Indian Luxury Jewellery—Going #VocalForLocal

Jacques Cartier made his first visit to India in 1911 and developed contact with the many “maharajas” from Kapurthala to Mysore. Most well known of his commissions was the “Patiala Necklace” made for the Maharaja of Patiala with over 2900 diamonds. Inspired by the viewing of the private “Al Thani Collection” of over 250 exquisite pieces from the Indian subcontinent, we questioned if there was a connection between the rich tradition of handmade luxury jewellery and sustainability in India, and is it possible to revive and restore the diversity and richness of handmade jewellery, whilst preserving and sustaining the “artisan”. Our research focussed on the launch and commercial success of “Sabyasachi Jewellery” as an independent voice that brought the craftsman centrestage. Our aim was to discover if it is possible to create an ideal balance between commercial success and sustainability of the craftsperson. Our primary method was desk research as well as interviews with customers and independent craftspersons across the jewellery industry in India. We discovered not only the possibility to find this ideal balance between craft and commercial success but a resurgence of customer acceptance and focus towards handmade jewellery.