Gautam Banerjee talks about designing jewellery and new trends

Gautam Banerjee doesn’t think of his work as pieces of jewellery. He sees them as symbols of love and heritage. The jewellery designer, who was formerly Head Designer TBZ Jewellery, and actively worked with many other national and international jewellery brands, started his own venture five years ago so that he has the freedom to express himself through his designs.

“Jewellery designers always work behind the scenes. Their creativity is often recognised by jewellers’ or jeweller’s brand. This is the system which is out there in the market. Like great films, there are many people involved — their concepts, creativity and hard work too. But mostly the hero takes all the credit (smiles). Now things are changing, customers are more aware,” says Banerjee.

We find out more about what goes into designing jewellery, the different kinds of Indian jewellery and the new trends for this festive season.

Exploring Indian jewellery
Banerjee’s mission is to bring the unexplored essence of eclectic Indian jewellery to the world. He explains that India is a melting pot of different cultures. In every state, there are people who come and settle from elsewhere. There is diversity of attire, cuisine and jewellery too. “By looking at a piece of jewellery, you can make out which region it is from. For example, Rajasthani jadau is a part of a tradition that is hundreds of years old and it is still loved by Indian consumers. And then we have Ahmedabad’s Kundan jadau, which might look similar to its counterpart from Rajasthan but is very different. Hence, jewellery has a different charm according to the culture and region it comes from,” says Banerjee.
He claims that the essence of such jewellery from different parts of India is still unexplored. “We discover them, mix them with another authentic essence to create something more beautiful,” he says.

Honesty in design
The designer believes that honesty must reflect in his designs. “One of the first lessons my gurus taught me was to always remain humble, grounded, very natural, and original. Only then can you retain this art of designing jewellery. As a person, you should not be fake in any way. Always work for the welfare of people. Then only you can be artistic throughout your life journey,” says Banerjee who learnt about international trends and techniques while working in New York. “After bringing thoughts, concepts, and emotions in the design paper, you have to be with it throughout the process of making it. You need to take care of each and everything — like what materials and how they are being used, how they look, is each curve as perfect as it can be? We practise perfection. We create jewellery like a beautiful piece of art. My designs are modern yet traditional. They are a natural, free flow of beauty and emotions. It is something you want to cherish, love and keep with yourself,” he adds.

In vogue
Banerjee shares that there is craving for aesthetic beauty among Indian consumers today. “Now people understand this concept. Earlier, parents used to be the decision makers and used to buy jewellery for their children. Now the youngsters are the decision makers. And of course they are more demanding. They have a different thought process and they want to choose. They have their own style,” says he. He informs that precious and semi-precious stones are much in vogue this upcoming festive season. “As per my observation, Lapis Lazuli, Gold Heliodors, Opal, Cameos, Conch and Pearls are in vogue. They can be worn on anything. It mainly depends on personal style and taste,” says he.

Talking about what the jewellery industry needs to work on, he says, “Now quality and customer buying experience is the next big  thing. If we focus on these two, export will also rise. We need to give the best quality possible.”