JOIN USBorn in an army family, Sangeeta Dewan found her inspiration in the frequent relocation and ever-changing lifestyle of an army family. The rich history, extraordinary culture and beauty of the lands she travelled to combined with her mother’s artistic background drew her towards design. Soon, she honed her skills in developing fashion accessories and merchandise at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi. Her interest in precious jewellery took shape at the end of her graduation. She then went on to earn a full scholarship to the ‘Masters of Arts for Design’ from the Creative Academy, managed by the Richemonte Group in Milan. There she designed for several luxury brands including Cartier, Montblanc, Van Cleef and Arpels and Piaget and was the head of design at Tanishq for years.
Now as the principal designer of luxury brand Zoya, the exquisite diamond boutique from the House of Tata, she talks to Metrolife and tells Jayashree Narayanan about Zoya’s new collection Krsna, her design philosophy and the evolution in designs of precious jewellery.
Excerpts:
Tell us about yourself.
I have often watched my mother paint beautiful oil on canvas paintings as she would explain to me the art and style of several artists like Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Therefore, having grown up surrounded by art, I have pursued jewellery as my innate passion.
How do you see the evolution of jewellery as a piece of accessory?
Jewellery has been evolving as a piece of accessory for some time now. Jewellery is no longer purchased solely for investment and value, but more as indulgence. Newer accessory trends now also influence fine jewellery and new product types are evolving like asymmetric earrings, multi-finger rings, and unusual brooches. As with fashion, different styles and silhouettes of jewellery suit different people, depending on the face cuts and body types. It is important to accentuate areas which deserve to be enhanced, with a gorgeous jewel. Like for example, if one has a beautiful slender long neck, one can wear a gorgeous choker to highlight the beauty of the neck. If one has a round face, longer necklaces add length and beauty to the face. A lovely round earring softens a sharp jawline. Therefore, jewellery today is a well detailed accessory that lightens up the face, adds glitter and shine and highlights one’s best features like no other accessory can.
Tell us about the Krsna collection.
The range draws inspiration from Indian mythology and enfolds the story of the god-child, the consummate lover, the divine hero and the Supreme Being – Krishna. The collection captures the popular legends that surround this beloved deity -- the peacock feather, the matki, bansuri, iconic chariots, Govardhan Parvat; his divine love for Radha, Sudarshan Chakra and the Geeta Updesh; crafted in gorgeous enamel work with brilliant cuts.
Krsna encompasses an array of radiant neckpieces, pendants, earrings, bangles and statement rings.
Can you explain the design process?
Krsna is a very special collection for Zoya, not only because of this special theme, but also due to the complex techniques used in the craftsmanship of this collection. It celebrates creativity and finesse while striking an emotional and artistic chord. We have used rare techniques of painting enamel along with partaj to create exclusive, never seen before designs. Also, the collection showcases a gamut of vibrant colours such as turquoise, varied hues of blue and emerald greens, crafted in gorgeous enamel work with exquisite polkis, diamonds and precious stones.
The elaborate and delicate enamel paintings have been first designed on a tablet with a stylus before giving it to the artist for final painting. Computer-aided manufacturing, rapid proto typing, gold casting and modern diamond setting along with hand crafting, are few other important aspects that make this collection superlative.
What’s next?
Currently, I am working on Zoya’s Spring/Summer 2017 collection which is a high-fashion collection. For more details, watch out for Zoya.in.