#Topcolour: House of Rose revisits Nizami heritage with ‘Begum Sahiba’ necklace 

The neckpiece is a tribute to namesake Dürrüşehvar’s life as wife of Azam Jah, son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, and has taken over 2,865 man-hours to be made from scratch

Mumbai: Exceptionally made jewellery has fascinating stories to support their beauty. Precious coloured gemstones enjoy the attention of an affluent community of customers who know exactly why a jewellery piece can be called ‘heirloom’.

House of Rose, a renowned luxury and fashion group, has catered to royalty with several masterpieces, and one such masterpiece is ‘Begum Sahiba’. This piece is yet another part of their repertoire and is a tribute to namesake Dürrüşehvar’s life as wife of Azam Jah, son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad.

Creative Designer and MD of House of Rose, Biren Vaidya, details the journey of creating great jewellery, which starts from the collection of the gem. Vaidya says gems at their rough stage guide him to visualise and execute the design successfully. “I see the rough and something in me clicks where I can instantly envision the end-product. Be it the La Reina necklace or the Begum Sahiba, the idea of the design comes from studying the gem,” Vaidya says, before describing the background of the Nizami necklace.

A neckpiece, Begum Sahiba consists of a European old mine cut diamond solitaire of 12.53 carats as the centrepiece, surrounded by natural Mozambican ruby tumbles, fancy old mine cut diamonds of 32.29 carats straight from diamond mines of Golconda, brilliant cut diamonds of 8.09 carats and freshwater pearls. The inspiration comes from the marriage of Dürrüşehvar, the-then princess of Turkey, with Azam Jah, elder son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad. Dürrüşehvar’s modernity was renowned across Hyderabad, and she was fondly addressed as ‘Begum Sahiba’ by all. The namesake necklace is House of Rose’s tribute to her philanthropy and modernity, and has taken 2,865 man-hours to be made from scratch.

Precious coloured gemstones had always interested Indian royalty. While markets outside India have a comparatively better understanding of coloured gemstones, the Indian market post Independence had been flooded with synthetics. In the 1980s and 90s, with additional awareness, coloured stones started coming back to prominence.

Now with digital media, awareness is no longer a struggle but a choice resting with customers curious about a category that stretches far beyond rubies, sapphires and emeralds. While creating jewellery as a melange of the East and the West for 42 years, House of Rose, says Vaidya, champions awareness activities by providing complete knowledge of the gemstones and their origin to customers. “Sourcing gemstones from the best of mines, we ensure great product quality while trying to ensure price appreciation for each gemstone that goes on a House of Rose piece,” concludes Vaidya.

Written by Ashwin Bose

Retail Jeweller India Exclusive