Tanishq unveils limited edition solitaire collection as a tribute to Sachin Tendulkar

The Tata Group-owned jewellery brand has launched the collection on the anniversary of India's 2011 cricket World Cup victory, and experts say that associating limited edition pieces with an iconic athlete could draw a bigger consumer base of jewellery buyers in India

By Darielle Britto Forbes India Staff

Published: Apr 10, 2023 02:53:26 PM IST

Updated: Apr 10, 2023 03:57:27 PM IST

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Twelve years ago on April 2, 2011, the golden moment finally arrived for legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, when he achieved his dream of winning the World Cup after six attempts.

For Tendulkar, the journey began in 1983 when he started out like a rough diamond before he reached icon status in the world of sports winning that trophy.

On the anniversary of India’s 2011 World Cup victory, Tanishq, one of India’s leading retail jewellery brand that is owned by the Tata Group, unveiled ‘Celeste x Sachin Tendulkar’ solitaire collection. The 100 limited edition solitaire collection pays homage to the Master Blaster’s achievements celebrating his 100 international centuries and the unifying spirit of cricket.

Each solitaire piece—the range includes rings, earrings and bracelets for men and women—is crafted with a diamond-cutting technology that is protected by no less than six patents. The limited edition falls under 0.006 percent of solitaires available worldwide in the D-Flawless 1 Carat category.

A finger ring designed to reflect 11 hands holding the World Cup trophy is a special one for Tendulkar from the edition. “The 2nd of April 2011 was the best cricketing day of my life. And that is what it reminds me of when I look at this ring,” the cricketer revealed at the launch that .

Just like it took a team effort to win that faithful day, so is his collaboration with team Tanisqh to bring something rare and innovative.

“There were multiple guys around us who polished our careers,” Tendulkar said at the launch. “And we all individuals got together as a team and did something special.”

“This is a collection of diamonds that actually goes across the board called Celeste and due to the patented technology, which makes the light properties of solitaire extremely rare and exclusive,” says Arun Narayan, VP—Category, Marketing & Retail, Tanishq, Titan Company Limited. “What really sets them apart is the light properties.”

When Tanishq was looking for people whose achievements reflected these properties of excellence and brilliance, Sachin Tendulkar was the natural choice. "Even after a decade or 11 years, nobody has come close," said Narayan. “So, for us, that was a marker of what we wanted to communicate."

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The partnership between Tanishq and Tendulkar is in a way rare as something like this has not been done before with a male athlete in India.

While there is currently nothing to compare it to, there is potential for such a collaboration to have a significant impact on the conscious Indian diamond market, according to Prasad Kapre, managing partner of Blue Skies Business Management Group. Kapre was previously associated with diamond company DeBeers for 14 years (1995-2008), heading its trade marketing in India and was responsible for launching brands such as Nakshatra, Arisia and Asmi. “I personally feel there is tremendous scope,” he says. “And there's a lot that can be done with the athletes because cricket is also one of the religions in India and that's why it works very well.”

As of today, there are just 112 diamonds across the world that are currently D flawless, of which Kapre says almost 100 are going to be Tanishq under this, which makes this a great association.

Limited edition pieces associated with an iconic athlete could even draw a bigger consumer base of jewellery buyers who aspire to be part of the glory of any Indian athlete. “And if it's a limited edition, then all the more because then you know you are the only one who has that piece,” says Kapre.