Kundan jewellery with a Payal Singhal twist
Indian designer Payal Singhal debuted her very first jewellery collection in collaboration with Sangeeta Boochra last week.
Payal Singhal is best known for her colourful, eclectic designs, worn by celebrities like Shibani Dandekar, Diya Mirza, Anushka Sharma and more. Her latest venture into the jewellery industry involved a collaboration with Jaipur based Sangeeta Boocha who is best known for creating heritage jewellery pieces since 1897.
The collection, titled ‘Zaiwar’ features a combination of traditional and contemporary Kundan, silver and inlay workpieces, meant for everyday wear.
In a candid conversation, Payal Singhal speaks to LuxeBook about her first jewellery collection, her views on everyday wear jewellery and more!
How did this collaboration with Sangeeta Boochra come to be?
I always knew that the brand would eventually venture into jewellery. And Sangeeta Boochra is the perfect partner. They have been designing heritage jewellery since 1897 and are masters of ancient craftsmanship techniques. We have been working on the collection since before the pandemic and have been designing the pieces over zooms calls. That was until our team could travel to Jaipur to finalise the minute details.
What was the inspiration behind this collection?
The inspiration was the mindset we wanted to perpetuate with the collaboration. Both brands had a similar vision to make heritage jewels more accessible to present-day connoisseurs. Indian jewellery is often limited to weddings and festive celebrations. We wanted to change that. And so we approached the collection with an India Modern aesthetic to create elevated, everyday jewels. You can wear them for your wedding, but you can also wear them on a daily basis.
How does the collection capture Payal Singhal’s signature style?
Apart from the India Modern aesthetic, the Payal Singhal DNA is also borderless. Our clothes are as much at home in India as they are in any part of the world, regardless of the occasion. We also take versatility very seriously — we want patrons to wear our clothes in diverse ways, for various occasions. The same sentiment extends to our jewellery as well.
Sangeeta Boochra works with different techniques and crafts from across India, like we turn to expert artisans all over the country. So we fused our design philosophy to create a jewellery line that is contemporary and versatile while being an ode to our heritage.
What kind of pieces can we see in this collection?
We’ve worked with Kundan, silver and inlay workpieces in contemporary designs. A lot of these are Sangeeta Boochra’s signature elements. We then added a Payal Singhal flavour to appeal to our patrons and modernise the traditional designs.
The collection is said to be “a marriage of something old with something new”. Can you elaborate on this?
We have used ancient craftsmanship techniques to create present-day relevant designs which fit into the framework of our lives today. So while our heritage deeply inspires it, the collection is also equally modern.
What does jewellery mean to you? How do you think it plays a role in accessorizing outfits in the modern-day?
I’ve always been a jewellery lover and I’m constantly collecting pieces from all over the world. A lot of my personal jewellery style is reflected in this collection. My preferences are steeped in mixing and matching. I don’t believe in separating my traditional and contemporary jewellery based on occasions. Instead, I love to play around with them.
Jewellery has always played an integral role in accessorising and elevating outfits since times immemorial. That will never really change.
Jewellery today has become more about contemporary, wearable pieces. What is your opinion on that?
I absolutely agree. It’s the very premise and DNA of this collaboration. Jewellery is no longer meant for the locker or ‘special’ occasions. Life is a celebration today, and so you should have fun with the pieces in your wardrobe every day.
This was your first jewellery collection ever. Is it everything you hoped it would be?
Absolutely it was a pleasure to work with the Boochra team. I know I drove them crazy, being meticulous and paying attention to the minute details, however, what you see as a result is a collection of minimalistic elegant pieces that are traditional and modern which is extremely hard to balance.
What are some of your favourite pieces from the collection?
My favourites are the large Kundan rings with the pearl trim and the pearl necklaces with mismatched Kundan and carved stone pendants. I love the way the pearls add a modern yet old-world graceful charm to the traditional Kundan pieces.
What’s next for Payal Singhal? Will we get to see any more jewellery collections?
