All that Glitters Arris Architects Mumbai’s very first jewellery shopping precinct dazzles with its unique design Arris Architects were assigned an exigent task - not merely to maximize the retail footprint in a very tight structure but also to offer the patrons a visual gratification never experienced before, creating Mumbai's first jewellery precinct, Jewel World. After Pehlajani Developers won the bid for the legendary Cotton Exchange Building built in 1939 they sought to capitalize on the landmark structure’s exceptional location transforming it into a vibrant hub of business after four decades of ceased future trading cotton business. Visual communication was the key design focus while conceiving the retail area, and the final design succeeds in exploiting individuality for each and every shop front. The patron is gradually cocooned within the shopping experience, which is a 115’ long and gradually curving corridor, interspersed by sinuous curvilinear elements, which “de-scale” the long corridor for the patrons, while bringing a sense of identity for each shop. The shop fronts on either side of the corridor are treated with distinctly different materials – white acrylic solid surface, and veneer - each individually elegant, yet together strive to connote the wonderful union of different eras and the unique cultural flux of the city. After three years of intense work on the refurbishment of the interiors and sensitive treatment of the facade Jewel World opened to public in March 2009 garnering widespread public and critic’s

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