NEELAM KOTHARI, Creative Head and Owner, Neelam Jewels, is a celebrated personality who transitioned from Bollywood actress to renowned jewellery designer. In Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, the Netflix series, Neelam charmed audiences with her effortless style, lasting friendships, and a grounded outlook on fame.
In an exclusive interview with Solitaire International, Neelam reflects on her three-decade-long journey in jewellery design. Though she avoids the spotlight, her exceptional creations consistently appear at prestigious auction houses, including Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Bonhams.
Apart from Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives is there anything else you are currently working on, as an actor?
At the moment, there is nothing else I am doing in the world of acting. Currently, I am awaiting Season 3 of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives.
How and when did you foray into jewellery?
Jewellery has been our family business for four generations, and I have been in the jewellery business for 30 years.
What has been your most recent collection? Do include captioned images.
My latest collection is more pret, affordable pieces, inspired by nature, like flowers, butterflies, different colours, and more young and more wearable stuff. Neelam Jewels is known for its colour stones, Colombian emeralds and Burma rubies, so the new collection is different. I have done loads of butterfly pendants, flower earrings, cocktail rings, etc., pieces that are more fun.
What’s the USP of Neelam Jewels?
Neelam Jewels’ USP is its good quality of craftsmanship, the diamonds and the quality of the colour stones that we use. I always make my colour stones a focal point of the design.
Metals, I normally work with white and yellow gold and if I’m making an eternity band or a solitaire ring for a wedding or a tennis bracelet, then I work with platinum.
A lot has changed in terms of technology since you started as a jewellery designer. How do you stay relevant as a designer?
I think the trends and tastes in jewellery keep on changing. Jewellery is a very personal taste, so to stay relevant you have to keep reinventing. Like in my new collection, I’m using a lot of tiny pink sapphires, multi-coloured sapphires, tsavorites, which just look different and eye-catching. I’m also working with 18-karat gold, which is plated green or pink depending on the stones being used.
You have a very discreet model and some of your craftsmanship is visible on international auction houses…
Yes, my PR when it comes to my jewellery business is very understated, and I like to keep it that way. A lot of my clients like that personal touch and we do a lot of work with international auction houses like Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Bonhams in Hong Kong. I have also started working with a few Indian auction houses. And you know how auction houses work, the prices must be relevant, and the quality has to be fantastic … so that’s my forte.
Jewellery is an investment. I believe jewellery is timeless and it never goes “bad”, like fashion as in the outfits, you wear it a couple of times, it’s out of fashion and then you have to buy new outfits. Jewellery is timeless, evergreen and it’s there forever.
What advice do you have for the next generation of jewellery designers?
My advice to the upcoming jewellery designers would be you have to cater to all, you have to keep your design sensibilities intact, but you have to keep the IT factors, and the growing trends in mind. Pricing is also very important, as consumers today have become very price conscious.
How do you define your personal sense of style, when it comes to jewels?
When I dress up, I am a very minimal person. I don’t like to overdo my jewellery, although my friends do make fun of me, that is why I wear so much jewellery. I do wear a lot of jewellery when I’m shooting but on a personal front, I keep it very simple. I love wearing studs, especially a good quality pair of ruby earrings or emerald earrings with a matching ring but a classic design so the emphasis is more on the colour stone.