When Raj Mahtani showcased his creations along with couturier Anamika Khanna at Paris Fashion Week in 2008, it could well have been a prophetic moment for the first Indian jeweller to have done so on that esteemed international platform. More than a decade later, as his house of couture jewels enters its 20th year, the Kolkata-based master jewellery designer is ready to floor connoisseurs with a collection that brings together the cultures and concepts of Kolkata and Paris in a celebratory union.
Paris in Calcutta equates the beauty of the two cities by drawing parallels between the ambience, the architecture, the grunge, the art and the heritage. The ornaments and adornments belie the conventional Indian wedding jewellery narrative to suit a more global context deriving from the European vocabulary of opulence in a modern format.
Known for creating concept luxury jewellery that marries the core of a Mughal sensibility (as well as Ottoman influences) to a more Western canvas, Mahtani has always strived to elevate the art of Indian jewellery to suit a modern palate. His penchant for creating statement neckpieces saw him present some of the most eye-popping polki and jadau collars, body corsets and scarfs along with Khanna’s clothes at the Paris Fashion Week that year. Courting immense critical acclaim and commercial laurels, Mahtani soon recognised the potential of his craft in India. The modern Indian woman, with an evolved, bold outlook and a confident sartorial sense was ready for the avant garde in bijouterie.
Thus, Mahtani started his fascinating journey that broke the traditional concepts of wedding and occasion wear. While drama is one element that marks his pieces, subtle elegance is another leitmotif. But no matter how simple the pieces were, they always sprung surprises of technique or execution (a diamond caterpillar necklace reflects the art of dynamism in diamonds, a gold choker that resembles crochet lace). The Paris in Calcutta collection, too, features some remarkable statement pieces that look extravagant, yet create a narrative of versatility and viability.
Bold, handcrafted pieces that take the onlooker’s breath away, each piece is a marvel in intricacy and artisanship that Satramdas Dhalamal, the family of jewellers that Mahtani is from, is legendary for.
Entering its 140th year, the designer has big plans for the mothership as well as his label in 2020. “These are pieces constructed in a manner so that they can be broken down into smaller pieces. We want patrons to wear them regularly instead of storing them away in lockers. These are jewels to be loved and worn again and again,” says Mahtani showing us a layered polki necklace that can be worn in six ways. And a curling wrist cuff encrusted with sapphires and diamonds that opens up to form a scintillating hasli.
“When we think of an Indian bride, the entire look had become too straight-jacketed. I wanted to break that notion. This is wedding jewellery for the bride who is a global citizen. She travels, she takes in the sights, sounds and cultures of a world village. She deserves jewellery that is so much more—demure, elegant, yet wow. Because simple needn’t be boring,” says Mahtani sitting amidst a veritable selection of jewellery.
The need to push the envelope in the field of wedding jewellery arose when Mahtani lived and worked in Europe in the 1990s, taking in how tastes and preferences in fashion were changing internationally. “The modern woman does not want to look like a bag of jewels. It’s one striking piece—a ring, an earring, a cuff, or a necklace—that does the trick. The definition of refinement and the context of couture jewellery has seen a sharp curve, bordering on boho-chic, functionality and the element of drama,” says the jeweller.
Indeed, if you’re looking for sheer, dramatic elegance, the Paris in Calcutta collection is right up your street.