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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nNew look emerging at the sketching stage. Gewels by Mona<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n She has seen a steady rise in the number of remodelling orders in the last three years and the pandemic has only intensified the demand. \u201cThere was no lockdown for me. People are waiting to give me orders. Clients outside Mumbai are willing to courier their jewellery to me even if they can\u2019t come down themselves,\u201d informs Shah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With gold prices skyrocketing, people are finding new ways to buy and make gold jewellery, opting to turn to their existing collection for new inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bringing jewellery out of the lockers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe beauty about repurposed jewellery is that there is always some sentiment attached to it. It could be a piece of jewellery inherited from a loved one or a gift that makes it so special. Repurposing it to meet the new demands makes it more wearable, while retaining the value of heritage, handmade jewels,\u201d shares Ashwini Oza, Co-Founder of Bengaluru-based Arnav Jewels, who also runs a repurposing jewellery venture called Studio by Ashwini Oza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She notes that their workshops have been buzzing thanks to the large number of orders for restyling old jewellery. \u201cMany people are opting to give their old jewellery a makeover, especially in these last two months. Families that have upcoming weddings are repurposing jewels that have been lying in the locker, while buying one or two new sets for the bride,\u201d shares Oza. She has clients from Bengaluru, tier-II cities in Karnataka as well as metros like Mumbai and Chennai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oza, who has been in the jewellery business for the last 18 years, notes that only a niche set of clients is familiar about the benefits of repurposing jewellery and as jewellers, they are trying to create more awareness about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA client came to me with earrings and bangles — given to her by her two grandmothers. We took both the jewellery pieces and transformed them into hoops, since the bangles were very thin. Every time she wears it, she feels she has the blessings of both her grandmothers,\u201d shares Oza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turning dead stock into fast moving lines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, a client of Shah presented her with a bangle which she turned into a heavy pendant suspending from a long necklace. Shah also reinvents dead stock of a couple of jewellers, breaking them down and turning it into lightweight jewellery. She connected with them when she participated in the India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) last year. She also collaborated with jewellers to restyle jewellery for their clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oza, too, has also restyled some of the dead inventory at Arnav Jewels, making them into smaller, wearable pieces — and these are flying off the shelves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Repurposing is an art<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shah notes that only a skilled artisan can work on repurposing old jewels. There are a lot of technical challenges such as matching the shade of gold and using the right wires for the delicate materials. Karigars need to know how they can work around the pieces so as not to ruin them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The process also involves a lot of calculations. The client\u2019s pieces need to be weighed and additional gold and wastage must be calculated with precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Handmade v\/s machine made<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For those who don\u2019t want to part with their jewels but still want to own modern variations of vintage jewels, they turn to jewellery designers like Lara Morakhia. Morakhia had been restyling her vintage jewels for many years before she formally launched her brand in 2018. She sources vintage silver and gold pieces, combines them with polkis, diamonds and pearls and transforms them into wearable art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a>