Van Gelder’s Baoli Collection Is A Mesmerising Delight

(Left) Baoli Well 18-karat yellow gold square ring with stepped relief featuring graded shades of blue and green enamels, to a central cabochon tanzanite. The outer edges and ring band are embellished with a green enamelled linear chevron pattern, reminiscent of rippling water. (Right) Top view of the ring. By Van Gelder Designs

Since its debut in 2019, Van Gelder Designs has steadily expanded its repertoire with a series of original fine‑jewellery collections, each rooted in Indian culture yet expressed through a contemporary lens.

The latest addition—the Baoli collection—personifies this philosophy as “more than a design journey”: it is an ongoing dialogue between heritage and authorship, memory and imagination.

Van Gelder Designs’ Baoli collection is a eulogy to the ancient architectural marvels of India — the stepwells or baolis. These subterranean entrancing structures once served as vital water sources for drinking, bathing, and irrigation, and offered refuge to travellers, pilgrims, and caravans from the oppressive heat. Carved deep into the earth and accessed through descending flights of steps, baolis evoke a near-spiritual experience. As one descends, the blazing heat gives way to a soothing coolness, and the sounds of the outside world fade into a meditative hush.

Baoli Flow earrings in 18-karat yellow gold feature slim bar studs linked to drop pendants, with black chevron enamel detailing flowing seamlessly across the pair. By Van Gelder Designs

Drawing inspiration from the mesmeric geometry and reflecting pools of India’s historic baolis, this collection merges architectural precision with sophisticated craftsmanship.

Each piece is conceived in Van Gelder’s Jaipur workshops, where master artisans translate the play of light and shadow—seen in the carved stone terraces of a baoli—into fluid metalwork and gemstone settings. Through careful research and a singular aesthetic, the Baoli collection speaks with its own voice: contemporary yet deeply respectful of the cultural forms that inform it.

18-karat yellow gold Baoli Flow hoops featuring chevron relief decoration. By Van Gelder Designs

The collection is produced using responsibly sourced metals and stones, ensuring that each jewel not only tells a story of past splendour but also contributes to a sustainable future. In wearing a piece from the Baoli collection, the owner becomes part of this evolving narrative—adding new chapters to an already rich heritage.

18-karat yellow gold Baoli Well studs with a domed, engraved surface adorned with ombre shades of transparent blue enamels, swirling to a pear-shaped cabochon tanzanite. The concave reverse, embellished with a chevron linear enamel pattern, evokes the rippling water. By Van Gelder Designs

Founded in 1980 by Bernadette Van Gelder–van der Ven, Van Gelder began with a pioneering mission: to introduce the splendour of antique Indian heritage jewellery to European collectors. Armed with deep scholarly research and respect for cultural craftsmanship, Bernadette travelled extensively across India, gaining access to private troves of exquisite pieces and establishing the house’s reputation for authenticity and quality.

(Left) Yellow gold Baoli Flow ring, covered with black chevron enamel; (Right) 18-karat gold Baoli Flow Coil ring with a drop finial, featuring black chevron enamel. By Van Gelder Design.

In 2000, her daughters Fleur and Noëlle joined the business, bringing fresh creative vision and a commitment to design authorship.

Under their stewardship—formally assumed in 2012—the brand launched Van Gelder Designs in 2019, adding a contemporary pillar to its celebrated Heritage Jewellery collection.

Today, with headquarters in both Jaipur and the Netherlands, Van Gelder stands as a leading fine‑jewellery house that honours the past while defining the future through original, culturally rooted design.