About Me – Sheetal Bamalwa

“Perhaps time’s definition of coal is the diamond”
– Kahlil Gibran

Early Years

My parents instilled in me a sense of hard work and discipline. Under their guidance, I was able to explore my interests, both academically and in extracurricular activities. My father, Mr M Verma, an engineer from BITS Pilani was a gold medalist and my mother, Mrs Urmila Verma, a state volleyball player, placed a great deal of importance in all-round excellence.

Due to their upbringing and encouragement, I performed consistently well in academics, excelled in athletics and sports, and received a national rank in pre-engineering tests.

Foray into jewellery

I got married to Vinod Bamalwa in 1999. His father, Late Madanlalji Bamalwa, founder of the prestigious Nemichand Bamalwa and Sons Jewellers, guided me with care, compassion and firmness and piqued my interest in jewellery. I was trained to be a diamantaire, with the responsibility of ensuring quality, value and consistency. My training was rigorous, and I began a weekly column publishing diamond rates. This column appeared in the most widely circulated vernacular dailies in Eastern India, and its purpose was to educate people to make the most informed decisions when it came to purchasing jewellery. The column has been in print for over 20 years now, and it’s a matter of personal pride that I have been able to reach out to hundreds of thousands of women and empowered them to make the most of their investment. You see, the prices of diamonds in the Indian market is dependent on three factors:

The Rapaport (The Rapaport Price List is the primary source of diamond prices and diamond market information),
The dollar price, and
Trade discounts on the diamond

These three factors cause the diamonds’ prices to change and cause typical buyers to be often mystified. By publishing prices weekly, buyers can track their savings and ensure that they’re getting the most out of their money when they’re ready to invest.

A legacy of empowerment

Jewellery mystifies people. There are innumerable myths, questions and doubts. When I started publishing my column, I would get an unending stream of questions. Over time, it became my unspoken mission to educate the layperson and teach the basics. Along the way, I noticed it was impacting millennials as they began showing interest in investing in diamonds and jewellery.

When we pause to think about it, jewellery is probably the only investment used as adornment and is kept in full possession with the ladies themselves. It, therefore, becomes imperative that one understands the value of the assets they possess. By clarifying confusion and generating awareness, I aim to equip my readers to recognise and avoid malpractices to avoid getting cheated.

This task was initiated by Late Shri Madanlalji Bamalwa, and he was keen to make jewellery a transparent business. It’s a matter of great pride and honour that I am taking his legacy forward.

Work and recognition

Late Shri Madanlalji Bamalwa believed that a Diamantaire is not someone who is simply a diamond dealer but one who is responsible for every single dealing made with any customer. He was the first to start a buy-back policy in diamonds, at a time when it was an unheard-of notion. Jewellery is personal, and bespoke jewellery more so. They are heirloom pieces passed on from generation to generation. The craft of putting together a unique piece of jewellery is meant to reflect the buyer’s taste and lineage. This is, as you can well imagine, equal parts effort and inspiration, with a generous helping of scientific balance and creativity. There are customisations and control in the look and design at all stages of jewellery making. It starts with:

Procuring diamonds (done over time)
Designing (to your stylistic choices)
Making (flexible, light)
Fitting of jewellery on the neck (the fall, the length)

There is tighter control over the budget and transparency because you have the prices at every step. This avoids surprises. This dedicated expertise and attentive effort received recognition. I became a GIA member (Gemological Institute of America), and my narrative of the journey of a jeweller was published in “GIA origin stories” as one of the most liked stories.

I received the prestigious Sanmarg “Aaparajita” award for “Young Achiever in the field of jewellery” in 2018. The Governor, Shri Jagdeep Dhankarji awarded me the “Women Entrepreneur Award” at Jain International Trade Organization’s Ladies Wing in 2020.

The path ahead

While the family has always been my first and foremost priority, I want to empower women and hold a strong belief that educating women is the only way to educate society and the nation. As the mother of two college-going kids, a boy and a girl, I’m aware of the unique challenges faced by working women.

As an aspirational speaker, I seek to inspire and educate women by sharing the lessons I’ve learned in my journey. After all, it’s the battles that we win in every day’s workings that equip us to confidently face life in the years that lie ahead.