Top 7 Jewellery Designers in India to Look Out For

Jewellery to women is something that is so much more than just a piece of art. We attach meaning and emotions to it. Whatever one wears, a piece of jewellery, whether fake or real, floral or gold, expensive or cheap can just complement your look and change your look from dull to fabulous in seconds. For many women, jewellery also acts as armor; they immediately feel more powerful with the right piece of jewellery. Such a small tangible piece of ring or a bracelet can have so much value. It reminds us of the person who gave it to us, or even if you bought it from your own first salary, that feeling of pride and emotion rushes in every time we wear that piece. One can look at a diamond ring given by her fiance and have butterflies in her stomach or at the pair of earrings passed on as a family heirloom by her grandmother, it holds so much significance. Hence, every piece of jewellery is priceless for each and in a way a true symbol of luxury.

In India, Jewellery is generally bought around occasions, whether it’s on someone’s wedding, or as an anniversary present or even at a child’s birth. For every occasion, we look for different types of jewellery, with different patterns, metal, jewels and so on. This is where our jewellery designers come in the picture. Jewellery designing is the profession or art of designing and creating jewellery. It is one of the oldest arts out there dating back to seven thousand years back to the oldest civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Through the centuries, it has taken many forms; from simple beadwork, to hard rock cutting and sophisticated metal jewellery.

With its rich heritage and culture, India is budding with inspired jewellery designers who are going beyond just the Indian boundaries with their beautiful and exquisite pieces of jewellery.

Coming from various backgrounds, these designers have managed to catch the eyeballs of the public and have won various awards for their artistic skills.

Let’s look at the top 7 designers in India:

1. Pallavi Foley:

Source : https://www.pallavifoley.com/

Schooled in the lap of nature at Nainital, Pallavi has always been inspired by nature and that is reflected in her work. In an interview with YourStory she said, ‘Nature became my muse, and continues to be my biggest inspiration.”

After completing her course in accessory design from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in 2000, she Designed jewellery for Tanishq for over a decade. She loves to travel and gain knowledge of various cultures and histories. This is where she finds inspiration for her creations. Her efforts haven’t gone down the drain, Pallavi has won various awards and accolades. The World Gold Council called her ‘the Else Peretti of India’ as even she would take her inspiration from nature. Harper Bazaar Bride also named her as ‘a game changer’ and is called as the pioneer of Avant Garde jewellery in India.

Her work is also showcased at the India International Jewellery Week, the Milan Fashion week, and the Lakme fashion week. With 20 years of experience under her belt, she has her own label called  Pallavi Foley Boutique Jewels and an exclusive retail boutique at the Leela Palace Hotel.

2. Farah Khan

A firm believer of the saying that, ‘Jewellery looks good not in the locker but on you.’ Farah Khan was born into a Bollywood family. Never interested in filmmaking thought, Farah tried her hands in different fields like ad-making, interior designing but found her calling when she tagged along with a friend in America for a course in Gemology. After finding that she was good at it, she completed a course in jewellery designing. And that’s how the popular jewellery designer came in the industry. Destiny really does have its say!

Source : https://farahkhanworld.com/fk-jewellery

Farah’s flamboyant and ornate pieces have graced the red carpets of many events like the Oscars, Grammys and the Golden Globe. Famous Bollywood as well as Hollywood stars like Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Beyonce and Serena Willams have sported her designs. With years of experience she is known for her experience with diamonds, kundan, polki, gold and platinum. Her bridal jewellery is prepossessing and has a dream jewellery collection for every bride-to-be. Farah has a special penchant for rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. She loves the color blue and hence loves working with tanzanite. Farah Khan and luxury jewellery designing are synonymous with each other today.

3. Suhani Pittie

‘Top 10 most inventive and ingenious jewellery designers in the world’, ‘Artisan Award 2015’, “Singem Award for Excellence’, ‘Young Women Achievers Award 2012’, ‘GJTCI Award for Excellence’ and many more award winner, any list of top jewellery designers will be incomplete without one name- Suhani Pittie.

Source : vogue.in

At a mere age of 20, she kicked off her career after completing a course in gemology at Gemological Institute of America. Born in Calcutta, Suhani is the first Indian jewellery designer to be selected to showcase at the Miami Fashion Week. Her work is acknowledged worldwide and worn by multiple stars like Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma and Sonam Kapoor at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for many years.

She was also a finalist at the ‘Young Fashion Entrepreneur Award ’09′ held by the British Council, Suhani was chosen to showcase her collections to a royal audience comprising of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Maharaja Gaj Singh Ji at the Bal Samand Lake Palace, Jodhpur.

Suhani says she finds her inspiration in molten metal. In an interview with Strand of Silk, she said,

“A monogrammed silver biscuit; the sheer sight of red hot metal and its undulating molten state. Nothing can set you heart racing so fast! Metal is my inspiration.”

She has won various awards and has been talked about by many publications like Femina Magazine, Fortune Magazines, Grazia, Hi! Blitz, Passionate Foundation and more. She was also felicitated by Vogue Italia as ‘One of the 5 designers to watch out for from India.’ Indian luxury jewellery industry has gone through a change with her contemporary take on traditional techniques.

