca is seen by the entire fashion buying community, in a single trip to Paris, not only by jewellery buyers.

Can I exhibit as a brand or as a manufacturer?

Bijorhca hosts both brands and manufacturers under one roof. Its signature is putting both together: those who sell (around 41% retailers) and those who make (around 25% artisans sourcing components in the Elements space). That gives an Indian jeweller two doors in:

• As a brand. Show your own collection to European retailers and concept stores.
• As a manufacturer. Show your savoir-faire to European brands looking for a maker who can deliver craft. Many exhibitors do both.

India isn't a newcomer here. It already represents about 6% of the Bijorhca offer, among the show's top five exhibiting countries.

Who buys at Bijorhca?

Bijorhca draws buyers who come to place orders: about 48% retailers and concept stores, 60% in senior management or purchasing, from 139 countries. In the aisles you'll find specialist jewellery and watch stores, concept stores crossing over from Who's Next, agents and distributors, and e-commerce buyers. The top markets outside France are Italy, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. This is a working show: people come with budgets and the authority to decide on the spot.

What do European buyers want from Indian jewellery?

European buyers look for four things from an Indian jeweller, and these are the bar you need to clear:

• A point of view. Distinctive design with a story, not generic catalogue product.
• Craft they can feel. Silver, brass, semi-precious stones, beadwork, real handwork. The authenticity buyers come to Bijorhca for.
• Europe-ready. Clean finishing, retail-friendly quantities, and pricing that still works after the European markup.
• Reliability. Orders delivered on time, samples that match production.

Indian brands that bring those four things see results at Bijorhca. As Shaili Sakhpara, co-founder of the Indian brand TVER, put it after a third edition with a stand that expanded every time: buyers come looking for authentic craftsmanship, and the international reach was spectacular, with confirmed orders for the Middle East, Brazil and Latin America (GJEPC deck).

What actually sells, from a European buyer?

On the webinar, the buyer side came from Sophie Carreras of the boutique Victorienne, a 40-year-old family store carrying around 80 brands, premium and niche, including Indian labels like Anavila and Benares. She buys on gut and eye, not on volume data, and what she said is some of the most useful guidance an Indian jeweller can get.

Indian craft is strong, Carreras said, but the design has to adapt for the Western customer: less big, less shiny, more daily-wear. Find the middle ground, keep the craft and the heritage, but don't copy-paste India into France. And finish the piece front and back, she checks both.

Her non-negotiables are worth writing down:

• Realistic minimums. A small independent boutique can't take factory-scale MOQs.
• Nickel-free, allergen-free earring backs. Not optional for European customers.
• Gold-plating that lasts and doesn't fade quickly.

She also framed where jewellery sits in her store: it completes a look, and it's accessible gifting, not everything has to be a 100-euro-plus piece. On stones, polki goes down well with her clientele, while lab-grown is less relevant for her.

What does Bijorhca do for your brand?

Beyond the buyers, Bijorhca is built to grow your brand:

• A Paris stamp you use all year, in your own communication, with your own buyers.
• The Who's Next alliance: the full fashion buying audience walks your aisle, not only jewellery buyers.
• A place for both brand and manufacturer in the selection.
• Year-round support: brand book, photo shooting at the show, social and newsletter coverage, agents and distributors.
• A curated, design-led floor that positions you upmarket from day one.

How do you get goods to Paris and stay compliant?

Indian exhibitors should have a few things ready, drawn from the webinar's Q&A:

• ATA Carnet is the usual route for Indian exhibitors: declare your goods on departure, show the same goods on return.
• Selling from the cash-and-carry section needs an import declaration, an EORI number and a French VAT number. Hand-carry works for small volumes, and specialist freight forwarders can help.
• Nickel-free certification matters more than any hallmark logo for retail jewellery.
• There's confirmed demand for 14k and 18k gemstone jewellery, and a dedicated Brilliant area for fine and diamond pieces.
• Orders usually land one to two weeks after the show, not on the floor, so plan your follow-up.

Why exhibit now?

The timing is rare because the India-EU trade deal is about to take jewellery duty to zero. In January 2026, India and the EU concluded their trade agreement. As it comes into force, the EU's import duties on Indian gems and jewellery fall to zero, duties that ran as high as 4%, and GJEPC has welcomed it. To be straight about timing: the deal still needs signing and ratification, so it lands over the coming year, but the direction is set. In plain terms, your product will sit in Paris on a level field with European brands. The India-UK agreement has already opened the UK, one of the top-five buyer markets at Bijorhca. (We cover the wider deal in our piece on the EU-India window.)

You won't be the first Indian brand there. Indian brands are already registered for September 2026, among them Bhavya Ramesh, Rata, Mortantra, Gori Gems, The Sparkles, Psquare, Silver Gallery, Ishime Jewels, Adore Jewels and Narmae. Some of them are on our list of the 25 Indian brands heading to Paris this season.

How do you take part?

Expo Connexion represents Bijorhca for India and handles the way in. We look at your collection or your savoir-faire, tell you honestly whether it fits the curation, recommend whether you go as a brand or a manufacturer, and manage the application and booth with the organiser (see the show). The next edition is 5 to 7 September 2026 at Porte de Versailles, alongside Who's Next.

Bijorhca puts Indian jewellery in front of the whole Paris fashion market, at the exact moment the duty drops to zero. For a brand or a manufacturer with real craft and a point of view, there isn't a cleaner door into Europe right now.

Tell us what you make and we'll tell you how to show it. Apply here, or book a 30-minute call.