We are in the process of planning a series of summer trunk shows in the US right now. As for more jewellery, you’ll have to wait and watch!
Payal Singhal is best known for her colourful, eclectic designs, worn by celebrities like Shibani Dandekar, Diya Mirza, Anushka Sharma and more. Her latest venture into the jewellery industry involved a collaboration with Jaipur based Sangeeta Boocha who is best known for creating heritage jewellery pieces since 1897.
The collection, titled ‘Zaiwar’ features a combination of traditional and contemporary Kundan, silver and inlay workpieces, meant for everyday wear.
In a candid conversation, Payal Singhal speaks to LuxeBook about her first jewellery collection, her views on everyday wear jewellery and more!
How did this collaboration with Sangeeta Boochra come to be?
I always knew that the brand would eventually venture into jewellery. And Sangeeta Boochra is the perfect partner. They have been designing heritage jewellery since 1897 and are masters of ancient craftsmanship techniques. We have been working on the collection since before the pandemic and have been designing the pieces over zooms calls. That was until our team could travel to Jaipur to finalise the minute details.
What was the inspiration behind this collection?
The inspiration was the mindset we wanted to perpetuate with the collaboration. Both brands had a similar vision to make heritage jewels more accessible to present-day connoisseurs. Indian jewellery is often limited to weddings and festive celebrations. We wanted to change that. And so we approached the collection with an India Modern aesthetic to create elevated, everyday jewels. You can wear them for your wedding, but you can also wear them on a daily basis.
How does the collection capture Payal Singhal’s signature style?
Apart from the India Modern aesthetic, the Payal Singhal DNA is also borderless. Our clothes are as much at home in India as they are in any part of the world, regardless of the occasion. We also take versatility very seriously — we want patrons to wear our clothes in diverse ways, for various occasions. The same sentiment extends to our jewellery as well.
Sangeeta Boochra works with different techniques and crafts from across India, like we turn to expert artisans all over the country. So we fused our design philosophy to create a jewellery line that is contemporary and versatile while being an ode to our heritage.
What kind of pieces can we see in this collection?
We’ve worked with Kundan, silver and inlay workpieces in contemporary designs. A lot of these are Sangeeta Boochra’s signature elements. We then added a Payal Singhal flavour to appeal to our patrons and modernise the traditional designs.
The collection is said to be “a marriage of something old with something new”. Can you elaborate on this?
We have used ancient craftsmanship techniques to create present-day relevant designs which fit into the framework of our lives today. So while our heritage deeply inspires it, the collection is also equally modern.
What does jewellery mean to you? How do you think it plays a role in accessorizing outfits in the modern-day?
I’ve always been a jewellery lover and I’m constantly collecting pieces from all over the world. A lot of my personal jewellery style is reflected in this collection. My preferences are steeped in mixing and matching. I don’t believe in separating my traditional and contemporary jewellery based on occasions. Instead, I love to play around with them.
Jewellery has always played an integral role in accessorising and elevating outfits since times immemorial. That will never really change.
Jewellery today has become more about contemporary, wearable pieces. What is your opinion on that?
I absolutely agree. It’s the very premise and DNA of this collaboration. Jewellery is no longer meant for the locker or ‘special’ occasions. Life is a celebration today, and so you should have fun with the pieces in your wardrobe every day.
This was your first jewellery collection ever. Is it everything you hoped it would be?
Absolutely it was a pleasure to work with the Boochra team. I know I drove them crazy, being meticulous and paying attention to the minute details, however, what you see as a result is a collection of minimalistic elegant pieces that are traditional and modern which is extremely hard to balance.
What are some of your favourite pieces from the collection?
My favourites are the large Kundan rings with the pearl trim and the pearl necklaces with mismatched Kundan and carved stone pendants. I love the way the pearls add a modern yet old-world graceful charm to the traditional Kundan pieces.
What’s next for Payal Singhal? Will we get to see any more jewellery collections?
We are in the process of planning a series of summer trunk shows in the US right now. As for more jewellery, you’ll have to wait and watch!