4. Poonam Soni

“Soni brings an artist's eye for colour, detail and imagination to her magnificent one of kind pieces.” - Michael Kors

The pioneer of bespoke jewellery in India, Poonam Soni introduced the first ever luxury jewellery concept in India and started her own namesake brand. A gold medalist from Delhi University, Poonam Soni started her career as a mere hobby but she found her calling in it and soon became popular among her social circles owing to her unconventional design. Soni has since showcased her jewelry for Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy in Paris and for Prince Albert II of Monte Carlo. Cosmopolitan in 1997 acknowledged Poonam for her beautiful work and said, “Wearing it with attitude, designing it with flair & experimenting with it to make a statement, Poonam Soni lives & breathes jewellery.” At a time when jewellery was mainly traditional and synonymous with gold, Poonam introduced the Greek & Egyptian collection in 1992 with handcrafted motifs of the Sistine Chapel, Rome into pure gold offset with unusual stones of Rhodolites, Malakites, Black Onyx, and even leather & shells- unheard of in fine jewellery.

Source : https://www.facebook.com/DesignerPoonamSoni/

5. Asha Kamal Modi

Source : www.indulgexpress.com/fashion

How many times have we watched Bollywood movies and adored the beautiful jewellery worn by certain historical characters? Or how many times have we seen blockbuster movies and got awed by the breath-taking beauty and jewels worn by the female actors?

Well, the credit for many such magnificent jewellery designs & creations got to the one and only, Asha Kamal Modi. When jewellery designing was barely even established as a profession, Asha Kamal had started her own brand called ‘Art Karat’ back in 1988.

She has been commissioned to design jewellery for royalties such as Her Highness Princess Diana, Queen Rania of Jordan, Shekha Shamma Crown Princess of UAE and Maharani Gayatri Devi Jaipur.

Asha’s main source of inspiration is in basic elements of nature and the rich heritage of Indian culture. She was also honoured with the ‘Best Designer’ award by Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. With no formal training in jewellery designing, Asha has risen to success due to her sheer love for jewellery. Through the years, her company and she have evolved a lot but she has constantly stuck to her roots and does what she does the best- Classic Indian Jewellery.

In 2005 FICCI awarded her the title of the most influential woman entrepreneur and the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council has also bestowed her with the title of the best jewellery designer. Having learned gemology, Asha also has received the prestigious President's Award for Design along with many other honours in the jewellery design field.

6. Nitya Arora

Source : banglesandbungalows.com

With a dash of freshness and a new dimension is Nitya Arora and her label- Valliyan. After completing her education from Parsons School of Design in New York, Nitya went ahead and  in 2004 opened her label. Her forte is colourful costume jewellery and she loves using semi-precious stones, glass, crystals, metals, acrylic, wood and rare materials, with gold plating for her designs.

A winner of Grazia Young Designers Award for Best Accessories and ‘Best Jewellery Designer’ award in 2013 by Elle Magazine, Nitya’s inspiration remains to be her love for architecture and travelling around the world. Valliyan pieces have been spotted on numerous celebrities like Aishwarya Rai, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.

Born and brought up in South Bombay, Nitya named her brand ‘Valliyan’ due to a nostalgic memory. Her first piece of jewellery was given to her by her grandmother, which was balliyan (Punjabi word for gold hoops). Hence, she came up with the word ‘Valliyan’. Nitya designs all her jewellery, headgears, handbags, etc for the modern free-spirited woman.

7. Amrita Singh

Source : https://amritasingh.com/pages/about-us

Amrita Singh is known for creating one of a kind jewellery pieces that are infused with the urban culture and old-world aesthetics. She graduated from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and worked as a designer under many famous names like Oscar de la Renta and Christian Lacroix. Her greatest inspiration even today remains to be the streets of New York. She believes it truly is a global melting pot and loves the eclectic vibe of women out there. She has designed pieces for many Hollywood celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Blake Lively, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Simpson. She also picks up inspiration from Mughal dynasty and their jewellery and creates magic resulting in truly unique, wearable works of art.

She was also nominated by FGI (Fashion Group International) for the Rising Star Award in the Fine Jewelry Category in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Amrita Singh has also diversified her line into scarves, specially-designed bangle towers, jewelry and cosmetics cases, iconic handbags, and a wide range of home decor. Today, Amrita continues to create high-quality, creative and exciting designs for which her label is known for.

Conclusion:

"Jewelry is like the perfect spice - it always compliments what’s already there." - Diane Von Furstenberg

There is almost no woman who doesn’t own a piece of jewellery that she values more than anything. Jewellery has that capability to turn a look from drab to fab. Indian jewellery has a demand for itself, all over the world and we are blessed with such artistic souls who draw their inspiration from our rich heritage or the bountiful nature or even their day-to-day mundane activities and create some beautiful and divine jewellery. Jewellery designing is all about expressing your love for art and beauty by creating pieces that are just going to highlight the sheer beauty of women.