Vanraj Zaveri takes his family legacy in a new direction with the young label, Zaavorr. He steers away from a more traditional outlook towards offering jewellery that underscores elitist glamour.
Vanraj Zaveri hails from the celebrated family of fifth-generation jewellers, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri & Sons. In 2019, he felt there was a need for fun and approachable 18-karat gold jewellery. He found that women and men who would invest in gold jewellery would not necessarily wear those same pieces. Bridging the gap, he started creating a line of design-forward investment pieces. He believes jewellery pieces should be treated as such, kept out in the sun, sparkling, rather than tucked away in a safe deposit box.
Founded on the idea that jewellery could be more than an accessory, Zaavorr was born. A self-gifting brand focusing on collections that are designed to become an extension of the person wearing it – a symbol of luck, celebration, and love – a way for everyone to wear their personality and to pamper themselves during the pandemic.
Tell us about your label Zaavorr and when was it launched?
After a year of planning and designing, Zaavorr was launched in 2020. It was in the middle of the pandemic and like most brands that launched during this time, it was not an easy task, but we took that risk. It is an e-commerce brand which is a first for me; we wanted to create a new space for gold jewellery and that meant reinventing the wheel of how gold jewellery is perceived.
In a nutshell, Zaavorr is an everyday, approachable 18-karat solid gold jewellery brand that is design-forward, for men and women. As a brand, we believe jewellery pieces should be kept out in the sun, sparkling, rather than tucked away in a safe deposit box. Zaavorr embodies unity through the language of art and design and welcomes the wearer to experience the world’s diversity through its thoughtfully created and timelessly wearable pieces.
What drew you to the world of jewellery design?
I was born into this world and was immediately drawn to jewellery and precious stones at a very young age. It would fascinate me how deep the green of an emerald was, or how scintillating a diamond could be. I was exposed to this industry and many other jewels because I was born into a family of jewellers, but it was always more inspiring to carve my own path in this journey.
What inspires your collections?
The biggest inspiration for my collections are simple, organic shapes and unusual textures found in nature. I want the wearer of my jewellery to forget they have it on and wear it like their second skin. Our pieces are wearable and functional day-to-night pieces that share the brand’s philosophy; stay authentic, unique, and always sparkle – people often inspire me as well.
Tell us about your latest collection and the inspiration behind it.
Our inaugural collection is called Aphelion which revolves around a theme of the galaxy. Most of our pieces in this collection have either a moon or a star designed into a piece of jewellery. It was when I was flying into Mumbai on a clear starry night that I was inspired to create a collection such as this. I was mesmerised by the city lights shining against the stars in a synchronised loop and I instantly wanted to bring that feeling into a piece of jewellery.
What is your design philosophy?
I would say the biggest design philosophy for me would be functional, wearable, and unique. We truly believe in making our jewellery a second skin.
Which gemstones and metals do you like to work with?
My focus is real gold. I love how malleable it is to form an organic structure that suits any design aesthetic. As for gemstones, I like to work with the forgotten gemstones like aquamarine, quartz and we are working with quite a few more gemstones in the upcoming collection.
What is your best-selling product? What is your brand’s USP?
I think our USP is that we make everyday jewellery fun to wear at an affordable price which, in turn, makes a great investment. Our best-selling product would definitely be our Galaxy earrings; they are one-of-a-kind and can be worn day-to-night effortlessly.
What are your plans for the brand? Where does one buy your jewellery? Do you even sell abroad?
We have a lot of exciting projects lined up. First off, is our menswear capsule collection launch. Post which, our second collection will be launching shortly after. Since we are an e-commerce brand, we are only available on www.zaavorr.com and we ship internationally. In fact, interest from other countries has been quite overwhelming! We are currently figuring if we should be stocking in international stores to reach a wider audience.
Is it a strange time to launch a label in the midst of a global pandemic? What are your thoughts?
It was a risk we took but we feel it has paid off. It is the new normal that we need to figure out how we can manoeuvre around our business. During the lockdown, we did see a spike in sales, and it helped us reach a lot more people than we thought we could have. Everyone is on their phone most of the day, they are looking to connect with other people and brands, looking for joy and having an e-commerce brand has allowed them and us to connect better.
Our brand encourages people to gift themselves, people want to now purchase products for themselves to cherish and love, over instant-gratification products that do not hold value in the future.