What led you into the world of jewellery design?
It’s a long story, but it feels like it was meant to be. When I was 16, my parents took me to India, as both of my grandmothers had been born there but we had never visited the country. I fell completely in love with India, especially Jaipur, where I went to the Gem Palace for the first time. A family friend who came with us was on the lookout for a suite of emeralds for a special occasion but couldn’t find anything that really stood out – until I emerged from a back room covered in amazing emerald pieces I had found. She bought the lot and it led Sanjay Kasliwal, one of the owners of the Gem Palace, to tell me I could have a job with him any time.
After I turned 18, I went back to the Gem Palace for a couple of months to gain some industry experience before going to university. It was completely eye-opening and I got my first proper taste for jewellery. Once I’d finished my philosophy degree, I moved straight back to Jaipur for three years – I wanted to learn everything I could about the language, the culture, and craftsmanship. I wanted an adventure and that’s exactly what I got. I studied with the Kasliwals and also the French jeweller, Marie-Hélène de Taillac, and between them they taught me everything I know about gemstones, colours, style and jewellery techniques. They had an in-depth knowledge of ancient Mughal techniques for crafting jewellery, which fascinated me, as Jaipur was the epicentre of the Indian artisanal community under the Mughal empire.
When I returned from India, I did a gemmology course at Gem A [the Gemmological Association of Great Britain] so that I could back up the knowledge I had gleaned from the Gem Palace. It was here that I discovered that my eyes are hypersensitive to colour – I could detect miniscule shade differences between gemstones that my examiners couldn’t see. It felt like fate. I also met the then head of global marketing at Gemfields, and began working for her as soon as I finished my studies at Gem A. For several years, I travelled the world as part of Gemfields’ marketing team, learning everything I could about the journey of a jewel from the mine to your finger, and I came to appreciate the charms of all kinds of gemstones. I also became knowledgeable about the traceability of gems and of gold, and I still take that side of the industry very seriously now.
Five years into my career at Gemfields, my mother became ill, so I left to look after her. She has now, thankfully, recovered, but it was enough to convince me to do my own thing. I secured investment for my new business in December 2017, and spent the first six months of 2018 making all of my prototypes and samples, and began collaborating with the guys in my workshop to produce my first pieces.
Why snakes? What was it about the Ouroboros that captivated you?
No matter which human culture you look at, there’s a mythology and a relationship with snakes that’s completely primal. They fascinate us and disgust us in equal measure, and you cannot really take your eyes off them. They are beautiful, terrifying and erotic, all at the same time, so I’m slightly obsessed with them. In a practical sense, their shape is perfect for jewellery, too – all curves that fit well against the contours of the body.
It was a friend who turned me on to the concept of the Ouroboros. I’d never heard of it before I started my company, but it’s a snake that eats its own tail, representing the infinite circle of time. It means bad times don’t last, and that good times should be enjoyed without guilt, because they, too, will pass. That’s very much my own philosophy.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
It depends on who I’m speaking to! I often tell people it’s all about sex, snakes, and circles – another primal symbol. I like fashion jewellery, but I’m not interested in making tiny delicate pieces. I make pieces in heavy yellow gold that will wear beautifully and become like a part of your body. I make jewellery that withstands daily wear and tear and that becomes an heirloom, with a slightly matte patina that’s as soft as butter and looks flattering on everyone. I like jewellery that has a sense of humour and emotion to it – all good jewellery is really about love, whether that’s for yourself, a friend, or a partner, and I want to get to the root of that. My jewellery is designed to be played with and touched, not kept in a safe.
I love using subtle cuts of gemstones, like rose-cuts and cabochons, combined with ancient setting techniques, like the Mughal ‘kundun’ setting. It involves backing a gemstone with pure 24k gold, pressing it into shellac or antimony and then wedging fine 18k gold leaf into the gaps to create a setting that almost looks like snakeskin.
Where do your ideas come from?
When I first received the funding to start my business back in 2017, I spend 10 days at a vipassana, a silent retreat, to recharge before I plunged into work. All of that time alone, being quiet, probably did strange things to my mind because I came away with three collections’ worth of ideas. It also ended up being the hottest year on record, so I sweltered away in the workshops working on my designs, which also did strange, trippy things to me – it was a literal baptism of fire, right at the start of my business!
Now, ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere. I’ll sit and look at images every day for an hour – on social media, from books, from images around me – and meditate on them as well. I’m also forever inspired by Jaipur and its craftsmanship. There are artisans who can paint minute portraits using a single human hair, timing each brush stroke between heartbeats, so their hands don’t shake. It’s mind blowing.
What sorts of challenges do you face as a jeweller?
Being a jeweller is sometimes like being an architect as well as a designer, as you need to think about the structure of a jewel and the way it sits on the body. A client might fall in love a huge gemstone, but not realise that it might feel uncomfortable to wear every day on a ring, or that it may get knocked or damaged when they move their hands. So it’s my job to create something that will last and feel really good for them. But I am also very lucky to be able to create beautiful, dreamy things that people will love for the rest of their lives.
So, what’s next?
There’s going to be a Karma Sutra-inspired pendant collection, with hand-painted portraits created as a tribute to your favourite positions. There are also going to be more ‘Sexy Fruit’ pieces, inspired by the shapes of papayas, peaches, bitter gourds and physalis. I’m also making a version of an amazing star-shaped fruit called a pitanga, which fits in well with my fascination with stars and the universe.
Lastly, I’ll have a new collection inspired by ‘fruits de la mer.’ There will be a crab claw that climbs up your ear, lots of shells and rings with lobster claws holding gemstones. They will be launching later this summer, and I can’t wait to get back to Jaipur to see them being finished.
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