SANTI JEWELS London, UK
In any typical Indian jeweller’s workshop, stones, pearls, and diamonds would find its way into traditional, ornate designs. But not at Santi Jewels. Here, they are transformed by Krishna Choudhary into one-of-a-kind marvels. Unusual moval cut old mine diamonds, rare, natural saltwater Basra pearls, and pavé diamonds, worked in platinum, elevate a pair of beautiful Swan Earrings. A quartet of 17th century carved Colombian emeralds are combined with a portrait cut diamond, lending significance to the Paradise Garden Ring. Then there are round cut old mine Golconda diamonds with 16 paisley-shaped cabochon Panjshir emeralds – originating from the Panjshir Valley of Afghanistan – in the Emerald Flower Earrings – a nod to understated elegance. The artistic vision is never dwarfed by the importance of the stones.
His family has a long-established jewellery legacy, dating back to the reign of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amer in Western India, who settled in the city of Jaipur in the 18th century. Several families moved to Jaipur and were granted land and titles, and entrusted to mint coins and remain custodians of the state’s jewels; among them were Krishna’s ancestors.
“Many of the ancestral jewellery – and some gems – were handed down by my grandmother to my father.” His father, Santi Choudhary, collected objet d’art, historical artefacts, paintings, and rare gems along the way. Inevitably, the responsibility of creating a spectacular stage for stones with provenance now rests with the tenthgeneration jeweller. Krishna became a “sponge,”; learning from his father and closely observing him study the gems, metals, and patterns. “My father
would test my knowledge – therefore, I was immersed in a scholarly approach to studying the historical pieces,” adds Krishna. “I also got to learn from some of the best minds of our times: Art historians and scholars from the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum, amongst others. They would often visit us in Jaipur to meet with my father, study our collections, or work on catalogues for various museums in the city.”
Platinum, gold and titanium find resonance in his contemporary jewels, executed to perfection by ateliers in Italy and France. The result is an assemblage of jewellery that is indescribably exquisite. Extraordinary laldi (pale pink) spinels of Mughal origin, pear cut drop and rose cut diamond, pavé diamonds, and a smaller spinel for the clasp in the Mughal Spinel Pendant underpin the richness of history.
Having studied Islamic and Indian Art History at SOAS – and later gemmology at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) – Krishna admits to his “predilection” for Islamic chevron motifs and “fascination” with wave patterns and negative spaces, elements that figure prominently in the Chevron Bombé ring, Cartouche earrings, and flourishes across some of his yet-to-be-revealed works. “It’s hard not to be fascinated with these patterns when you are privy to ancient works featuring chevrons.” Case in point, a Mughal 17th century back scratcher with chevron pattern rendered in green and white enamel. He brings a very contemporary spin even to architectural elements: The baoli step wells – with steps descending into the well and forming a maze – have been reimagined in an Octagonal Spinel Ring. Very few Indian jewellers these days meditate on design the way Krishna does. He honours the storied past and historic gems with an artistic sensibility that elevate the soul.