“The Argyle pink diamonds in this collection represent less than 0.1 per cent of the Argyle diamond mine’s annual output, making them extremely difficult to obtain,” explains Vihari Poddar as she shows us the ‘Mariposa’ collection. “As the mine closes production in 2020, their value will increase since they will be practically irreplaceable.” Understanding value appreciation of jewels comes naturally to Poddar, a third-generation entrepreneur in the gems and jewellery sector. “My first trade show was at the age of 13 when I accompanied my dad to Hong Kong. He would gift me beautiful stones, and I would design something for myself. I knew quite early on that this was the path I wanted to follow.”
With VIHARI, her eponymous jewellery brand she launched in Singapore, Poddar amalgamated historical knowledge of the previous generations in her family with her formal education in the USA (the largest market for gems and jewellery), and Italy (a traditional centre to learn jewellery craftsmanship).
“When I first started 10 years ago, my focus was to create bespoke pieces for a discerning clientele in Singapore. Then it evolved into celebrating the intrinsic beauty of gems. Now I also offer a contemporary range of high-value jewels that complement the lifestyles of my clients who are frequent travellers, professionals, entrepreneurs, connoisseurs of art and luxury,” she says.
Despite multiple platforms—print, electronic, social—that customers can tap into to educate themselves, there is still confusion around what to acquire. We asked Poddar to pick five essential jewels a young collector should have. “White diamond earrings (an oval or pear-shaped diamond studs, 1-2 carats each), a multi-shaped tennis bracelet (around half a carat each), a pair of cocktail earrings featuring emeralds or rubies in a glamorous style, a classic white diamond necklace that can be worn with an interchangeable pendant featuring a coloured diamond or a coloured gem, and finally, a beautiful white diamond solitaire ring, around 5-6 carats in a shape you desire,” she offered.
