KOZHIKODE: The ring is Rijisha TV’s maiden diamond design work for a jeweller. The 27-year old had just completed her master’s in lifestyle accessory design from the National Institute of Design(NID) in Ahmedabad when Malappuram-based SWA Diamonds asked her to come up with a novel diamond ring design within 15 days. She created a unique model — inspired by the pink oyster mushroom which stands for eternity — studded with a record 24,679 diamonds. Named ‘The Touch of Ami’, the ring has found a place in both the Guinness World Records and the Asian Book of Records for the most number of diamonds set in one ring. The ring weighs 344 grams and is priced around Rs 80 lakh.
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“After the jeweller approved my design concept, it took 90 gruelling days to fix the 24,000 plus diamonds on the ring. But we, a team of five, completed it in record time. The whole project was done in six months,” Rijisha says. None from the younger generation of Rijisha’s goldsmith family in Malayamma, near the National Institute of Technology in Kozhikode, was willing to take up the traditional job.
“But I was passionate about designing. I decided to study designing after BTech. I dreamt of taking the family profession forward in a sophisticated manner, that is jewelry designing,” she says.
Chief designer
Impressed by her ring, SWA Diamonds gave her a gift on a platter -- the post of chief diamond designer. Rijisha is perhaps the first woman to occupy a top post in jewelry designing in the state. “Kerala lacks a design-oriented approach towards jewellery, rather it is cost-oriented. Even if we go by design, it would be traditional. Most jewelry designers from Kerala are working outside the state or overseas,” she points out.
SWA Diamonds managing director Abdul Gafur Anadiyan, who owns the ‘Guinness’ ring, says: ‘’It is our privilege and honour that this ring was made in India and also the owner of the ring is an Indian. ‘The Touch of Ami’ also marks the triumph of entrepreneurship in the diamond sector of our state.’’
He says Capestone Ventures, the holding company behind SWA Diamonds, played a major role in achieving the global recognition. The diamond-studded ring has been kept at SWA Diamonds at Inkel Educity in Malappuram, and the Guiness Record ring is set to be launched soon officially. The ring designed by Rijisha has broken the previous record of 12,638 diamonds in one ring, which was also designed and manufactured in India.