The Colourist of Jaipur

pandnbsp;/p pemFor the past 25 years, jeweller Sunita Shekhawat has been reviving traditional meenakari in unusual tones and hues./em/p pandnbsp;/p pOver her 25 years in the jewellery industry, Jaipur-based Sunita Shekhawat has become known for reviving the traditional art of enameling in unusual colour combinations. andldquo;I donandrsquo;t just make jewellery to sell. I strive to make pieces that would become part of legacies one day,andrdquo; she says. Fifteen years after the opening of her Jaipur flagship in 1999, she opened her second store in Delhiandrsquo;s upmarket Defence Colony last month./p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emSunita Shekawat (seated) with daughter Niharika/em/p pandnbsp;/p pWhat sets Sunita apart from her contemporaries is her offbeat use of the traditional meenakari (enameling) technique. She stays away from the classic reds and greens used ubiquitously, and opts for colours like pastel pink, navy, white, and even black in her designs. Sunita grew up in a Rajput family that traces its origins to Jodhpur, and says that the andldquo;polychromatic culture of Rajasthan lends colour to my jewelleryandrdquo;. She recalls colourful memories of the fabric dyers of Jodhpur, with their eclectic saris and turbans, and the monthly ritual of buying vibrant glass bangles from a vendor who would come home. andldquo;I wanted to convert these impressions into jewellery, and enamel (meenakari) proved to be the best medium as it lasts generations,andrdquo; she adds./p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emMeenakari being done at Shekawat's workshop/em/p pandnbsp;/p pToday, her client list includes names like Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur, Maharanisa Hemlata Rajye of Jodhpur, Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur, Maharani Divya Kumari of Bharatpur, Yuvranisahiba Sreejamya of Raghogarh, novelist Shobhaa De, and U.S. CEO of electric car company NextEV, Padmasree Warrior, amongst others. But her journey into jewellery design, unlike many others who enter into this field at a young age or through their families, didnandrsquo;t begin till after she got married.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pIt was only in 1991 that a newly-married Sunita traveled to Jaipur with her husband Dileep Singh Shekhawat. And it was there, while visiting a jewellerandrsquo;s workshop, that she got inspired to learn the art of jewellery-making herself. Post running a 'by appointment' jewellery business from home for a few years, Sunita felt the need to expand professionally and in 1999, she enrolled at the GJEPC affiliated Gem Testing Laboratory in Jaipur, and earned a diploma in gemology and jewellery design. Things got off to a good start when she invited Maharani Gayatri Devi for the inauguration of her boutique in Jaipur later that year. andldquo;To my surprise, she came! And since then, God has been kind, and my jewels have attracted patrons from across the globe.andrdquo;/p pandnbsp;/p pTo dress her various clients, Sunita keeps herself informed and in touch with current trends. andldquo;In the past decade, the way of dressing has changed. Instead of dressing up just for occasions, women now dress up on a daily basis; that is both inspiring and motivating for the designer in me,andrdquo; she says. She feels that customers today are far more difficult to please. Not only are they better educated about the product, but they also have abundant options to select from. So she role-plays like a client, and checks each piece from the workshop. She questions herself about the aesthetics of her designs, their weight, as well as their value for money. She ensures that her tags give complete details of the materials and labour, unlike many traditional jewellers in India. And this makes her a trustworthy jeweller in a country where most families still buy loyally from one maker./p pandnbsp;/p pWhile she looks fondly upon her journey so far, she is also excited about her future endevours. With her daughter, Niharika, now the Design Director of the brand, the mother-daughter duo plan to venture into everyday-wear diamond and traditional jewellery with a whole new palette of enamels. She also looks forward to having a presence alongside brands like Bulgari and Cartier in the coming years, and is eyeing Mumbai, The Middle East, and Londonandrsquo;s famous Fine Jewellery Room at Harrods as her future retails destinations./p pandnbsp;/p pstrongMore On andgt;andgt; a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.luxpresso.com/jewellery" target="_blank"Jewellery/a/strong/p

from Luxpresso http://www.luxpresso.com/news-jewellery/interview-with-jewellery-designer-sunita-shekawat/16120844
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