customs. “Say a bride wants to wear her ‘maangtikka’ in a certain way yet wants to keep it stylish, that’s where personalization becomes a focal point. If another bride has a ‘chooda’ or ‘haath phool’ (delicate hand bracelet) she needs to wear but wants to blend it in well with an existing design, our styling team does just that.” Hence at DiAi Designs the brides’ choices lie at the cusp of personalisation. As the world gets more globalised, wedding traditions in India are also blending traditional customs with contemporary elements and the same is being carried to bridal jewellery. Brides want to strike a balance between honouring age-old traditions and embracing modern aesthetics. Some are choosing to incorporate elements from family heirlooms into their personalized jewellery, thereby preserving the legacy while adding a contemporary twist. Giving a nod to this statement Umang Gupta told LuxeBook, “Something as simple and age-old as the mangal-sutra is seeing a big comeback this decade. Personalized jewellery encourages traditional symbols like this to be worn with just a little adaptation of it to suit modern day attire. Similarly, the nath which was always seen in gold and polki and pearl, is returning in coloured stones, diamonds, as a septum ring, again, to be able to be worn by the current day bride. As heritage jewellers, we work hard and passionately to ensure that our traditional heirlooms don’t leave the mandap!” Bridal jewellery over the years Traditionally, Indian bridal jewellery has been synonymous with the concept of more is more – think grandeur, opulence, and a deep connection to cultural traditions.These exquisite pieces are often heirlooms and have been passed down through generations holding a sentimental value and each of them was crafted with meticulous attention to detail. “We integrate heirloom pieces of our client and blend them in a modern classical way, which keeps the traditional value and brings a new contemporary aspect towards it, which can be passed on to the next generation,” told Sanghi. While this kind of jewellery still has a strong hold in society, as India continues to undergo rapid modernization and cultural evolution, the preferences of brides have evolved as well. But Gupta still advises his clients to keep these pieces intact and not convert them into contemporary pieces. “Sometimes I advise my clients not to touch and amend these precious pieces. They were often made in more malleable gold and are treasures to be worn just the way they are. But sometimes, we are able to carefully modify an old piece into something more wearable for example, we modelled an old golconda diamond from a ring into a pendant with a meena halo outside and strung it into a bold chain.” Rajesh Sanghi, Director, Rosa Amoris, Atelier Jewellery Disha Shah, Founder, DiAi Designs Shri Ram Hari Ram Jewellers Caption missing... 20|LUXEBOOK|OCTOBER 2023 OCTOBER 2023 |LUXEBOOK|21
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTcxNzM1