The UK has a long-established South Asian community and some of the busiest Asian bridal shopping streets outside the subcontinent. Leicester's Belgrave Road (the Golden Mile), Southall and Wembley in London, and Soho Road in Birmingham all have jewellery shops selling Indian bridal and festive imitation jewellery. Since July 2026 a new trade agreement has made the market more attractive for Indian exporters.
Who buys
- Asian bridal and jewellery shops in Leicester, London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester.
- Bridal outfit shops that sell matching jewellery with lehengas and sarees.
- Online diaspora sellers and marketplace shops.
- Hire businesses renting bridal sets for weddings.
What sells
- Kundan and polki-style bridal sets with matching tikka and earrings, often colour-matched to outfits.
- Temple and antique gold sets for South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil weddings.
- Jhumkas, chandbalis and maang tikkas sold separately.
- Lightweight festive pieces for Diwali, Eid and Navratri.
The India-UK trade agreement
The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) came into force on 15 July 2026. Gems and jewellery are among the sectors that gain most, with UK duty on qualifying Indian goods being eliminated.
To benefit, the goods must meet the agreement's rules of origin (jewellery made in India from its materials normally qualifies, but check the rule for your product line), and the exporter must make an origin declaration on the invoice or an accompanying document. It is a self-declaration by the exporter, so keep your supporting records: the bill of materials, supplier invoices and costing. See certificate of origin for jewellery exports.
Import VAT at 20% still applies at the UK border, and the importer normally reclaims it.
Safety rules: UK REACH
The UK kept the REACH chemical restrictions after leaving the EU. For jewellery the key limits are:
| Substance | Limit |
|---|---|
| Nickel release, items in prolonged skin contact | 0.5 micrograms per square centimetre per week |
| Nickel release, piercing posts | 0.2 micrograms per square centimetre per week |
| Lead in any part of jewellery | below 0.05% by weight |
| Cadmium in metal parts of jewellery | below 0.01% by weight |
Nickel is the one that catches exporters out, because some plating processes use a nickel layer under the gold. Ask your manufacturer for nickel-free plating for UK and EU orders, and a test report if the buyer wants one. See nickel and lead rules.
Labelling and packing
Mark goods "Made in India". For retail-ready packs, UK buyers may want barcodes and their own branding. Agree it before production. See export packaging.
Shipping and payment
Courier from Mumbai reaches the UK in about 3 to 6 working days, and air cargo suits larger seasonal orders. Most UK buyers pay by bank transfer, advance or part advance with new suppliers. See export payment terms.
How to reach UK buyers
- Visit the bridal streets in person if you can. UK shop owners value long relationships and exclusivity by town.
- Offer colour matching for bridal sets, since most UK bridal buyers match jewellery to the outfit.
- Plan for the wedding calendar, which runs almost all year, with peaks in spring and summer and around Diwali.
Costing a UK order: an example
Suppose a Leicester shop buys 200 kundan-style sets at the equivalent of 4 pounds each FCA Mumbai, 800 pounds in total.
| Cost line | Example |
|---|---|
| Goods, 200 sets | 800 pounds |
| Air freight or courier to the UK | 90 pounds |
| Customs clearance and delivery | 45 pounds |
| Import duty | nil for qualifying goods under CETA |
| Import VAT at 20% on goods, freight and duty | about 187 pounds, reclaimable if VAT registered |
| Landed cost before VAT | 935 pounds, about 4.68 pounds per set |
The figures are illustrative. The point is that freight and clearance add roughly 15% to small shipments, so fewer, larger orders cost less per piece, and the CETA duty saving only applies when the origin declaration is on the invoice.
Colour matching for UK bridal buyers
Most UK Asian bridal shops sell jewellery alongside outfits and match stone colours to specific fabrics. Suppliers who can make one design in several stone colours (ruby, emerald, pink, blue, champagne, pearl) win repeat orders. Send colour swatches or photographs of each stone colour in natural light, because studio lighting shifts colours.
Working with Jagruti
We make bridal, kundan-style, temple and antique imitation jewellery to order in Mumbai, from 200 pieces per design (400 for earrings and pendants). For UK orders tell us you need nickel-free plating and invoices ready for the CETA origin declaration. See the export supply page.