Every piece of jewellery has a story to share. As family heirlooms, gifts, or statements of personal style, items of jewellery have been an intrinsic part of wardrobes over centuries and throughout the world. Amama—an e-retail platform for handcrafted jewellery, thrives on this philosophy. They believe that every person feels a connection with the jewellery they own, especially the pieces that are inherited. Hence, they focus on selling jewellery that tells a story, making it the best gift—for oneself or a loved one. Their collections are curated from around the world, and some exclusive pieces are designed in their head office in Delhi.
Amama was founded in 2017, and has garnered a loyal clientele ever since. Their pieces have been seen on celebrities like Yami Gautam, Masaba Gupta, Riya Kapoor, Neena Gupta, and Nora Fatehi among others. Popular influencers and bloggers such as That Boho Girl, Komal Pandey, Masoom Minawala, and Kusha Kapila, have also worn their pieces. In this candid chat with The Daily Guardian, founder Nikita Gupta, shares her vision for the brand and the reason for its popularity. Excerpts from the interview:
Q. How did you foray into the world of jewellery?
A. I was fortunate to have inherited gorgeous silver jewellery from my dadi (paternal grandmother). This collection, which would have taken me years to build on my own, led to the inspiration and birth of my brand Amama. It is inspired by the name I call my grandmother and I hope our offerings give as much pleasure to our buyers as her lovely jewellery gives to me.
It was not easy to reach this point though. I belong to a family whose traditional business has been in Home Appliances, and I married into a family of Biochemists and Pharmaceutical manufacturers. Trust me, it was not easy explaining the purpose behind setting up a jewellery brand to my family! They were worried about the longevity of the business and whether it was just a hobby whose charm would wear off slowly. But I was keen to follow my dream, so I began by doing thorough research. I set up a website all on my own, with just 10 products. I even clicked the pictures of these products myself, in my drawing room!
For the first 1-2 years, I had a tough time arranging funds but fortunately, my hard work paid off.
Amama picked up last year during lockdown, when I started making Instagram Reels at home and showing different ways in which Amama jewellery could be styled.
Q. What sets Amama’s offerings apart from other handcrafted jewellery brands?
A. At Amama, we cater to all jewellery connoisseurs. There is something for everyone here, within differing price ranges and of the best quality in their class. This kind of range and scale of exclusive handcrafted jewellery is difficult to find online.
Q. Who is the Amama muse?
A. My muse is my grandmother, who always inspired me to pursue my dreams. She was very fond of jewellery and was a vision to look at! I can only aspire to be like her.
Q. Why do you feel Amama is a celeb favourite brand?
A. I believe it’s because we offer statement pieces that are very light and easy to wear, and at the same time they are head-turners.
Q. Please tell us about your latest collection.
A. We launch at least two collections every month, as we would like our regulars to have something new to browse through every time. Our most recent collection is the one called Peepal which was inspired by the leaves of the Peepal tree.
Q. Which is your most popular piece and why do you feel it has timeless appeal?
A. We sell a pair of handmade earrings in cream colour, which became so popular that other designers began copying them ruthlessly. They are called the Krisha earrings from the Rangrez collection and have a timeless appeal for people across ages. I personally love that piece a lot too!
Q. What has been the biggest challenge you have faced?
A. Since our Instagram page became popular, tons of pages have begun selling Amama fakes using our pictures. It is quite infuriating and disheartening to face this, yet we choose to believe that it shows a love of our designs. After all, imitation is the best form of flattery, and that stands true for us!
Q. Where do you retail your pieces and do you ship internationally?
A. Currently, we don’t have a dedicated offline store but we retail online through our website amama.in and on Instagram @amama_loves. We have also partnered with multi-brand outlets such as Ogaan, Nykaa and Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop, and retail through them. We ship internationally as well, and our designs are quite popular with patrons abroad.
The interviewer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.