It’s often said that diamonds are a woman’s best friend and for good reason. Conversations around diamond investments are becoming increasingly common in social circles. Now, making that experience even more special, Aukera has launched its exquisite Champagne Collection, designed for women who seek variety, elegance, and timeless craftsmanship in their jewellery.
Lisa Mukhedkar, founder and CEO of Aukera, speaks to CE about the brand’s latest offering, her journey in the jewellery world, and how lab-grown diamonds are transforming the landscape.
Sharing how her love for jewellery evolved into a career, Lisa says, “My passion for jewellery, like many women, was natural. But I truly got immersed in the industry when I worked with the Platinum Guild in the UK, helping bring platinum jewellery to India from 1997 to 2005. I spent about eight years starting with a market viability study, lobbying with the Government of India to bring down the import duty which was a staggering 91%, compared to gold at 11%. I worked closely on policy changes, set up manufacturing processes, identified the top 100 retailers across the country, developed consumer strategies, and built quality assurance systems. After successfully establishing the India office, I handed it over. It was during this time that I deeply understood not just the business, but also what jewellery means to a woman. That emotional connection fascinated me and that’s where my journey into branding and marketing in this space truly began. Later, I ran a design — focused retail store and eventually discovered the potential of lab-grown diamonds.”
Lisa explains her transition to lab-grown diamonds with refreshing honesty. “With the traditional five-value equation of mined diamonds, it simply didn’t make sense. A one-carat solitaire of decent quality could cost upwards of Rs 36–40 lakhs. I just couldn’t justify spending that kind of money. I had given up on the dream of owning a two-carat solitaire. But when I came across lab-grown diamonds, I realised how accessible beauty could be. You can own large, high-quality, stunning stones at prices that genuinely make you smile. That’s when I decided, this is my calling. I wanted to dedicate the rest of my working life to building Aukera, making diamonds a joy that’s truly attainable for more women,” she notes.
Talking about the role of design, Lisa emphasises, “Design is the starting point. For most women, jewellery is bought out of desire, it’s an emotional decision. So, design has to speak to her heart. But design isn’t just about aesthetics or innovation; it’s also about craftsmanship. It involves every small detail that turns a diamond into a beautiful, wearable piece of jewellery. For us, innovation starts right from the diamond itself. We invest heavily in research, whether it’s enhancing brilliance by increasing the number of facets, exploring new shapes and colours, or improving the everyday functionality of jewellery. For instance, how often have your earring screws fallen off? It happens to almost everyone. We’ve been prototyping a new mechanism that solves that problem. We question everything because we believe in adding meaningful value to a woman’s jewellery experience.”
Speaking about the newly launched Champagne Collection, Lisa shares, “We’ve brought this collection to Hyderabad as well. These are diamonds in stunning champagne shades — elegant, versatile, and rare. The collection offers various cuts like oval, emerald, radiant, and cushion, and even in large sizes — up to 20 carats. While the market often offers ‘yellow diamonds,’ we chose champagne shades because they offer a beautiful spectrum of warm hues. Crafting these is challenging, but this is where our commitment to innovation shines, we transform these unique diamonds into spectacular jewellery.”
Unlike brands that drop collections every month, Aukera focuses on creating timeless pieces. Lisa explains, “Our approach to design is different. We don’t believe in chasing trends. Instead, we craft jewellery that’s classic yet contemporary, pieces that remain relevant forever. The Champagne Collection is part of that vision. In July, we’ll launch a bridal collection, followed by our signature, trademark products in October.”
Aukera is growing rapidly. Lisa reveals, “We currently have five stores in Hyderabad, and yes, expansion is on the cards. The brand is hyper-scaling — just one and a half years ago, we had only two stores. Today, we have 15 across India. Hyderabad continues to be an important market for us, and you can certainly expect more stores soon.”