It is a sale with a difference. For ‘In Bloom: A Selling Exhibition of Floral Jewels’ Sotheby’s has put together, what it calls “Fanciful Jewels that Radiate Flower Power”. The exhibition-cum- sale has been open since May 3, 2019 and will close in two days on May 24.

The “selling exhibition”, curated by Carol Woolton and Frank Everett,  traces the evolution of the flower as a design motif in jewellery from the 19th century to the present.

“Flowers have inspired jewellery design since ancient times, and few motifs are as varied or enduring,” Sotheby’s remarked. “A selection of 19th century jewels and signed vintage pieces from celebrated jewellery houses such as David Webb, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Verdura, as well as contemporary designs from Sabba, Shaun Leane, and Cindy Chao, among others, feature designs inspired by an array of floral species.”

Two creations of Neha Dani, a designer based out of Delhi, have been selected to rub shoulders with some of the most venerated names in the jewellery firmament.

Neha launched her business about five years ago in 2014, after she was selected as a “Rising Star”  by JCK Las Vegas, one of the most important trade shows of the jewellery industry.

In an interview published yesterday on Sotheby’s website, author Stephanie Sporn informs us that the designer produces only 15 to 20 pieces a year. Needless to say, each bespoke piece is an example of perfect design and craftsmanship, involving painstaking work over long periods of time.   

“Dani spoke to Sotheby’s about the painstaking old-world technique she used to set thousands of pinks diamonds and create mesmerising undulating forms in her Brassica earrings and Amarante bracelet – a year in the making – as well as her varied sources of inspiration, which range from her Indian heritage to Frank Gehry’s architecture,” says Sporn in an intro to her piece.

In the course of the interview, on being asked about the inspiration behind her work, Neha said: “In India we have a lot of intense handicrafts, like the weaving of saris. We make very intricate and complicated patterns, so my heritage inspires me. Creating something beautiful and perfect has been my driving force. My pieces tend to be larger in scale but still very detailed, delicate and feminine.”

Neha is also a designer who prefers to stick with older techniques. When asked why she prefers wax carving, Neha replied: “Computer production has become more common, but wax carving gives you much more freedom to express yourself. It’s about taking an old tradition into the future because a lot of these hand-making techniques are slowly dying out. We hand carve all the waxes in India, which is a painstaking process. The Amarante bracelet, for example, has 68 petals, and none look alike. Everything is made individually so you can try different petal positions to see what looks best. We often believe we are done, and then we think something else would look slightly better, so we change the wax. I think that’s about being an artist – you’re never satisfied.”

Pic Cap: Pair of diamond and coloured diamond ‘Brassica’ pendant ear-clips

Pic Courtesy: Sotheby’s