Experiment, says Jamini

H_rashmi@dnaindia.net
Jewellery designer Jamini Ahluwalia needs little introduction. One of the first to convince the city’s well-heeled to trade in their delicate diamonds for her bold baubles, Jamini says, “Costume jewellery is very inexpensive, easy-to-maintain and contemporary. A lot of my clients prefer such jewellery.”

But with baubles, stones and silver, there needs to be some more innovation, Jamini agrees, “Designers abroad are working with various raw materials. It is interesting to see how they use hi-tech aluminum, brass and various machine-made materials.”

Speaking further about trends she says, “Plastic is a fantastic material to work with. It moulds well with a lot of materials such as wood, leather, silver, gold and even copper. With a smart choice of beads and baubles, plastic gets a new flavour. One of the greatest virtues of plastic is that it doesn’t clip, thus lasts longer.” She is quick to add,
“In the US, it is a very strong trend. Another upcoming material is glass.”

Jamini also designs for a host of socialites such as Sharmilla Khanna, Bandana Tiwari and Prerana Goel to name a few. She says, “For them, I make exclusive jewellery.” We wonder where she draws her inspiration from and she elaborates, “My inspirations are as varied as the villages of Kutch, the museums of London and the flea markets of Brazil.” That’s quite a long list.

Her recent collection titiled ‘From Place Vendome to Africa’ takes inspiration from African motifs and fine Parisian silhouettes working with bone, wood, beads and pearls. She says, “My collections are very nature-inspired, thus I don’t use a lot of pinks. My mantra is that the jewellery should be classic, contemporary and ageless.”