Farah Khan celebrated the 15th anniversary of her fine jewellery and luxury lifestyle brand with a new book, A Bejewelled Life — launched worldwide four days ago, on her daughter Fizaa’s birthday. A PDF (helpfully sent over by the designer’s office) of the 300-page volume published by Rizzoli, landed in my inbox soon after.
Scrolling through the beautifully curated, lavishly illustrated book (edited by Paola de Luca, friend and CEO of trend forecasting company, The Futurist), I realised why Farah, 49, calls herself “an alchemist who captures moments and transforms them into objects of art”. Photographs of her handcrafted 18-karat gold jewels and gouache renderings of her designs are interspersed with whimsical images of landscapes, animals and architecture (some captured on her phone), works of artists like Manjunath Kamath and Chie Yoshii, and photographers like Ganesh Vanare — all of which inform and inspire her work — steering a visual tale of her evolution.
“I’m often asked where I get my inspiration from, but there is only so much words can convey,” Farah tells me, over phone from New York. “This book is an open conversation, an interaction with intellectual dialogue that nourishes creativity.”
From the book, A Bejeweled Life
It’s elemental
A designer to the stars — her creations have been worn by everyone from Kareena Kapoor and Sania Mirza to Serena Williams — Farah has been perfecting her craft for 25 years. And she divides her journey into “five different worlds of aesthetic vision” in the book: Fluidity, which denotes “spirituality, metamorphosis, and the way I’m always reinventing myself”; Royal Flair, that harks back to playing in the courtyards of the Jaipur City Palace and watching her father, director Sanjay Khan, shoot his lavish historicals; Naturalia, which looks at how the Earth and its creatures are a constant source of inspiration; The Rose, which taps into her romantic side and ideas of love and poetry; and finally Surreal Vision, “where I take inspiration from the colours, textures and the contradictions of cities” for graphic jewels.
“I wanted to show my different design directions,” she explains, pointing out how the book is peppered with quotes from Rumi and other poets, and her own writings (printed as handwritten notes). “I wanted to make it engaging, to say that there are so many facets of expression. This is my world; I am living what I’m saying.”
- “I designed the crystal-studded Goddess crown for Swarovski’s Runway Rocks in 2008. A few years later, Beyoncé’s stylist picked it up [for the American singer-songwriter] to wear when shooting the artwork for her album, 4. Though I didn’t meet her, it was amazing.”
Looking to diversify
Even as it looks back, the book also hints at what’s to come. Farah, who studied jewellery design and gemmology at the Gemological Institute of America, launched her first collection of lifestyle products last year, at the Vogue Wedding Show — a line that included bejewelled scarves, scented candles and hand-painted wall plates. “I consider myself a designer, not just a jewellery designer,” she says. “Soon I’ll be venturing into other areas of design, be it interiors, graphics, or even beauty and make-up.”
The India launch is on April 16, at Mehboob Studio, Mumbai, where an art installation will celebrate the artists Farah is inspired by. ₹8,995, the book is available at leading book stores, and on farahkhanworld.com
