farah khan
NATURE IN A CLASP

There have been many jewellery pieces that have posed challenges in their conception. Sometimes the challenge manifests itself in acquiring the perfect stones. Sometimes it lies in the sheer construction of the piece. Sometimes it is just in acquiring the final appeal. My best two creations have been a butterfly sitting atop a ring, and a snake bracelet cuff.

The inspiration was nature in full bloom. The way a butterfly perches itself on a flower, flaunting its spectacular wings. The riveting aspect of this design is the movable wings. The blossom is set in pink sapphires, the rubies stand accented by diamonds. The butterfly gleams in yellow sapphires and white diamonds. It took three months to achieve the perfect balance in proportion to the height of the ring to ensure the butterfly sat comfortably on the hand without turning.

Kangana Ranaut wore it at the IIFA celebrations in Macau this year, but I like it so much that I have decided to keep this for myself, as when I wore it last people could not take their eyes off it.

The Snake Cuff reminds one of a snake coiled on top of a tree. It is constructed as one piece without a visible hinge, though it can be unclasped. I brought in rainforest topaz and blue sapphires together with coffee rose-cut diamonds that made up the eyes. With approximately 3000 stones, this cuff took four months to construct. Yet, it is unbelievably light for its size.

I designed the Snake Cuff for Swarovski’s Gemvision 2010 trend book. It has been exhibited at Basel, Las Vegas and in many other cities at the Swarovski Gemvision Stalls. I recently received an enquiry from Monte Carlo to brand and retail my jewellery there after someone chanced upon the Snake Cuff in the Swarovski stall in Basel.

Designing for Rakhi Sawant on her show Rakhi ka Swayamvar was a fun experience. I found her to be bold yet honest, frank yet childlike. Her only brief was that she wanted larger stones in her jewellery, designs that made a statement.”

alpana gujral
EMERALD LEANINGS

My special creation is a necklace, from the elaborate bridal sets made to fit truly modern-day royalty, that I designed with my father. It stands out as the most treasured creation in my repertoire.

I would consider this a masterpiece based on the emotion of working closely with my dad. I put extra heart into this piece simply because I was creating it with him. It was done for an art show and encourages one to appreciate artistic expressions of all forms. The lower section of the necklace is a sculpture in wood, designed by my father. It is adorned with emeralds, diamonds, black onyx and rubies. The pendant comes studded with emeralds, rubies, polki, South Sea and fresh water pearls.

Art and design are both very powerful forms of expression. By collaborating on this piece, I wanted to ensure that it represented both our individual style and emotion fairly and in total harmony. I love all the gemstones I work with, but my favourites are emeralds for their lush colour, diamonds for their purity and pearls for their effortless elegance.

I challenge myself to strive for visual brilliance with each piece that I design. It is invigorating to breathe life into my ideas, hoping that my vision exceeds my expectation once it is developed.”

h. ajoomal
MINIMAL METAL

I designed this heart-shaped diamond necklace for my stylish NRI friend, Roopa Fabiani. She wore it for the first time at a function at the Taj Rendezvous last year, with an orange Falguni and Shane Peacock ensemble. It is a riveting heart-shaped diamond of 35k in the centre, spelling sheer elegance and mystique – much like the image of Liz Taylor in the ’60s, wearing a 69k diamond pendant in an appearance at Grace Kelly’s 40th birthday celebrations at Monte Carlo. I changed the design to suit Roopa’s neckline.

The strap of pear-shaped diamonds enamours in a rapid succession of stones ranging from 20 points to 2.5k, as does the pear shape of the last diamond blending into the cleft shape of the heart pendant in the centre. Like a molten, drop pendulum. I brought in 18k white gold, as I wanted minimal metal to show. This brings out the flexibility and delicacy of the creation. The necklace comes alive through the winking magic of diamonds and their play with light as the wearer moves. A mesmerising show of stone on skin, it took me three months to craft this piece.

I am partial to emeralds, particularly Colombian and Zambian. They flatter both Indian as well as international skin tones. Opals from Australia and South America, in blues flecked with blacks and pinks are my favourite too. Baby pink sapphires from Sri Lanka and Thailand make a fun combination with diamonds.”

varuna d.jani
AGELESS ELEGANCE

My most spectacular creation till date would have to be the necklace that has just won me the Diamond Vivah Jewellery of the Year award. I believe in creating modern, practical pieces of jewellery that women can wear with ease, instead of relegating them to their lockers.

This necklace is a classic piece, one that can be worn on multiple occasions with equal aplomb and élan by a 25 to a 65-year-old. I believe that chokers flatter the slender necks of women under 30. My creation is such that the string can be worn separately, as can the pendant with a separate chain. It can be worn by a woman at any age.

It took me about seven months to create. The entire pendant is a single piece in a mould, clustered with diamonds. It has moving flowers that breathe with your skin and move in conjunction with your body for a soft, flexible look. What makes it endearing is the subdued elegance in yellow rose cuts. It isn’t brilliant and flashy.

I have brought in yellow topaz, that lends the neckpiece a sense of versatility as it can be combined with blues, reds and greens.
The trend shift is certainly towards shapely, yellow shades in diamonds. I do foresee black diamonds hitting the marquee this season.”

mira gulati
BRIDAL BRILLIANCE

The Mirari emerald set from our latest bridal collection is my pick. I believe historical jewels sometimes create a hypnotic allure. This necklace attempts to recapture old grandeur with a modern twist for today’s young brides.

History has been witness to the mutual fascination between the East and the West. The Westerners were awed by the opulence of the jewellery worn by our Maharajas and Maharanis. Indian Royals were fascinated with the intricate settings and designs of the French jewellers. I have been inspired by this confluence in design.

We have used a rendition of the traditional kundan setting for old cut diamonds and emeralds, and modish prong settings for the pear shaped, brilliant cut diamonds. We have matching earrings and a maang tika to create a complete bridal ensemble that adds to the extravagance and allure. The bewitching emerald drops were a challenge to secure, since finding the right sizes, the identical lustre in gems that satisfied stringent quality standards was a Herculean task.

For me every bride is a queen. I have designed the piece keeping in mind her thoughts and feelings for that day.
While you must always be careful about the foibles of fashion, this season, since it is the bride’s time to shine, the colour palette comes ablaze in the colours of green, red and white.”

biren vaidya
FLUIDITY IN COLOUR

For me the most exquisite piece of Rose jewellery I have crafted and fallen in love with has been made from a 184k emerald. When I acquired the gem, it simply came alive in my hands. For days I would come to my vault and hold it in my palm. I would spend hours just gazing at it. It filled me with a remarkable sense of creativity.

I created a spectacular necklace from the gem, pairing it with diamonds and white gold. Designing the necklace took me only 15 minutes, surprisingly. To complement the necklace, I have also designed a pair of earrings using emeralds of 100k each. They imbue the piece with their fluidity of colour, and fill my creation with the movement of a waterfall.

Emeralds, diamonds, pearls and rubies are my evergreen favourites. The bridal palette this season brings with it a combination of chokers and lower chokers, together with a combination of long necklaces. Ruby rings are definitely in vogue. Precious stones easily supersede the desire for semi-precious this season.”

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