Stunning the World

With an increasing number of celebs wearing their creations on red carpets across the world, Indian jewellery designers are basking in the global limelight

- SMITA TRIPATHI

WHEN JENNIFER LOPEZ turned up for the Golden Globes party at the Toronto Film Festival in early September, she had a special India connection. The actor-singer complemented her dress with jewellery from the Sabyasachi High Jewellery collection. She wore bold earrings crafted in 18k gold with morganites, tourmalines, and diamonds. Earlier, at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood legend Meryl Streep made a striking appearance on the opulent Grand Theatre Lumiere’s Red Carpet, where she was bestowed with the Honorary Palme d’Or. Indian designer Hanut Singh created the stunning earrings she wore at the event.

At the Met Gala, fashion’s biggest event, pop icon Cardi B turned heads not only for her voluminous dress, but also for her jewellery with emeralds the size of pigeon eggs. Designed by Mumbai-based jewellers Kamyen, she wore a one-of-a-kind 141-carat Colombian emerald, set amongst 127 carats of fancy shaped diamonds.

Singer-entrepreneur Rihanna also has a special affinity for Indian jewellery and is often spotted in creations by Sabyasachi as well as Manish Malhotra, sometimes combining pieces from both, as she did at the launch of Fenty Hair in Los Angeles earlier in June. She wore a three-drop rubellite, tourmaline, and brilliant-cut diamond necklace from Sabyasachi and paired it with a ruby choker from Manish Malhotra made using 18k gold and custom-cut rubies encrusted in diamonds.

India’s jewellery industry, currently estimated at $85.52 billion and expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2024 to 2030, has been having a monumental year, especially with the Ambani (Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant) wedding serving us some of the biggest baubles the world has ever seen. Anant Ambani’s 720-carat emerald brooch designed by Mumbai-based Heeramaneck & Son Jewellers in collaboration with Cartier, was a throwback to the Maharajas of yore.