 |
| Ruby Bracelet |
The city of Jodhpur, located in Rajastha, India, is a
rousing location filled with stunning attractions built during the 15th
century.
The Umaid Bhawan Palace and
Osiyan Temple are a sampling of the remarkable architecture of this storied
city. India is also home to Poonam Soni.
A number of jewelry designers claim that an unsuccessful
search for a particular jewelry item steered them to take a bold leap into the
industry and make their own designs.
In a
number of cases I don’t see where such designers’ jewelry required the restless,
immediate launch of trinkets that frankly are not easily distinguishable from the
inventory of other designers or jewelry manufacturers.
For this reason, in some cases I feel statements such as
this have become woefully clichéd; however, in Soni’s case it is anything but.
Having grown up in India, Soni was exposed to superlative,
extravagant jewelry designs like the stunning enamel and gold meenakari
style. Though she found jewelry design
extremely fascinating since childhood she had not made plans to enter the
field.
The designer credits an “inborn” sense of knowing how to
cultivate elements of shading, form and texture into breathtaking design. This natural talent came into play while
searching for jewelry for a special occasion.
 |
| 18-Karat Gold Diamond and Ruby Itai Doshin Brooch Pin |
When she did not find items specific to her ideas, she
decided to sketch out what she envisioned and gave the sketch to a jeweler to
create. As a result, the jeweler offered
her a position to work as his official designer!
Although the one-time sociology major only had some informal
training in gemology, her passion for unique, innovative design led her to
establish her own custom luxury jewelry brand in 1995.
Her goal was to provide her clients with a one-of-a-kind
hybrid of traditional Indian jewelry styles cultivated in pieces chock full of
onyx, amethysts and Antwerp-sourced diamonds that play within asymmetrical
outlines.
In addition to ominous Indian structures like the Taj Mahal
and Fatehpur Sikei, Soni draws inspiration for her jewelry from scriptures,
Spanish and medieval architecture, and Greek art. Her drive and ambition have made her one of
India’s most prominent jewelry designers.
Soni’s expressive, distinctive vision teeters very close to
contemporary art as she implements shells, leather and color variations of 18-
and 22-karat gold including rust, green and mauve. She also experiments with different textures
of gold such as her signature “tissue look” which is a blend of golden threads
woven together like threads of wool.
While Soni is dedicated to giving her clients what they want
she is also confident about injecting her own ideas into custom jewelry
designs. “I am open to ideas but
customers must realize I am a professional and that the money they invest is
worth putting their trust in me.
 |
| Necklace from Monochrome Collection |
I don’t want to venture into mass production; I feel going this route will inevitably destroy my creativity. I treat my collections as works of art.”
No comments:
Post a Comment