Mumbai, Delhi and Coimbatore, among other cities, have their share of haveli s being turned into restaurants and boutiques. The old world charm of the home is retained while the interiors undergo some renovation and the décor, befitting the heritage structure, makes room for a display of clothes, jewellery or a restaurant setting. The newly-opened bridal boutique of Kishandas & Co. (the company has its original store at Topaz building, Somajiguda) sets precedence in Hyderabad for a haveli -turned-jewellery boutique.
Pratisksha and Prashant
“I grew up in this house and each corner is filled with memories,” says Prashant Kishandas, a descendant of the family. Their line of jewellery was established as a brand since 1870 and they’ve been jewellers to the Nizams, nawabs, generals, businessmen and in short, the well-heeled of that era. The history of jewellery making in the family goes back four generations, from the time of Harlochandas, his son Harikishandas, his son Krishnadas and continues to the present generation —Nitin and Prashant.
The house that’s now a bridal boutique was opened a month ago. “We moved out of this house four years ago and none of us, including my father-in-law Krishnadas Harikishandas, wanted to see this making way to yet another commercial complex or apartments,” says Pratiksha Prashant.
Tanjore paintings and bronze sculptures complement the antique-finish wooden cabinets and cases that hold the jewellery collection. Different sections of the house highlight different collections.
There are Hyderabadi ‘satlada’ and ‘lacha’, the traditional Telangana ‘gutta pusalu’ and ‘pachi work’, paisley malas in rubies to resemble the temple jewellery style of Tamil Nadu, there’s also a limited section of fusion jewellery — where the polki designs from the south are set in kundan. “Most of the jewellery here is traditional, since we’ve observed that young brides want to look traditional on their special day. However, there are a few fusion sets for those who want something different,” says Pratiksha.
A view of Kishandas & Co haveli
One section of the house displays the personal collection of the Kishandas family. These pieces are a document of jewellery through the generations and not for sale. Among the many striking pieces is a ‘Nizami chapka’ with peacock and animal motifs.
A model dressed in Gaurang Shah’s handloom ensemble showcases the jewellery
The boutique takes pride in reviving the ‘pachi work’ done by Telangana kaarigars . Explaining its significance, Pratiksha says, “In these pieces, the weight of gold and the diamond contribute to the jewellery, there is little or no room for laq . When we started reviving this 15 years ago, very few kaarigars were doing it because it involves a higher making charge. We were willing to pay them more. From a buyer’s point of view, if an exquisite ‘pachi work’ piece cost ₹55lakh instead of ₹50 lakh, it’s worth it because he/she gets the said weight of gold and diamonds. There’s no room for being short-changed and ending up with a piece that may actually be worth only ₹35 lakh.” The family liaises with Bengali kaarigars for rose-cut diamond sets, Telangana craftstmen for pachi work and kaarigars from Rajasthan for kundan.
Handloom soiree: Kishandas & Co bridal boutique (lane beside Westside, Somajiguda) hosted a walk-through session into its haveli -turned-boutique for select invitees recently. Models in designer Gaurang Shah’s jamdani bridal collection sported unique pieces in different styles of jewellery, from the Telangana ‘pachi’ work to polki sets.
