Tanzire’s Suhani Batwara on why demi-fine jewellery is the future of luxury bling

“The modern buyer is looking to invest in stories, they want to engage with what’s happening behind-the-scenes,” Suhani Batwara, of Tanzire tells us. “The whole point of exploring an artisan-forward label was to be able to communicate narratives from all over the world. Tanzire is dedicated to the niche of handmade, sustainable demi-fine jewelry crafted by independent women artisans from across the globe,” she adds.

Batwara insists the spirit of collaboration is what drives the label and the line-up endorses this claim. Hong Kong-based designer Gosia Orlowska was one of the first designers to collaborate with Tanzire and the label just released a gender-neutral pearl collection in collaboration with Rosalice Melo, an artiste based in Brazil. In an interview Batwara shares her perspective on how demi-fine bling is successfully leading the design coalition between fashion and fine jewellery, and why it's going to be crucial trend in 2021:

Why did you zero in on demi-fine jewellery?

There are at least 25 million women in the world involved in the demi-fine jewellery industry; but the artisanal market is so fragmented and disorganised that they are overpowered by conglomerates. The entire point was to come up with pieces that are meaningful, sustainable, something that can be worn everyday, I think that’s the appeal of demi-fine bling

Tell us about the cross-cultural aspect

Our priority has always been to showcase different heritages and to bring out jewellery that represents different cultures. Countries like Morocco, Brazil, Greece etc have such unique artisanal traditions that echo really unique stories. Currently, the brand houses artisans from 18 countries like Spain, Italy, Thailand, Hong Kong, France, and India. 

Have you located a common link between the artisanal design language across the globe?

The biggest common ground I would say, is the muse, it’s the modern woman, who wants to explore different sides to herself. Every artisanal process is so different, it represents a new thought. For instance, we have someone from India who designs jewellery with the broken branches of ebony wood. We have another designer who makes hand-blown glass jewellery with purified water droplets inside it, so there’s a lot of diversity

Tell us about the gender-fluid line

The lines are blurring so fast, there’s nothing that’s just for women or for men. The new line is from Brazil, the collection is aimed for the audience that is now exploring gender-neutral trends, specifically fashion pearls as their everyday staple. 

Even with the pandemic and the lockdown, we experienced a huge surge in sales which was a big validation for us and an indicator as to how the modern buyer is still looking to celebrate more milestones, they want to wear jewellery even when they’re working from home or hanging out with friends virtually.