A Vintage Metamorphosis for Every Woman

City Express has a chat with popular gemologist-cum-designer Farah Ali Khan, who created, Ornati — a collection that has affordable jewellery specifically created to suit Chennai’s palatte that includes pastel petals, Ayin and Sonnet

CHENNAI: A  burst of colours with smoothly cut gem stones infused into fashionable patterns is a reflection of Farah Khan Ali’s new collection Ornati. The jewellery designer-artist-cum-gemologist who was recently in Chennai to launch her collection in collaboration with Caratlane, looked impeccable in a white outfit with minimalistic jewellery.

“I love being in Chennai! People here love and understand jewellery,” she says. Having created fine ornaments for celebrities, she has now created designs that are more affordable. “People reached out to me and shared their interest in buying my pieces, but they also mentioned it was too expensive. That’s when I realised a big segment of women were left out,” she explains.

Prices for the Ornati range starts from `8,000 onwards and goes up to `1 lakh. With Chennai-specific jewellery pieces on display, she says, “There are maximum amount of pieces here than in any other outlet. Whatever you see online, you’ll find it here.”

A certified gemologist and a class topper from the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica, California, Farah’s venture into this field was by luck. “I wanted to be a gemologist. After the course, I meandered into a jewellery design,” she says.

Farah also opines that people need to be more aware when  buying gem stones. “Most think that diamonds are the biggest investment but stones like ruby and emerald are equally good,” she shares. Playing with colours in her current collection, Farah says that jewellery without colour is like living in a black and white world. “Colour has personality and characteristics. I think that is very important.”

So, what does the butterfly symbol in the collection signify? “It is a metamorphosis. It signifies the transformation of the brand, which now caters to everyone.” With fusion jewellery becoming a common fashion statement, Farah gives a twist to it. “I wouldn’t call it fusion. For me, it’s more of reinventing vintage and adding new elements to it. This works because we Indians have a great culture and it’s always nice to reinvent it,” she explains.

The collection line has three different creations, Pastel Petals, Ayin and Sonnet. “Pastel petals are floral-inspired for which we made sure we cut the gem stones according to the curvature and thickness. A lot R&D went into it for eight months,” she shares.

With every jewel narrating a story, for Farah, art and architecture are the major inspirations. “I love Indian art and architecture. Ornati deals with a lot of florals, charms and symphony. But we also have plans introduce architecture-inspired collections too,” she says. 

Talking about making a style statement, she says that any jewellery that reflects ones personality can never go wrong. Her favorite piece of jewellery is a ring given by her husband. “Yes, he gave it to me. But, I designed it,” she laughs.

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The New Indian Express
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