I often say that jewellery is joy you can wear—and for me, it’s been a lifelong source of happiness. One of my earliest memories is being wrapped head to toe in my grandmother’s jewellery, a moment captured in a photograph my mother showed me years later. That image stuck with me. It wasn’t just the sparkle or the gold; it was the feeling. Jewellery has always been there in my life, quietly but powerfully present—as comfort, as company, as celebration.
I come from a family of artists. My mother restores paintings, my father restores antique furniture. Art has always been part of the air I breathe, and for me, jewellery is my kind of art. We go to museums to feed our souls, don’t we? We know we can’t take the paintings home, but we visit anyway, just to be surrounded by beauty. Jewellery, to me, serves that same purpose. Unlike paintings, you can wear jewellery. It lives with you, moves with you, and changes with your mood.
Twelve years ago, I started sharing my passion for jewellery online through a website and eventually an Instagram account, which now has half a million followers. It led me on a journey to further explore my love for jewellery and cemented the awareness that so much of jewellery is pure emotion. It doesn’t need to exist. And yet it does, beautifully so.
One of my greatest joys is being able to travel the world through my work. I’ve visited countless places, met many inspiring people, and listened to their stories, from designers to gem-cutters to miners. It’s endlessly fascinating to see how someone takes something from nature—a raw stone or a nugget of gold—and through their imagination and skill transforms it into something magical, a wearable form of art. The process is filled with struggle and triumph.
India, in particular, has a remarkable relationship with jewellery—one that resonates deeply with me. It’s not just about beauty, it’s about meaning and culture. The symbolism behind gold, the regional use of particular stones, the traditional techniques like polki, meenakari, and sculptural goldwork—there’s such a wealth of heritage here. Even the climate plays a role: all that glorious sunshine is perfect for showing off enamelled designs and colourful gemstones that lift the spirits.
But even after all this time, what still gives me joy is discovering something new. New designers, fresh ideas, and unexpected combinations keep this world alive and thrilling. Today’s creators are more artistic, more daring. They experiment with materials like titanium and aluminium, they use unexpected stone cuts and bold colours, and they no longer confine themselves to the ‘big three’ gemstones of ruby, emerald, and sapphire. There’s a growing appreciation for spinels, tourmalines, imperial topaz, mandarin garnets. Paraiba tourmalines, once dismissed as ‘semi-precious’, are now rightly seen as precious in their own right. After all, if it’s born from the earth, it’s already a miracle.
But looking back, if I had to choose a few pieces that truly punctuated my journey—my own personal holy-grail jewels—three extraordinary designs spring to mind.
A ring designed by Salvador Dalí
The first is a ring designed by the famous Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, shaped like an angel’s wings with three small diamonds in the centre. There were only a handful of versions ever made, and I stumbled across one at an exhibition. I’ve always loved Dalí’s work—his wild imagination, his ability to bend reality. Trying on that ring wasn’t just about wearing jewellery. It was about touching history. I knew he had held this piece. I was holding something he imagined. It was as if I’d reached across time and space to meet him. That’s the power of vintage and historical jewellery—it connects us to something greater than ourselves.
