- Divyarani Revankar
- Mridula Sinha sworn in as Goa’s first lady Governor
- Varun Carvalho’s latest album making waves
- Rajendra Talak’s ‘A Rainy Day’ bags Maharashtra State Government Award
- Mega Konkani album ‘Hazar Zaitam’ released
- Shrihit Productions maiden film, ‘Guru Pournima’ to hit cinemas this month
- Sharada Mandir honours students
- Football Frenzy with FC Goa!
- MPT to boost cruise tourism with new terminal
- CMM Arena Megastore opens in Margao
All that sparkles
When it comes to lifestyle jewellery, one of the most prominent names in the business is Neelam Kothari. Quitting Bollywood to get into her family jewellery business may have seemed like a rash decision at the time, but Neelam has over the years crafted jewellery masterpieces that have made her brand ‘Neelam Jewels’ popular with the elite. VIVA GOA chats with the ace jewellery designer
I come from a family of jewellers, so while my stint in Bollywood was great, with hit films like Ilzaam, Hatya, Ek Ladka Ek Ladki, Hum Saath-Saath Hain & Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I always knew I wanted to get into the family business. It was only a matter of time before I got back into designing jewellery. I had hands on training in the art with my father, so there were no surprises when I eventually made the switch. Of course, after working the Bollywood, it was challenging to leave the Bollywood life behind and settle down into a formal business environment. Another challenge was that I would be starting from scratch as I was sure I wanted to have my own brand.
I had decided that Neelam Jewels would stand for statement pieces and quality that speaks for itself. Design-wise, I liked the classical look, so that was something I tried to bring in to my jewellery designs. While we have some exquisite designs across all budgets on display at our showroom, we also take undertake custom orders. Our craftsmanship and designs are based on age old traditions which I like to balance out by incorporating the latest international design trends, to come up with exquisite designs. In fact, the traditional jewellery making skills that have been handed down over decades are still in use in our workshops.
Jewellery buyers today are very clear about what they want. They closely follow the latest jewellery trends. Coloured stones are popular this season as people are looking to add colour to their jewellery. While some people believe in the power of gemstones to alter destiny, I feel that they actually affect your mood. Imagine yourself looking absolutely gorgeous sporting a dazzling jewellery set – you will instantly feel much better about yourself!
Personally, I like to include rubies in my designs. Most of my well received designs have a lot of rubies in them. In my own personal collection of jewellery, I’ve found that I have a lot of emeralds as I love the look of emeralds.
For the coming festive season, we’re working with a lot of colours. The jewellery collection will feature Moghul motifs set in the art deco style. We do not repeat our designs, thus ensuring that piece of jewellery you buy at Neelam Jewels is a true masterpiece.