One look and you know that Misho is a collection that is edgy. There’s a band with a huge golden disc that makes for an interesting neck piece on one hand, while on the other there’s an ear cuff with a thinner band and silver beads sticking out of one end. Suhani Parekh’s latest collection of silver jewellery has finally made its way to Chennai.
The Mumbai-based designer, who recently launched her line at Bungalow 8 in her city, decided to give Chennai a taste of her minimal yet playful collection, which is now retailing at MaalGaadi in Besant Nagar.
“The collection is edgy yet sophisticated. It’s quirky and at the same time minimal. I’d like to think that my pieces are the kind that are subtle but still striking,” says Suhani, adding, “Misho is versatile; both in terms of form and finish. The pieces are very light and comfortable. We do all our jewellery in sterling silver. It’s a precious metal and will last a lifetime. It’s for keeps.”
The designer, who loves wearing pieces from her collection, says that they work for all occasions. “I’ve worn the ear cuffs everywhere, from a pool party and cocktail event to even an Indian wedding.” The fact that her collection works across age groups, is an added bonus. “I’ve had clients aged 20 to 45 picking up my pieces. At times, there have been older women too, who are willing to try them; they might, though, refrain from choosing some of the excessively experimental pieces,” she says.
Interestingly, she has chosen to work with silver, and most of the pieces either have a dull matte hue, sandblasted finish or even gold plating. Her love for silver, says Suhani, stems from the fact that it’s a very malleable metal.
“I started off as a sculptor at Goldsmith’s University in London, and predominantly worked with a lot of metals like iron and steel. One day, I made a couple of pieces and decided to wear them. It was fun, awkward and uncomfortable, but looked great,” she says.
“Silver, unlike other costume jewellery metal, is malleable, lustrous, and at the same time, it’s hard. It has a really nice density, and you can play around with the shape you want to make. Putting together beads to make pieces never interested me. I wanted to construct something; I had a form in mind and wanted to give it shape. Silver lets me do that. And unlike gold, it is low-maintenance, and can be worn on any occasion.”
The fact that it is white metal, says Suhani, gives her the luxury of playing around with it.
“It’s like having a blank canvas; it plates really well with gold and rose gold. You can sandblast it, make it matte or glossy, or you can even just plain polish it, and it still has a beautiful lustrous quality.”
After her graduation, Suhani dabbled in multiple things. She worked with a Mumbai-based architect, did window displays for her family store, and even worked at an art gallery. It’s little wonder then that her collection is inspired by contemporary art, architecture and travel.
“I graduated in 2013 and spent the next two years in a very creative space. It was really great to be constantly surrounded by art and material.”
While her collection is a reflection of her sensibilities, her style too is inspired by her travels.
“I love collecting jewellery from places I travel to. Sometimes, if I find a piece of vintage jewellery that matches my sensibility, I’ll pick it up. I also love wearing pieces from my mother’s and grandmother’s collection, which is very traditional Gujarati silver jewellery that’s at least 60 years old. I especially love a vintage pair of Ray-Bans that belonged to my grandmum that she got in 1945,” she smiles.
