Inside Eternz's Rise to a Leading Jewellery Marketplace

Jewelry is no longer just something people buy as a long-term investment and keep in a bank locker. Today, it has become a way to express personal style, identity, and everyday choices. Arthi Ramalingam, the founder of the Eternz jewelry marketplace, is leading this change by moving away from "jewelry as an investment" to "jewelry as a lifestyle." By building a platform that focuses on curation and trust, she has created a space where 300+ brands thrive and customers feel safe buying everything from silver rings to lab-grown diamonds.

In a deep conversation on the Open Tab podcast, Arthi explained that the timing for a vertical marketplace like Eternz is finally right. Ten years ago, the market was too unorganized. Today, with the rise of D2C brands and a shift in how Gen Z and Millennials shop, Eternz is filling a massive gap. Arthi brings a decade of experience to the table, having built her own D2C brand and led marketing at Udaan, one of India's biggest marketplaces. This background allows her to understand both what a brand needs to grow and what a customer needs to feel confident.

Actually, most people think a marketplace should have as many products as possible. Arthi believes the opposite. By saying "no" to 70% of the brands that want to join, she makes the "yes" much more valuable for the brands that actually make the cut.

Why Jewelry Is Shifting From a Safe Investment to a Daily Accessory

The modern jewelry market is moving away from heavy 22-karat gold sets toward lightweight, trendy pieces that people can wear to work or parties. Consumers now treat jewelry like fast fashion, wanting different styles for different outfits rather than one expensive piece they wear for years. This shift has created a huge demand for silver, 9-karat gold, and lab-grown diamonds.

In the past, buying jewelry was a serious family event. You went to a trusted local jeweler to buy gold that you might never wear. Today, the behavior is different:

• Frequency: Women are buying jewelry more often, sometimes once a month, to match new fashion trends.
• Variety: There is a growing interest in "mix and match" styles, where high-end pieces are paired with affordable fashion jewelry.
• Occasions: Jewelry is now bought for vacations, office wear, and even spiritual reasons, not just for weddings.
• Self-Expression: For Gen Z, a ring or a necklace is a way to show their personality, much like the clothes they wear.

Did you know that on the Eternz platform, once a customer makes their second purchase, they often start buying every 22 to 28 days? Jewelry has officially moved from a "once a year" purchase to a monthly habit.

The Power of a Curated Jewelry Marketplace Over General Platforms

A curated marketplace like Eternz wins because it solves the "Discovery Problem" by bringing hundreds of high-quality designs under one roof while maintaining a strict standard of trust. Unlike giant websites that sell everything from electronics to soap, Eternz focuses only on jewelry and watches, ensuring the shopping experience feels premium and relevant. This focus allows the platform to build a deeper relationship with the shopper.

When you go to a general marketplace, you might see thousands of items, but you don't know which ones are good. Arthi’s team does the hard work of checking every brand before they are allowed on the site. This curation acts as a "moat," or a protective wall, because it guarantees quality that general sites cannot match.

Key benefits of the curated model include:

• Niche Expertise: The platform understands specific needs like "office wear" or "travel jewelry."
• Brand Trust: Customers trust the Eternz name, which makes them more willing to try smaller, boutique brands.
• Relevant Search: The filters and categories are designed specifically for jewelry lovers, not general shoppers.

This specialized approach highlights a broader industry trend where shoppers increasingly prefer curated platforms over individual retailers. If you're wondering which model offers better selection, trust, and convenience, explore our detailed comparison of Jewelry Marketplace vs Jewelry Brand: What Should You Choose?

How Eternz Solves the Online Trust Gap for Jewelry Buyers

Eternz uses advanced technology like virtual try-ons and digital ring sizers to give customers the confidence they need to buy jewelry without touching it first. By mimicking the "mirror and velvet tray" experience of a physical store, the platform reduces the fear of buying the wrong size or style. These tools have directly led to higher sales and fewer returns.

Buying jewelry online used to be scary because you couldn't tell the size or how it would look on your skin. Eternz fixes this with:

1. Virtual Try-On: Using your phone camera to see how earrings or necklaces look on your face.
2. Virtual Ring Sizer: A simple tool where you place an existing ring on your screen to find your exact size.
3. AI Quality Checks: Using computers to scan photos and descriptions to make sure everything is accurate before it goes live.

If you are running an online store, remember that 99.9% of women don't know their ring size. Providing a simple digital tool to find that size can triple your sales conversion almost overnight!

Why the 70 Percent Rejection Rate is the Secret to Long-Term Success

The 70% rejection rate at Eternz ensures that only the most reliable and design-forward brands reach the customer, which protects the platform’s reputation. While most businesses want to grow as fast as possible by adding any seller, Arthi knows that one bad experience can ruin a customer's trust forever. By being picky, Eternz becomes a "gold standard" for quality.

This strictness actually helps the brands that do get in. Because there is less "noise" from low-quality sellers, the good brands get more attention. In fact, for about 15 brands on the platform, Eternz accounts for 65% of their total sales.

The curation process looks at:

• Design Uniqueness: Does the brand offer something different, like Korean-themed jewelry or traditional temple designs?
• Material Quality: Is the silver genuine? Are the gold-plated items durable?
• Reliability: Can the brand ship orders on time and handle customer questions?

