Jewellery designer Varda Goenka on her 4 new edits
As Varda Goenka Fine Jewels by Diagold recently turned 25, it celebrated the same with the launch of four new ornate collections — Classical High Jewels, Jeypore, Deco D’art, and Emerald D’jour — all of which offer stunning options for the upcoming wedding season. We spoke with Goenka to learn more about the collections and upcoming wedding jewellery trends for the year.
Please take us through the new collections.
In these collections, there is something for everyone, ranging from light to heavy — rings, bracelets, earrings, statement pieces, to elaborate sets. The Classical High Jewels have natural diamonds in them, and the pieces are timeless, while the Jeypore Collection, as the name suggests, is a traditional range made by artisans from Jaipur, reflecting the royal heritage of the Marwar region. The collection boasts beautiful flat-cut polki diamonds encircled with intricate meenakari and combined with Zambian and Russian emeralds, Mozambique rubies, and South Sea pearls. The Deco D’art is an art nouveau collection, which has highly intricate pieces reflecting Victorian tastes, having different forms of brooches, hair ornaments and other beautiful, multifaceted pieces. Lastly, The Emerald D’jour collection has pieces with gorgeous deep green Zambian emeralds, beautiful leaf green Columbian emeralds and soft green Russian emeralds that are indeed statement pieces.
How much time does it take to curate a collection?
These pieces are all handcrafted. It takes at least six months from the drawing board to the final product. The initial design ideas are mine, and I do the finishing before it goes for making. We then buy the befitting stones, place them and that’s how they are made.
Your brand turned 25 this year.How has the journey been so far?
I started from home. I had a very small store. I made 25 small pieces, and those got sold off like hot cakes. From then to now, with a store on Lee Road, and another one in Mumbai, the journey has been fulfilling. We are also planning to open a store in London.
What will be the bridal jewellery trends for 2024?
This year, diamonds, yellow diamonds, and emerald jewellery will be in style. Along with these, Jadau work will be trending, as always. Design wise, the pieces will be simpler, but layered looks are very much in so that they can be styled separately and stacked together at convenience.
What pieces would you suggest for a bride?
I would suggest she get a nice ring that she can wear to events or even daily. A beautiful pair of long earrings, which can be worn later on, and an all-purpose heavy necklace that she can wear for important occasions, besides maybe a bracelet. These are the basic pieces that any bride would need.
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