Studio Rêves Carves A Niche For Itself

Mumbai-based high-design house Studio Rêves is known for its timeless, yet new-age renditions in gold and platinum fashioned with diamonds and gemstones. Although it is a family-run manufacturing company run by three Menda brothers – Dheeraj, Niraj and Anuj, it is Niraj’s ingenious talent as Creative Director that defines the essence of their brand and helps them keep ahead of the pack.

When he was in his late teens, Niraj Menda realised that he was cut from the same cloth as his mother, who customised jewellery for family and friends. So, he began in earnest to expand his network and deep dive into the art of making jewellery; while his brother Dheeraj learnt the ropes of sales and marketing in international markets from Antwerp to Hong Kong. In a few years, both the brothers, with support from their mother and uncles, decided to focus on manufacturing jewellery. They set up a small workshop with two craftsmen in their house to monitor quality and finish. The operations part was handled by their youngest brother Anuj.

Gradually, the Mendas moved into a commercial area, hired more people, and began manufacturing high-end jewellery.

Accolades and fame came their way, and they were one of four manufacturers selected by De Beers to design and manufacture jewellery for the Nakshatra brand.

The Menda brothers began as jewellery manufacturers and suppliers for world-renowned brands. Studio Rêves was set up with the intention of showcasing in-house collections alongside international luxury brands. In 2018, Studio Rêves won the International Couture Design Award under the Best in Diamonds category below $20,000.

Niraj Menda speaks about the brand’s quintessential DNA and current design directions.

Neeraj Menda, Creative Director, Studio Rêves.

We would like to know a little bit of your family history related to the world of jewellery. Your early experiences in the industry that made you realise that you were cut out for this profession.

We three brothers Dheeraj, Anuj and I started our journey 20 years ago. We are first-generation jewellers, and we focus on less trend-driven and more customisation-focused jewellery. Our full-service design house believes in slow luxury, an unhurried crafting of the product to bring out the gemstone’s full potential with one-of-a-kind designs.

Our brand’s sensibility is steeped in innovation and exacting standards of perfection—all driven towards bringing our discerning patron’s vision to life.

We pride ourselves in exquisite finish and structural integrity that, in turn, help us bring out heirloom pieces.

In tandem with our business model, Studio Rêves invests heavily in the best design and manufacturing processes available globally. Over the years, Studio Rêves has become synonymous with high-quality finish.

Interiors of Studio Rêves.
A titanium leaf pendant stippled with diamonds. By Studio Rêves

Tell us what defines your company?

We believe in converting our creative dreams into reality, and structure every design to portray timeless elegance, which ultimately has the potential to become a family heirloom.

We don’t focus much on trends. Instead, we believe in taking on bespoke commissions. Each piece of jewellery is handcrafted with the best quality of diamonds, precious gemstones – all encased in gold, titanium, or any other precious metal. Each design comes with a strong narrative!

Our USP is our distinct style of setting diamonds. We play a lot with the stone setting. The alignment and arrangement of diamonds add a certain uniqueness to a piece.

Gold hoops embedded with uneven shapes of rose cuts. By Studio Rêves

Customisation is a big trend these days – are you also witnessing the trend among your consumers? If yes, can you give us an example or two?

Yes, customisation has become a big trend now, but for us it has always been our focus. Our designer team has long sessions with our clients to help them decide on the design, the stones, and settings, etc. that they know will never ever be repeated.

Double drop earrings with diamond floral posts set with ruby stems and pearls, and titanium discs holding pearls. By Studio Rêves

Have you transitioned online as well? Is online becoming more important than in-store retail? Do you have an online retail presence?

Our journey on an online platform started in 2017, it has been growing since then. 

Has the pandemic changed the buying habits of consumers? What is the price range of the pieces you sell across categories?

Yes, the pandemic has made the consumer wiser. Timeless designs conceived with precious metal and gemstones is what we specialise in. While there are no boundaries for beautiful creations, we have realised that practicality wins in every product and price category. So, we have learnt the art of balancing the act. We rely on our experience to create a beautiful future.

Delicate white gold danglers with tapered baguettes and brilliant-cut diamonds accented with a hint of blue enamel. By Studio Rêves

Going forward, what kind of trend directions are you anticipating in terms of design forms, diamond cuts and colour, gemstone, and metal preferences.

Ever since the pandemic came upon us, togetherness and celebrating and cherishing bonds has been a major trend all over the world. And celebrating connections forms the essence of our collections.

In diamonds, our favourites are the brilliant ‘blinking’ gems. However, we like to blend in with fancy-cuts to articulate our curvaceous designs. We are also seeing more experimentation with colour gemstones in unusual combinations.

What is the price range of the pieces you sell across categories? 

Over the years, we have noticed our clients’ preferable range is between Rs.2 lakh to Rs.99 lakh.

Do you think demand for diamond-set jewellery will rise or stay plateaued – more so now, since polished prices have shot up?

Diamonds always shine the brightest, no matter what!

Gold whorl earrings with hexagon posts articulated with carved emeralds. By Studio Rêves

Which are your major export markets?

We have successfully developed a profitable market in the US.

Anything else you may wish to add — your views about the retail industry, gold prices, etc.

The retail industry has become wiser, especially after the pandemic period. The consumers have got knocked-out from the habit of getting influenced; they now conspicuously seek value of the product, a piece of jewellery that enriches their lifestyle. 

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