When Krithyka Subash went skydiving in Bovec, Slovenia, a couple of years ago, two thoughts occupied her mind on her way back to the ground.
One was — who would take care of her daughter if she didn’t make it? The other one was... would she ever design jewellery?
“That was a stark realisation of my priorities,” laughs the 31-year-old founder of Venya, a city-based brand offering customised, handcrafted jewellery.
Krithyka Subash, founder, Venya
The name, she says, means “wished for” in Sanskrit. “The clients have something in mind that they can’t find anywhere else, so they want to get it custom made. It ties in with the concept of getting exactly what you want.”
However, she does have standards she will not compromise on like working only with EF-VVS grade diamonds, and sourcing pure rubies and emeralds from Sri Lanka and Jaipur. The closed setting diamond jewellery uses 22K gold, whereas open settings use 18K, she explains.
The Engineering graduate started her career as a business analyst at Tata Consultancy Services, but quit after six years to dabble in jewellery design.
After a year-long internship at a family-owned boutique jeweller (Selvanathan’s), Krithyka helped with the launch of artisanal nose ornament brand Mookuthi. And last month, she launched her own brand.
A typical appointment involves coffee and conversations with the client, around their preferences, likes, dislikes and the budget. She then presents them with a hand-drawn concept image. Once approved, the work begins.
Some of the pieces she has worked on include a three-carat diamond necklace, with interchangeable emeralds and rubies. A striking pair of nacre (mother-of-pearl) earrings have rubies and emeralds nested within five translucent pearls.
“The pieces are handcrafted by artisans in Chennai, and the time taken depends on how elaborate they are. Sometimes, sourcing takes time. Finding matching nacre took a while, but I’m happy with the result,” says Krithyka, who’s currently working with chatoyant (cat’s eye gems) on nose pins.
Her attention to detail extends to the handmade wooden packaging boxes from The Colour Company. What’s next? “We’re planning to expand to the Coimbatore market. And keep creating designs that our customers love,” she concludes.
Follow @venya.jewelry on Instagram. For details, 9884314215.
