With architectural movements from the Mughal, Baroque, and Art Deco eras serving as an inspiration for Isharya’s new collection – Modern Maharani V, this lavish line-up of jewels tells a story about sophistication and how jewellery should be fun. Featuring elegant crescent-shaped silhouettes married with vibrant stones and sightings of mesh-like treatment of mirrors, the collection’s edgy styling is definitely the cherry on the top.
ELLE spoke with London School of Economics alumna Gauri Tandon, co-founder of the brand on all things vision, brand narrative and dream collaborations.
ELLE: Tell us a little about the conversation that sparked the idea for this collection.
Gauri Tandon (GT): The idea came from Indian royalty – their pompous regality, heirloom jewels, regional craftsmanship, and recognisable motifs. The use of deep pink and green jades inspires nobility and historically significant gemstones – traded and crafted into what we now treasure as antiques. Breaking away from the norm in true Isharya fashion, we introduced black into the collection marking a new era of Indian-inspired jewellery, of modern luxury.
ELLE: Please share three ways in which this collection is new.
GT: A) Flexibility made possible through explorations involving flexible links.
B) Contrast plating as seen in pieces with duo-toned 18-karat gold and signature Isharya colour plating in black.
C) Hand-cut mirrors specially cut to fit frameworks and create intricate patterns.
ELLE: What kind of hiccups did you face when you were designing this collection?
GT: Achieving fabric-like fluidity in our varied linking involved a lot of trial and error. We are on an ongoing quest to make jewellery feel like the best parts of our consumers. In this, we try to give them cutting-edge looks with the comfort and ease of lightweight, versatile pieces. Sourcing for coloured stones too is something of an art, to engage the newer generation whilst borrowing from traditional colour palettes keeps us on our toes. The pink of this collection hits the sweet spot between Barbiecore and Rani trends and red loyalists for wedding jewellery.
ELLE: Which are the two trends that you think will be major this season and which is that one piece from this collection that nails this trend?
GT: Links! We have been seeing artful developments in the hardware-as-jewellery space over the years at fashion weeks, but we think ours are a refreshing visual treat. Another one is thoughtfully curated earscapes, for which we have a statement ear climber that can be worn two ways, as well as angular mirror studs that can be clubbed together on the same side, or worn conventionally.
ELLE: Tell us something about the new products that you have experimented with this time and tell us something you learned about them which came as a surprise to you
GT: We did a deep dive into linking this season. The CAD software helped now more than ever before in assessing possible levels of flexibility to achieve our desired result. Technology is the way ahead!
ELLE: Which ensemble is the pièce de résistance of your collection and why?
GT: The Just Jamiti Statement Link Choker. It’s a statement but doesn’t take itself too seriously. The abstract links are fun and the balance of shine and sparkle with signature mirrors, CZs and glossy enamel is just right.
ELLE: With changing consumers, how important do you think it is to narrate a story through every collection?
GT: Every collection is a way for a brand to reinvent itself by navigating prevalent societal themes. We think today’s consumer cares deeply about the ‘why’ of their every purchase. In a saturated market like jewellery, it is important to highlight what we stand for, from our imagery to tonality, design sensibility and USPs like maintaining an inventory of nickel-free and hypoallergenic products.
ELLE: Tell us some category/brand you want to do a collaboration with – a sneaker brand? a tech device?
GT: Wearable tech since it’s the next big thing! Maybe with the Apple Oura ring.
ELLE: If you had to dress a millennial / Gen Z in a piece from this collection, this is the one you would pick.
GT: We would love to see Rihanna in our edgier pieces from the collection. She is the queen of making a statement and has a phenomenal personal style that is authentic to her in an otherwise loud world of social media influence and trend cycles.
