Bling it on

In 1978,two young men from Rajasthan,Rajesh Ajmera and Rajiv Arora,started an initiative to highlight India’s jewellery traditions. They travelled across villages and cities,picking up designs in jadau,meenakari,and filigree work and so on,and founded a store called Amrapali. In the late Seventies,marrying modern trends with ethnic designs was not the hackneyed idea it is now. Besides,say designers,who now work with Amrapali for fashion ramps in India and abroad,their selection was distinctive. Thirty-three years later,Amrapali will retail at Harrods,London’s luxury store — a first for an Indian jewellery brand.

“It spells our acceptance in the luxury world,” says Tarang Arora of Amrapali. “The officials got in touch with us,visited all our stores in India,saw the collection and chose us for Harrods,” he adds. Amrapali jewellery isn’t a newcomer on the global style stage otherwise. Hollywood A-listers such as Angelina Jolie and Queen Latifah,and popstars such as Rihanna and Beyonce have worn it often enough. The brand celebrated its Harrods’ milestone with a party at Amer Fort in Jaipur.