Diyah, the doting mother of twin girls and a zumba fitness
instructor, now adds another feather to her cap with her own
timeless, jaw-dropping jewellery line, writes Umer Nangiana
“Give a woman the right kind of jewellery and she can conquer the world,” believes Diyah, who has finally set off to pursue a long-time love for Indian designer jewellery.
The doting mother of twin girls and a zumba fitness instructor now adds another feather to her cap with her own timeless, jaw-dropping jewellery line.
Enamoured by aesthetic Indian jewellery designs right from her childhood days, Diyah (her given name), an Indian expatriate, has always believed that jewellery had the power to make you feel stand out in a crowd.
The real opportunity to put her creative prowess into work, however, arrived with her arrival in Middle East a few years ago. She realised a big void here for exquisite chic designer Indian jewellery and accessories and, most importantly, bringing affordability into the mix.
After completing the ground work and finally, setting her long-time plans into motion, Diyah, who runs zumba and yoga classes in the city, is all set to launch the traditional in trend bohemian jewellery line.
Each piece has been made with handpicked beads and jewels, woven elegantly in a way that personifies Indian heritage with a modern classy touch.
“I actually went to see a friend (in India), who is already a jewellery designer. She showed it to me and I loved it. There and then, I decided I am going to take this to Doha with me,” an elated Diyah, now a jewellery designer, tells Community by way of inspiration.
Her designs are all handmade and hand-painted. They are all typical Indian designs which people do not get to see in Doha. There is extensive use of real stones, including the unique Navratan, and they come straight from the state of Jaipur.
“These designs are the ones that the Rajas and Maharanis used to wear. They have a lot of royalty attached to them. I use beads and Kundan work in the designs. Kundan is the small lining or engraving with silver on the top of the jewellery pieces,” explains Diyah.
For now, she creates designs and gets the jewellery made by experts back home. She will have to bring all the raw material from India if she pursues it here. But, this is exactly what she plans to do in near future — make it here. She is eyeing a training course in assembling and putting together gems, beads and stones — thus replacing the need for an expert hand to do it back home.
“The plan is that I am going to bring the stones from India and once I am done with my training, I am going to make them here. Then, I will be able to take customised orders as well, and it will make labour and all related chores hazard-free,” says Diyah.
How does her designing process work as of now?
“We have to buy the pieces from market, create our designs and then get them done accordingly. In the future, however, it is all going to be at my end. I will see the response here and the kind of jewellery that sells well and bring those specific designs again,” Diyah says.
“We normally, keep it on a sheet of paper. We put beads on it and, then, it is aesthetics like putting pieces together. You have to visualise it — as to how it will look once it is finished. Then, I take a picture of the design and go to the karigar (maker), who makes the jewellery on that design,” she adds.
From a zumba instructor to a jewellery designer, how did the transition take place?
“The base is creativity. It is in my blood. Not just this; I have a lot of other things on my mind that I want to pursue — like my next ambition is to become a make-up artist. I will definitely try my hand at it,” says a determined Diyah.
For her upcoming jewellery designs, she has set the prices ranging from QR100-500. Diyah claims she has the range to cover every segment of the society and there is something for everyone.
“However, if you go for more unique designs and opt for more precious stones or you want to enhance the quality and quantity, the cost will increase. It depends on the buyers’ liking,” she reasons.
Diyah says she has seen somewhat similar work displayed at some of the exhibitions in MIA (Museum of Islamic Art) Park. But there is a huge difference between her designs and those displayed at the exhibitions.
“On close observation, I realised that those are not real beads (at MIA Park). They are plastic while mine are made from real expensive stones — that is a huge difference. They are using plastic and that is why the price comes down to QR30-40 and they are all from China. I am not using anything from China,” says the designer.
Diyah is going to launch her jewellery line formally on December 6 this year through an exhibition at MIA Park. So far, her jewellery designs have not been seen by anyone else. Only a few days ago, she created a facebook page for these designs and this is where she will be mostly displaying her wares.
To spread the word, she is also relying on the network of her zumba students and the upcoming Christmas season. “Westerners particularly, like this type of jewellery. So I am going to target them as well as the Arabs. The Indians can go to India and buy it from there. However, my market is open to everyone,” says Diyah.
She says it will also be difficult for Indians living in Delhi, for instance, to especially travel to Jaipur for the jewellery so they can get it from her.
Diyah also plans to showcase her jewellery in hotels if she manages to sell well after the launch.
“I am already in talks with a hotel here. But then obviously they will put their own prices which will be more than what I am selling at,” she says, adding the hotels will also invite her to display her work outside the marriage halls.
Referring to a picture of a necklace worn by the famous Bollywood actresses Madhuri Dixit displayed on her facebook page, Diyah says it is an exclusive design which is only custom-made and very expensive. These are bridal sets and nobody wears them on a daily basis.
“The original comes at IR8-10 lac but if somebody wants to get that in fake stone or fake Kundan work, it can be had for IR70,000-80,000. This means I can get it done only if a customer places such an order. I can also customise the designs from big names in jewellery in India,” says Diyah.
For instance, if you find a design in a newspaper and it is a diamond and you do not want to spend so much on diamonds, you can place an order with Diyah to get it made in fake jewellery. Her collection so far is all mixed, no special items or bridals.
“The problem with bridal designs is that the investment is pretty high and it is like blocking your money. It can be made on order but it will take a long time, at least a month. So if somebody orders, only then can I get it made for them,” says Diyah.
To check her collection, you can log onto her facebook page (Jewellery By Diyah) and order it online.
