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Good as Gold !

A new generation of jewellery designers comes of age. Five young Indian jewellery designers were among the thirty winners of the Gold Virtuosi award - the 'Oscar' of the gold jewellery industry. The winners Vrinda Chibber, Sangeeta Dewan, Raja Roy, Gitika Singh,and Saayli Saaket had their creations exhibited at Vicenza Fair in Italy - one of the largest jewellery exhibitions in the world.

 
L-R:Award winning designs of Gitika Singh; Raja Roy; Sangeeta Dewan.

 
L-R: Award winning jewellery from Vrinda Chibber and Saayli Saaket

South Asian jewellery has long been associated with heavily worked pieces in gold and  precious stones - each piece being a marvel of craftsmanship. Emperors and rulers have known to be collectors of fine jewels - Shahjahan's passion for jewellery and precious stones is a well known fact - so is the former Nizam of Hyderabad's obsession for this decorative art. Royal houses in India are known for their unique collection of antique jewellery, which is gradually finding its way into the hands of private collectors and museums.

Each region within south Asia has a pattern and workmanship specific to it. Kundan from Rajasthan, almaz from Hyderabad, gold -leaf from Multan, solid gold jewellery from Tamilnadu, and filigree from Orissa and Bengal are accepted associations. There have been no radical departures from the designs that have been worn by generations and made by generations of craftsmen.

The West has always experimented with new designs and forms in jewellery - especially Italy, and France. Modern or contemporary jewellery never had a wide market in south Asia as it did in the west. As a result, few designers ventured into the 'realm of unknown'. However, when the catwalk culture permeated into the textile and fashion industry of this very traditional society, there emerged a group of fashion gurus ready to groom the Asian woman in western cuts. To complement the new lines,  fashion accessories had to be redesigned or rather reinvented. Thus came the new school of young jewellery designers who did not take too long in understanding the requirements of the fashion industry and matching it with their creativity. 

It was not surprising, when, entries for the inaugural Gold Virtuosi award included several names from south Asia. Gold Virtuosi is the first global gold jewellery design award scheme. Thirty of the world's best jewellery designers were chosen from more than 3000 entries from 34 different countries. Among the thirty winners were five from India. Winning designs were exhibited at the Vicenza fair in Italy - one of the largest jewellery exhibitions in the world. These young designers from India displayed not just originality and creativity but also a great leap forward in terms of moving away from a conditioned design sense - as illustrated by their  products.

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