Season to sparkle
KOCHI: Jewellery designer Nileena Babu’s first independent collection is a delicately crafted love sonnet to coloured stones. Titled ‘Mausim’, the assortment is based on the moods and shades of monsoon, is both passionate and serene. Exquisitely strung on dainty chains, the pieces are layered with tourmaline, tanzanite and opals. An aquamarine pendant is carved as per the gritty nature of rocks, which in turn has diamonds and blue sapphires. Styled contemporarily, one set is crafted in rose quartz speckled with diamonds and pink sapphires. Birthed during the lockdown, ‘Mausim’ is also Nileena’s attempt in popularising coloured stones in the state.
Even though Nileena has designed a few pieces for Adona Diamonds in Kochi, her mother Molly Babu’s 20-year-old venture, ‘Mausim’ has been her dream project ever since she set foot in the world of jewellery designing. “There was no pressure to join the business. I dabbled with engineering and finance for a while until I realised that jewellery designing was my calling. I had been doing customised pieces for Adona’s clientele. When the lockdown happened, I felt it was an ideal time to design my collection and launch the same under my brand Nileena Babu Fine Jewellery,” says Nileena.
The collection is completed in a neo-Indo-Western style with coloured stones sourced from Jaipur and diamonds from Surat. “I have always loved inculcating coloured stones into my designs. In fact, I use them when I brainstorm and design, not the other way round. Diamonds are added to enhance these stones. The collection is minimal and elegant, for new-age working women who prefer wearing the same to work or a party, accentuating their style and personality. I have never felt at ease designing or wearing chunky jewellery, ‘Mausim’ contains pieces that I would love to wear,” she says.
Precious coloured stones including diamonds, sapphires, tanzanite, tourmaline, pink and blue opals with unique cuts are the backbone of the collection. According to Nileena, the work was completed in tandem with the master craftsmen in her company. “Working with coloured stones is rather tricky—they’re soft, breakable and aren’t easy to set like diamonds. The process of communicating this to the craftsmen is imperative. They have to comprehend the design precisely to decide the mould and setting of the piece accordingly,” explains Nileena.
The pandemic has altered the industry and choice of jewellery, says the designer. “Overall, the volume and quality of function of jewels have decreased. People have moved from showy pieces to elegant ones. Coloured stones are more popular outside Kerala. With ‘Mausim’, I hope to see the same within the state,” she adds.
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