In an interview with Forbes, jewelry designer Ananya Malhotra talks of her time in the jewelry world since launching her line three years ago.
When asked if she'd always wanted to get into jewelry design, Ananya said, "I grew up in India where jewelry holds significant importance at ceremonies and in culture. For me, it is personal and carries great sentiment. I went on to discover my true passion when studying at Central Saint Martins in London and the Gemological Institute of America. I was keen to share the cultural and sentimental value jewelry has for me and seek to achieve this through my use of material and design."
Ananya was then asked about her favorite piece of jewelry that she'd ever designed, to which she said, "The Panjshir — the uniqueness of the center stone and craftsmanship to create it was a brand highlight. As a designer, working with a colored gemstone and understanding how to enhance its color and structure is a wonderful process. This was evident when I worked with the 15-carat Afghan Panjshir emerald; the setting was just as important as the stone itself and was crafted with hand-carved crystal quartz and set with rose and round cut diamonds."
When asked what makes her brand unique as well as what inspires her designs, the jewelry designer said, "Ananya translates into ‘unique’ in Hindi, and this is reflected in both our designs and the brand’s overarching mission: to create jewelry that has no equivalent: in beauty, craftsmanship, and meaning. Each design is a reverent and respectful interpretation of Indian spiritual heritage and values, expressed through a contemporary design that crosses geographical borders and cultural boundaries.
"I have an affinity with Art Nouveau jewelry. Its feminine forms, pastel colors, enhanced by natural daylight, plique-à-jour enamel technique, and unusual inlays inspire me time and time again. A further source of my inspiration is surrealism. Having studied psychology, movement has always fascinated me and my collections and research are often driven by spirituality and mythology."
When asked to describe her Chakra Collection, Ananya said, "they are wearable, stackable, colorful, and chic. Not only that, but they also help to balance your energies. What more could you want from a piece?"
"I never leave without my open-back emerald ring, which is set in yellow gold and is my lucky stone. I also wear a white opal signet ring which brings me vision, thinking, clarity, and success," said Ananya of the jewelry she wears daily.
Information originally sourced from Forbes.
