What are your memories of jewellery growing up in a family such as yours?
Jewellery memories as a child? What my beautiful mother possessed– which was not very much! I now own and wear her simple mangalsutra, and the four gold bangles I was given when I turned 18.
Can you tell us a little bit about your family?
My father was a bureaucrat and retired as Additional Law Secretary, Government of India. He then became the legal consultant to the Atomic Energy Commission, under Homi Bhabha. My mother was a home maker. My siblings were professionals. I was the youngest.
Favourite pieces of jewellery?
I never ever remove the four gold bangles I wear on my left wrist. I also love my mother’s diamond mangalsutra, which I wear on appropriate occasions.
What do you relish about the act of wearing jewellery?
Shringar for sure! I feel wonderful when I wear a favourite piece. I admire the hands that have created it. And send up a silent prayer of deep appreciation for the craftsmen whose skill has gone into the exquisite beauty of the ornament.
Do you believe in the astrology and healing nature of gems?
I don’t buy or wear jewellery as ‘therapy’. I enjoy my jewels for their beauty, and I value the traditions behind some of my beloved, old pieces.
What is your jewellery-wearing style?
I wear jewellery as per my mood. I do not follow rules. I can wear wooden beads with a jamdani saree, or diamonds with a white shirt. Jewellery has to complement the wearer’s personality – not dominate it. Jewellery has to generate joy! That’s it.
Jewellery icons?
I think Maharani Gayatri Devi wore her pearls better than anyone else on earth – living or dead. I enjoy actress Rekha’s sense of extravagance, exaggeration, exhibitionism, and excess. Princess Diana was born to wear tiaras. Romi Chopra and Abu Jani wear beautiful, stylish jewels. Hanut Singh’s eye is impeccable. I love the Kishandas collection as well. The immense knowledge and superb eye of Munna Kasliwal is legendary. We have jewellers of global repute who sometimes don’t know just how brilliant they are! Our traditional jewels from every state, remind us just how sophisticated and skilled our people have always been. We have so much to learn from them.
Do you have a question about jewellery that you have always wanted to ask?
Well…. as a Maharashtrian , I would love to know the origin of the ‘Thushi’ – a spectacular neckpiece one associates with the Peshwas, and Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings of Maharashtrian ladies. I also want to know the Bengali fascination for the wild boar/ crocodile heads that one finds in traditional ‘balaas’ ( bangles).
