the NeW AGe tOY StORY

1. Wanderlust by Jahanvi KamaniWhen your grandfather (Nanubhai Jhaveri) has trained apprentices such as Ambaji Shinde, who go on to work with Harry Winston and Van Cleef & Arpels, you’re born with the right genes. “My grandfather died when my mom was quite young, but left behind this magnificent archive of sketches,” says Jahanvi. Taking his legacy forward, the 26-year-old created a line for the woman who wants potent jewellery while hopping continents, hence the epithet Wanderlust. Trained at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), London, she uses brass and silver with gold plating. Mother-of-pearl and reconstituted corals metamorphose into chic earrings, while lucid cuffs are sheathed with topaz and citrines.

We don’t really grow up… Or stop playing with toys. We just graduate to more sophisticated

ones. Here are 10 rising stars—new-age, free-thinking artists from different walks of life,

who are experimenting with jewellery design to break traditional techniques and notions of bijoux, presenting radically stunning baubles

you will love to play with, and possess...B y A s m i tA A g g A r wA l

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Farah Khan AliMOST COVETED JEWEL PIECE:

MORGANITE, AQUAMARINE & DIAMOND CHANDELIERS

“I love playing with precious gemstones to create an object of beauty and desire. One that gets

handed down for generations, outliving its wearer and leaving

a trail of memories. These are my favourite pair of earrings from my latest collection. I really like the

combination of pastel blue and pink with diamonds in white gold. I also adore the silhouette of the

chandelier earring as it is very reminiscent of the French history.”

You wouldn’t expect someone who studied the economics of creating mega-structures at JJ College

of Architecture to be playing with Swarovski and brass. But Maithali Kabre followed her bliss. After training at

NID Ahmedabad, she launched Swa, which later became a label by her own name. Craftsmanship, according to

her, is the distinguishing point of her jewellery. “We use the same techniques that we employ in fine jewellery-

making, even though we work with industrial materials. As a result, the final product is much superior, and the finish, exquisite,” says Maithali. Cavorting with spring

leaves florals and a bit of bling, the pieces are for those who don’t like to blend in.

2. Dhora by Aavriti Jain and Siddharth Daspan

3. Maithali Kabre

Just like air or water crystallises sand particles and metamorphosises them into dunes, called Dhora in rajasthani, Aavriti and Siddharth let the elements they use, have their say in the making of their jewellery. Their first line was titled The Mistake, rather aptly. “Craftsmen in Jaipur thought we were eccentric as we liked all things uncut, unfinished; we dipped small tools used to cut wires into gold, put stones on it and moulded it into a pendant,” says Aavriti. They met in Milan’s Istituto Marangoni, where they studied fashion business, and came up with a schismatic line, serving an intriguing cocktail of raw leather and semi-precious stones. They manoeuvered them into geometric, rudimentary shapes, with brass and silver. “Jewellery is no longer a locker investment, it’s much like life—decrepit and irregular,” says Aavriti. We like!

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4. Akaliko by tehzeeb Merchant

Akaliko is timeless, much like the broken vintage clocks and buttons that the London College of Fashion graduate

subsumes in her line. With the purpose of recycling seemingly useless objects, she crafts neckpieces and bracelets.

“Women who want precious jewellery and can’t think beyond diamonds are not my customers,” says the Mumbai-based

interior designer. Inspired by Art Deco, she works with coloured crystals, Swarovski, cubic Zirconia, tourmaline

and quartz. “I usually plate metal pieces in rose gold, gold or silver. I feel technology has seeped into every sphere

and jewellery must reflect that, too. I admire architect Le Corbusier’s eclectic style and his audacious geometric lines,”

she concludes.

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5. Aditi Amin An investment banker in North Carolina, USA, Aditi was living the corporate dream before returning to Ahmedabad on the insistence of her parents. “Working systems in India are extremely challenging,” she says. “I was always interested in jewellery, so I decided to take the plunge. But my offerings had to be lightweight and fun. That’s just what I did in the summer of 2013.” Crafting industrial copper and brass into 24-carat gold-plated non-cohesive pieces, Aditi created tie-style neckpieces that became a rage, much like her animal-inspired owls and scorpions. Her distinct creations also feature beads, glass, acrylic and semi-precious stones.

6. Rossoyuki by Priyanshi MehtaComing from a family of diamond jewellers, priyanshi took the

uncharted course. After training at Savannah College, Georgia, USA, she went on to study design at Alchimia College in Florence, Italy, and accessory design and manufacturing for technicalities at Ars

Sutoria College in Milan. “At Florence, we had to create pieces out of everyday objects we’d generally overlook. That’s where the idea of

rossoyuki was born (rosso for red in Italian and Yuki for snowflakes in Japanese),” she smiles. The word takes inspiration from the Japanese

micro beads she crafts into neckpieces and bracelets with such alacrity that sometimes you can’t see the fine Gutermann thread she

weaves them together with. She offers two lines: one with beads strung together with an intermingling of semi-precious stones or jaali

work, the other with beading on suede.

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7. Bangdar Sarali by Ikroop Dhillon and Pooja Roy Yadav

8. Stone Paper Scissor by Rashi Verma

Army kids Ikroop and pooja are as different and individualistic as the shards of glass, a key element used in their jewellery. pooja, a communications specialist, and Ikroop, who worked at CNBC before training with glass artist Atul Bakshi, launched Bangdar Sarali (a jumble of Bangalan and Sardarni). Their two lines amalgamate fused glass with sterling silver and fused glass with mixed metals (copper and brass), with a 22-carat gold plating. No two pieces are alike, since the glass, once in the kiln at 1,200 degree Celsius, has a mind of its own. “If a client asks us to repeat a piece, we politely refuse,” smiles Ikroop.

While studying at Nottingham Trent University, UK, rashi had to write a thesis on sustainable fashion. She stumbled upon the concept of

paper jewellery, and got hooked to the idea of environment-friendly, recycled jewellery. “Magazines are a fruit of labour, but the next

month they are rendered redundant. Why not make them timeless, I thought,” she says. Her handmade jewellery is waterproof,

sturdy and embellished with rhinestones and aluminum chains. part of the Ethical Fashion Forum, UK, rashi says, “Most people

consider recycled jewellery cheap, boring and non-commercial, but internationally, gold is fading away, making way for unorthodox

ideas. Handmade has emerged as the new luxe.” We totally agree!

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9. NIAV by Nikita Gupta and Avantika AggarwalWhile studying luxury product design at NIFT, New Delhi, Nikita and Avantika learnt the value of agreeing to disagree. Their pieces feature humble materials like shells, neon beads, brass and iron. “Our jewellery is not for the faint-hearted, it is valiant and has the power to spice up a simple white tee and blue jeans,” says Nikita. The duo creates neckpieces, rings, earrings and haathphools, which they believe can be worn even with gowns. “We worked with rubies earlier but dropped the stones from our line later, as it was in direct confrontation with the idea of being bohemian, which is our mainstay,” she adds.

Renu Oberoi

10. Ae-tee by Ankita tewariAnkita imbibed Indian creative sensibilities

while travelling with her artistic father during her childhood trips to rajasthan. After NIFT

Delhi and then NIFT Hyderabad, she decided to craft accessories that redefine the set tenets of tradition. Her brass and copper, gold-plated

wonders come encrusted with Swarovski, coloured crystals, amethysts and turquoise. “Indian

craftsmanship is unparalleled. The intricacy in the filigree work that I incorporate, or the laser

cutting on acrylic or vinyl sheets makes each piece a work of art,” she says. For the discerning, there

are nifty ear cuffs, hand harnesses, headgear and suspender belts that can rev up your denims.

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