Anita Dongre gives Jadau a contemporary twist

The delicacy of stained glass tints the domes of a pair of jhumkas. Another pair of danglers swivel around to show off their red or green faces, depending on your mood. A third pair of earpieces swings back and forth, recalling the lazy motion of a traditional jhula. From rows of pearls, to precious and semi-precious stones set in 18k and 22k gold to form neck, wrist and ear pieces that can be used to dress up or dress down as the mood requires; jadau steps gracefully into the 21st  century with Pink City.

She’s got the look
“Don’t you always think of the complete look? The dress, the jewellery, the bag, the shoes,” asks Anita Dongre in response to our query about what triggered her decision to launch a jewellery collection. Make no mistake, this was no random decision. She has been thinking about it for a good ten years. In fact, perhaps it was inevitable, given the many hours she spent as a fifteen-year-old getting the lac banglewallah in Bapu Bazaar, Jaipur to make bangles to her precise specifications.

Uncut diamonds, pearls and emeralds are the stars of the Nayantara line up for women. “Jewellery should be part of a woman’s life. The piece should work
anywhere, from a casual lunch to a high-end wedding,” she explains.

Oddly, her jewellery line took off in the men’s department, with buttons for kurtas, bandhgalas and bandis, about a year and a half ago. The jaali-inspired buttons and cufflinks that are part of the Anshumat collection open up to let you change the inlay to add a touch of hot pink, white, black or dark blue to your Indian or Western attire.

Technically Exquisite
“I can look at a fabric and tell you how it will drape, how I can cut it, what I can do with it. Vice versa, when I sketch a design, I can tell you what fabric is needed to execute the look I want,” explains Anita. But the rules of fabric don’t quite apply to jewellery. “Technical expertise when you are designing something is very important,” feels Anita who spent 18 months understanding the subtleties, possibilities and constraints of working with metal and stone, figuring out how a jewellery design translates to reality, and putting together the Pink City collection with Pradeep Jethani, of Jet Gems, an expert in his own right.

Wearable, Versatile, Fun
As rich as it looks, the Pink City collection will not weigh you down. As Anita emphasises, “I’m not one of those women who believe that you have to suffer to look beautiful. We try on everything that we create to ensure that it’s not too heavy.”

“Wearable, versatile and fun,” are the adjectives that she uses to describe the collection. What does this translate to in literal terms? Lovely colours, unusual cuts, moving elements, the right weight, and of course a blend of tradition and contemporariness.

Welcome to the Pink City, where traditional craftsmanship commands a rather high price and princesses wait for pink flamingoes to herald the arriving of prince charming.