That Nirav Modi is soft-spoken is a fact that’s been reiterated in many of his interviews, but when one sits down to talk, one wonders if his voice will be audible later. I’m tempted to push the recorder closer, but resist, praying to the god of all things shiny and unaffordable. For what other deity could exist around his jewellery?
With this Modi, there is no theatric quality, no show-off, no extravagant tale of inspiration behind his work. His words are crisp and to-the-point — an interviewer’s nightmare — but his jewelled creations can elicit paeans and that’s the saving grace. We meet ahead of his exhibition in Chennai, where he will be showcasing his entire range.
Looking for beauty
So what inspires these creations, part small-scale engineering marvel and part fairy tale baubles? “A woman’s smile,” he says. “When a woman receives or wears a piece jewellery, there’s tremendous joy on her face, and that makes me feel like I need to focus on designing.” Cheesy, but it doesn’t sound as much coming from the man of so few words. In fact, after he designed his first pair of earrings at the insistence of a friend, he says it was her reaction that kept him going.
Is that why he doesn’t design for men — except for wedding bands and the occasional cufflinks on request? “I think men are a waste of time,” he laughs, adding, “It’s because the aesthetic of our brand is very feminine. Come to any of our stores and you’ll see.” All Nirav Modi stores, he says, have the same soft colours, shades of light pink, and similarly shaped chairs, designed by architect Marika Chaumet, and chandeliers from the Munich-based Windfall. Also a recurring décor element is the paper art that’s made by their in-house visual merchandising studio, and changed multiple times a year. The upcoming Bengaluru store, set to open late November, is a special one, he says, giving me a sneak peek of the four storey-high, three-layered glass façade — the brand’s largest to date.
There is no Nirav Modi muse, unfortunately, but he names his brand ambassadors as women who represent facets of the brand - like Priyanka Chopra, with her strong Indian roots and global appeal. His longest association though is five years with model and actress Lisa Haydon, who was a frequent customer before she turned brand ambassador. “It turns out her sister was my daughter's’ ballet teacher!,” he tells me, excitedly. Does he see himself collaborating with a star, pulling a Rihanna Loves Chopard kind of collaboration? It’s unlikely. Designing is a very personal process for him, and his process of creating, with its emphasis on lightness, wearability and perfection, is not something he wants to share.
While these aren’t words you’d associate with high jewels - or anything with diamonds - for Modi lightness and wearability are keywords. “I’ve watched my mother, when she comes back after a wedding, the first thing she does is take off her jewellery — either because it's heavy or uncomfortable,” he says, and this is exactly what he wanted to change with his creations. While comfort and wearability are paramount, he also looks into the small things. His dangling earrings, he adds, will never touch your face. I’m told that when he’s testing out a new design, he will have someone in his office try on a piece and go about their day, just to figure out how comfortable it is.
Patents and pristine cuts
From the floating diamonds in the Jasmine collection to the Ainra cut with minimal metal, the knife-edge settings of the Constellation necklace, Modi is partial to diamonds over other gems, with good reason — as a seventh-generation of diamond dealers, he grew up around them. But what he’s managed to do is go from just dealing to designing, to now creating an Indian brand that appeals globally, from Hong Kong to America.
The only piece of jewellery he wears is his own invention, the Endless cut diamond ring, a patented cut that looks like a seamless band. “I wanted to make it look like I put my hand inside a rough diamond and carved around it,” he says, pointing to his ring. Since each diamond is cut to fit a certain circumference, the Endless cut comes with 90% wastage, a luxury you’ll probably only find in a Nirav Modi jewel. “We cut for perfection, we don’t really look at the wastage,” he says, dismissing the question with a smile.
- He insists that inspiration can come from anywhere - from Mughal miniatures to Monet’s Water Lilies, his daughter’s toys or just the Jasmine flower. “It’s about how attentive you are,” he explains, adding that poetry too is inspirational.
- Engineers aren’t people you would normally associate with jewellery brands, but for Modi, they're an essential part of his process. While he designs and a craftsman works on modulation, he says it’s his engineers who actualise his ideas.
- His latest is the Sakura collection, in two-toned diamond solitaires with micro-set diamonds set in rose gold to form the petals
