White jewellery is here to stay
Anita Arora

WHAT appeared as a passing fad at the turn of the millennium has now come to stay. Or so it would seem if the success of recent expositions like the Inter Gold Collection at Kolkata and the Swarovski 2002 show at Mumbai, is any indication.

Even otherwise, Indian response to white jewellery has taken many by surprise. What is more, the style and design preferences are a clear departure from convention and, increasingly, moving towards trends in the West. This applies to not only the choice of crystals and diamonds, but also to the use of silver, platinum and stainless steel — not to mention white gold — in place of traditional metals and stones.

Indeed, the modern Indian woman is no longer going in for the age-old appeal of the yellow metal. She is also not influenced by the bewitching appeal of traditional craftsmanship like kundan work on ornaments that her mother and grandmother wore.

"What has caught the fancy of the urban woman today is the sleek and minimalist diamond-studded white gold jewellery," observes Shraddha Mathur, owner of a Mumbai showroom. "Preference for such pieces is cutting across all age groups and social barriers."

Confirms Neelam Mehta, a model-turned-jewellery designer: "Structured designs studded with diamonds is the latest trend with contemporary Indian jewellery enthusiasts. They do not buy ornaments for the purposes of long-term investments. All they want is something that sits pretty on the face or neck and that is what gives them value for money."

The "romantic and free-wheeling spirit" of youngsters, she says, has been the inspiration for her latest line of necklaces, which is already a rage. It happened one evening on an advertising shoot at a beach resort when the strong currents merging and pushing the soft, slow-moving waves captured her imagination.

"It was the flow between the two elements and their coming together that I found most fascinating," recalls Mehta as she explains the arrays of diamonds on either side of an 18-carat white palladium gold necklace, depicting two individuals joined by a chord.

Among other hot designs of the season are Smiriti Mishra’s brooch-cum-pendant set in a combination of yellow and white gold and Preeti Mehra’s Fantasy, an inter-convertible neckpiece, pendant and brooch combination — that can match any dress.

"Fantasy pays tribute to the elegance and splendour of the traditional Japanese fan," explains Mehra about the piece crafted out of 18 carat white gold. Embedded with brilliantly cut round diamonds weighing 6.84 carats, it stands out for its interesting interplay of matt and gloss surfaces.

Significantly, the tendency of designers to experiment with diamonds, pearls and crystals has brought about a major change in the attitude of traditional artisans and jewellers. Goldsmiths trained in creating intricate designs on the metal have quickly adapted to working around encrusted surfaces.

"You’d be surprised to know that most of the present generation of jewellers and craftspersons are proper gemologists who understand designing in totality," Mishra points out. "It hasn’t taken them long to adjust to stone-studded stuff."

Echoes Mehta: "We’ve had artisans juggling around the same motifs and patterns for the past 50 years. Anybody would imagine that they would require a certain kind of re-education to orient themselves to handling diamonds and white metal. But that has not been the case."

Nemai Mondal, an elderly goldsmith from Midnapur (most artisans working for design studios in Mumbai and Bangalore are Bengalis), reveals that the current trend for white jewellery has made work less labour-intensive while raising output.

"Our income has gone up," he says. "After all, when there is a monetary incentive, there is no craft an artisan will not readily pick up. All it requires is a bit of precision work at the finishing stage. That is what sets apart a well-crafted piece from routine machine-made stuff."

Designers like Mathur and Mehra concede that master craftspersons have a major say in the designing process as no piece can be executed without their final approval. "It is how you marry traditional motifs with modern concepts that eventually determines where you stand among your peers, especially in the international market."

Dress designers, too, provide their inputs, thereby leading to a lot of coordinated work at the jewellery crafting stage. (MF)