For a long time, Indian jewellery has been synonymous with high-octane ostentation – a Maharaja hangover, if you may. However, a growing coterie of creatives are using their roots and culture of craftsmanship to create thoroughly modern pieces to elevate a global wardrobe, be it in Mumbai or Milan. Here are a just a few of the brands you’ll want to pay attention to...
- Misho Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Naomi Osaka are all patrons of this brand. Founder Suhani Parekh views jewellery through the lens of wearable art, so that every design – be it her cult AirPod jackets, XL hoops or zodiac pendants – is treated like a sculpture.
- Outhouse In the market for avant-garde jewels with a playful twist? Sisters Kaabia and Sasha Grewal have you covered. Whether bold florals, gilded scene-stealers or layering-friendly pendants, every piece is an interplay of edge and elegance.
- Lune This female-run indie brand, born on the shores of Goa, takes its cues from the moods (and phases) of the moon. Our favourites? The hoops and stackable bangles from its Crater Collection, which are handmade with molten gold.
- Olio Steeped in nostalgia, these artistic pieces borrow from South Asian history and ancient amulets to create modern heirlooms. Cue chokers featuring coins from different eras and rings with Urdu engravings.
- Bhavya Ramesh This self-taught jewellery designer channels her inner bohemian and pours her love for culture and colour into her maximalist, gender-fluid designs. This more-is-more aesthetic seen on bejewelled eyewear, nail rings and hair jewels are a nod to India’s Banjara (nomadic) community.
Praachi Raniwala is a Mumbai-based journalist whose work has appeared in the Financial Times, The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveller and Vogue India