"Curation is the only real moat. In a world where you can find everything everywhere, people will pay for someone to tell them what is actually worth buying." — Arthi Ramalingam

How Arthi Ramalingam is Building the Infrastructure for the Category

Arthi's vision for Eternz is to move beyond just being a website and become the entire "ecosystem" for jewelry and watches in India. This means providing data to brands, helping international labels enter the Indian market, and eventually opening physical stores. She isn't just selling rings; she is building the pipes and wires that help the whole industry grow.

Because Eternz sees so much data, they know exactly what people want. They share these insights with brands to help them make better products. For example:

• Identifying Whitespaces: If people are searching for "arm cuffs" but no one is making them, Eternz tells their partners to fill that gap.
• Price Point Optimization: Helping brands understand what prices work best for Gen Z versus older customers.
• Regional Trends: Knowing that a "Mangalsutra" design in Mumbai needs to look different from one in Chennai.

How Private Labels Fill Gaps Without Competing With Brands

Eternz uses its "private label" brands not to copy existing sellers, but to offer unique styles that are currently missing from the Indian market. A great example of this is their launch of Korean-style jewelry, which has become very popular due to the rise of K-dramas and K-pop but was hard to find in high quality locally.

Many marketplaces make the mistake of copying their best-selling partners. Arthi believes this is wrong. Instead, her strategy is:

1. Research: Look for themes (like "Minimalist Office Wear") that aren't being fully served.
2. Innovation: Launch a small collection under an Eternz-owned label to test the market.
3. Expansion: If it works, they continue to grow that specific niche without hurting their partner brands.

The Future of Eternz: Watches and International Expansion

Eternz recently added watches to its platform because they are the perfect "adjacent category" that people wear alongside jewelry. Just like jewelry, watches are becoming fashion accessories for women rather than just tools to tell time. This expansion allows Eternz to capture more of the customer's "accessory budget."

Beyond watches, the next big steps for the company include:

• International Distribution: Helping famous global brands like Pandora or luxury labels from the US and Europe enter India through Eternz.
• Sole Partnerships: Becoming the only place in India where you can buy certain world-famous jewelry designs.
• Premium Gifting: Building a specialized section for men to buy high-quality gifts for anniversaries and birthdays.

Moving From Online to Offline: The Sephora Model for Jewelry

Eternz plans to open physical stores in cities like Bangalore to give customers a place to "touch and feel" the jewelry before they buy. Arthi describes this as the "Sephora or Nykaa Luxe" model for jewelry—a multi-brand store where you can try on 20 different brands in one beautiful location.

Even though online shopping is growing, jewelry is still very personal. People often like to see how a stone sparkles in the light or how heavy a bracelet feels. By going "Omni-channel" (both online and offline), Eternz can:

• Increase Trust: Seeing a physical store makes people feel safer buying online later.
• Better Discovery: A store allows for "window shopping" that can lead to big purchases.
• Brand Experience: It creates a space where the brand's personality can really shine.

In the past, it took brands 4 to 5 years to go from online to offline. Today, that gap has shrunk to just 1 or 2 years because customers want a seamless experience across both worlds.

Why the Next Five Years Will Define the Jewelry Marketplace

In the next five years, Eternz aims to be the "starting point" for anyone in India thinking about buying jewelry or a watch. By combining a 50/50 mix of online and offline sales, the company wants to provide the infrastructure that helps small designers become national stars. Arthi’s journey from a student at IIM-Ahmedabad to a marketplace leader shows that when you focus on curation, the growth follows naturally.

The jewelry industry in India is massive, but it is only just beginning to get organized. With leaders like Arthi Ramalingam at the helm, the future looks bright—and very well-curated.

• Infrastructure: Building the tech and logistics that jewelry brands need to scale.
• Ecosystem: Creating a community where designers, makers, and shoppers all win.
• Destination: Making Eternz the first name people think of for accessories.

The real success of Eternz isn't just in the number of rings they sell. It's in the fact that they have created a "trust bridge" between talented Indian designers and millions of shoppers who were waiting for something better than a generic marketplace.

Sources & Citations

• YouTube: Open Tab Episode 02 with Arthi Ramalingam
• Founder Profile: Arthi Ramalingam on LinkedIn
• Company Website: Eternz Official Store
• Investor Insights: Gemba Capital Portfolio

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Eternz jewelry marketplace?

Eternz is a curated vertical marketplace for jewelry and watches that hosts over 300 brands across categories like fashion jewelry, silver, lab-grown diamonds, and lightweight gold.

2. Why does Arthi Ramalingam reject 70 percent of brands for Eternz?

Arthi Ramalingam uses a strict 70 percent rejection rate to ensure that only the most reliable, high-quality, and design-forward brands are listed, which builds platform trust and acts as a competitive moat.

3. How is jewelry buying behavior changing for Gen Z and Millennials?

Jewelry has shifted from a traditional financial investment to a lifestyle accessory. Modern shoppers buy lightweight pieces more frequently, often every 22 to 28 days, to match their outfits and personal style.

4. Does Eternz offer virtual try-on for jewelry?

Yes, Eternz features an in-house built virtual try-on tool and a digital ring sizer. These AI-driven tools help customers visualize products and find correct sizes, leading to three times higher conversion rates.

5. What is the future expansion plan for the Eternz marketplace?

Eternz plans to become an omni-channel platform by opening offline stores using a Sephora-style multibrand model, distributing international brands in India, and expanding further into the watches category.