She simply Rocks

Keeping up to international standards, marking their signatures styles, 'eastern designers' are using their cultural compost to forge their own trends to achieve their sartorial Nirvana. One such designer is qualified gemologist Deepali Sawlani ....

By Soniya Kirpalani (Contributor)

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Published: Wed 25 Jul 2007, 10:54 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 8:43 PM

(from the Gemological Institute of America), who has designed a special line of one-of-a-kind series of precious gemstone collection under the label 'Simply Rocks'.

Originally a trained corporate financial analyst, Deepali Sawlani answered her true calling of creativity by turning to designing jewels.

"I think it would be truly unfair to say that "I" design my pieces. I look for extraordinary gemstones that I feel are unique — in structure (colour, cut and transparency) — and they pretty much design themselves. It's as if the gemstones talk to me and place themselves and colours they need to be surrounded with."

"I find designing is the most effortless part in creating my pieces," she said.

Deepali continues: "What I struggle with is execution; the actual manufacturing process. Today's jewellery business is all about mass producing and shortcuts. There is no originality of thought or design. But truly fine jewellery cannot be manufactured in express mode."

"It takes 'hands on approach'; loads of patience as I give close attention to details, and hence the training process of my staff is very strenuous," she explains.

When numbers meet style

"Affordability is important. All my pieces are exclusive as I work with a limited variety of gemstones, and to reach out to jewellery and gemstone connoisseurs with all kinds of budgets, I keep my margins quite tight."

So what turned this financial wizard into a designer? "Gemology is not just my career; it's a calling. I quit my lucrative job as co-portfolio manager at Dell Computer Corp. in Austin, Texas to pursue a career that I was truly passionate about. To ensure that I earned my credibility, I enrolled at the foremost authority in Gemology - The GIA- and got my certification of a 'Graduate Gemologist'.

"I lost faith in a jeweller, who once sold me diamonds of a different grade than what I was initially informed. This made me realise that I had to be technically trained to ensure that I balance creativity with true commerce. I realised that the trust of clients is one of the most important aspects in this business" Deepali concluded.


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