CREATING JEWELLERY FOR THE AGES

Celebrated designer Ambar Paridhi Sahai’s brand, Mine of Design, has made great strides on fashion platforms in India and abroad. “The pandemic just precipitated a process I was silently working on for a full year—to restructure my brand on the sustainability model, to take the tradition of jewellery-making to its ‘age of innocence’ where both the world and its people are treated with dignity,” she shares.

Soft-spoken, a vision of zen, and armed with a sharp, aesthetic mind, Ambar, a topper of the batch of 1999 for the Accessory Design course at NIFT, is a known name in the realm of jewellery design. Her brand is well patronised for both precious jewels and fashion accessories created for whimsy. Part of the young and creative crop of the FDCI, who break old bastions and play with newer pastures, Ambar is now exploring a realm no other in the business has bothered about—sustainable jewellery.

She shares, “2020 has been a real wake-up call for all of us. It has made us realize the fragility of it all. For me, it has also been a moment to value human life. Hence, I have restructured my work as per what I call ethical and fair practice.” To begin with, she has taken the manufacturing of her jewels to the process of slow fashion, where there is limited intervention by chemicals and only the most natural of metals and stones are adopted. “More importantly, health and safety protocols are followed and the kaarigars are ethically employed and paid their due wages,” she explains. Realising that people today are afraid of exposing themselves to strange surfaces, Ambar also ensures that each of her pieces is virus-free and sanitised before the eyes of the consumer.

Ambar’s design oeuvre is steeped in heritage. Her past exploration with elements like vintage coins, trinket bells, and tribal medallions set in rows of shiny garnets made her a big hit in both India and abroad. She plays with shapes and sizes to combine the depth of drama with a touch of the subtle. 

From crafting dramatic neck pieces that combine heritage iconography of the sat lada with vibrant inclusions of multi-coloured beads and shiny medallions, to creating delicate strings and charm bracelets to be worn with power suits, and blending the realm of traditional bridal jewellery with beads and baubles, Ambar’s fashion jewels are a discovery for the adventurous fashionista. Mine of Design can be found on the shelves of leading stores like Carma, Ogaan, Aza, Fuel, Anantam, Atosa, Kyra and Pernia’s Pop Up. Mine of Design is present in more than 13 countries with presence in Museums like Victoria & Albert London,

In reverse, her precious jewels are true classics, a rejig of forms and shapes worn by past generations. It is like a dip into grandma’s closet or a trip down regal memory boulevard. She admits, “My heart lies in the real stuff. I get compelled to recreate the glorious past the moment I find myself immersed in gold, polkis, emeralds, diamonds and rubies of the finest facet.”

She is on the panel of MMTC (Metal and Mineral Trading Corporation of India, Government of India Enterprise) and WGC (World Gold Council) and her jewels have been worn by Bollywood stars like Karishma Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Neha Dhupia, Raveena Tandon, Jacqueline Fernandes, Soha Ali Khan and Huma Quereshi. “However, nothing gives me a bigger high than finding my jewels on a stunning real woman of resilience,” she says.

A globe-trotter, she has also shown in FDCI shows and many private platforms within India. She was also invited to Premiere Classe, Who’s Next, Paris, which is a true ground for global protégés, the Bridal Fashion Week, Canada, the VOD in Dubai, and the Schenzen Fair in China, besides many others. A spiritual soul and a thinker, she adds, “Jewellery is part of our collective memory. It is what binds generations together. It is the silent crown in every woman’s persona. I am glad I have been able to create this crown for so many powerful women.”