SHIVANGI SURANA, Managing Director of Surraya Atelier and Creative Director of MINA Jaipur, has built her brands on a robust foundation of core values and a clear mission. Over time, her efforts have culminated in the empowerment of women by equipping them with skills for manufacturing jobs traditionally held by men. MINA Jaipur’s new-age, demi-fine collections feature meenakari, an art closely associated with the Pink City. This approach not only preserves India’s traditional crafts but also presents them in a manner that appeals to a global audience.
As a seventh-generation jeweller of Bhuramal Rajmal Surana (BRS), we’d like to know more about your family’s long-standing legacy in the industry.
Our family’s legacy in the jewellery industry is deeply rooted in tradition and artisanship, dating back almost three centuries. Our journey began when Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II founded the city of Jaipur in 1727 and invited our ancestors to settle there to craft jewellery for the royal family, their European friends and their Mughal allies.
By 1951, our family established a modern jewellery company and opened an appointment-only store in the iconic Johari Bazar of Jaipur. The company later moved to JLN Road, the heart of Jaipur, in 1998. Over the years, each generation has contributed to the growth and evolution of our brand, blending traditional techniques with innovative approaches.
Our jewellery, which embodies timeless values, has adorned the collections of royalty, celebrities, and discerning collectors worldwide, reflecting the enduring legacy of our family’s passion and dedication to the art of jewellery-making. From intricate goldsmithing to the finest gemstone setting, every piece of Surana jewellery reflects our family’s commitment to excellence.
As a seventh-generation jeweller, I am honoured to carry forward this legacy into the future, embracing the opportunities for scale and creativity while remaining true to the timeless traditions that define us.
You hold two significant roles, Managing Director of Surraya Atelier, the in-house atelier of Suranas, and Creative Director of MINA Jaipur. How do you manage the responsibilities and contributions in each of these companies?
At Surraya Atelier, I am deeply involved in the manufacturing process, using the production and QC learnings from the time spent working under my parents at Suranas (www.suranas.com) and manufacturing that level of artisanship at scale. We work with retailers across India and make jewellery that’s relevant and exciting for their evolving new customers.
At MINA, which is a demi-fine jewellery brand, my role is focused on driving the creative direction of the brand and bringing our vision to life through innovative design concepts. I work closely with our craftswomen and craftsmen to develop unique pieces that reflect the Jaipuri craft of Minakari while also resonating with a global audience.
My responsibilities and contributions reflect my passion for creativity, design, strategy and business.
We would like to know more details about the specific skills and training programs you have implemented to upskill undereducated women at Surraya.
During my initial foray into the jewellery industry, I quickly noticed a glaring gap: despite women being the driving force behind over 90% of the world’s jewellery demand, they were vastly underrepresented in the well-paid, high-skilled roles, barely making up 10%. As I delved deeper, I realised it wasn’t just about the numbers; there were intricate challenges around attracting, retaining, and promoting women within the industry.
When we began hiring for Surraya, we saw plenty of women fitting into managerial positions, but we struggled to find suitable candidates for production roles. That discrepancy kept nagging at me. So, I made the decision to create a skill development unit within Surraya. It’s a place where women are given the same chances as men for financial growth and career advancement through training in various manufacturing processes.
Gender norms and stereotypes are still very much ingrained globally. They shape what women and men are expected to do in a society. While a company can’t exactly replace a government, it does hold a responsibility to uphold human rights among its employees and within the communities it operates in.
How do you measure the impact of your efforts on the financial independence of the individuals you have upskilled? Do you have any success stories to share?
We measure the impact of our efforts in the lives of those who have been upskilled under six metrics – income growth, employment opportunities, financial stability, quality of life, long-term career trajectory and testimonials.
Pooja grew up in a village near Jaipur, and lived in extreme poverty. Married at a very young age, her husband was the only employed member in their family of five, but an unfortunate accident left him paralysed in 2022. Pooja found work in a minimum-wage job, but it wasn’t enough to sustain her family. Within a few months of training at Surraya, she mastered various techniques like puwai (stringing beads/pearls) and filing. Her hard work and dedication led her to advance in her skillset and she is now able to provide for the needs of the family as well as the right care for her husband.
What inspired you to start MINA Jaipur in 2022, and how has your journey been since its inception?
Growing up, I was a tomboy, and I didn’t wear jewellery until I was 20 (quite ironic, isn’t it?), and it was a constant debate with my parents. When I started working at Bhuramal Rajmal Surana in 2018, I was enamoured by the complex process of jewellery manufacturing and especially fell in love with all the beautiful enamel detailing on our jadau pieces.
As an experiment, I designed a fully enamelled evil eye bracelet in sterling silver. Unintentionally, that was the inception of MINA. After I started wearing that bracelet, customers at the store would inquire about how they could order one for themselves or their friends and relatives. Around the same time, silver had transitioned from “artificial” to being popularised as “demi-fine”.
Seeing this as a promising opportunity, we launched our Instagram page @mina.jaipur in 2022 and our website minajaipur.com in 2023. Fast forward to today, we boast over 275 SKUs, with enamel still serving as the cornerstone of all our designs.
Minakari is a unique craft. How do you aim to popularise it through Mina Jaipur, and what challenges have you faced in doing so?
MINA is a demi-fine brand, crafted with gold and platinum-plated sterling silver. Andalusia has become our iconic collection! It’s easy to stack, light in weight. And most of the designs are reversible, so people can choose different colour palettes for the two sides to match their moods.
Do you have an online presence for Mina Jaipur and how has the response been so far? Any plans for expansion?
You can shop MINA pieces at minajaipur.com. We display at two multi-designer stores at the moment – Vasa Indica in Delhi & Jaipur Modern in Jaipur – and are looking to expand to 10 more cities by 2025.