August is here and so is the Vogue Wedding Show, India’s leading luxury bridal exhibition, with another power packed show. A three day show at the Taj palace, New Delhi, Vogue Wedding Show is the talk of the town for months, before and after the show. A much deserved applause goes to the Vogue India team for they leave no stone unturned to get the best of the names from wedding industry under one roof. This year too the line up was as impressive as all previous years, giving the guests a gateway to their dream wedding!
The leading names from the country’s bridal couture industry like Anita Dongre, Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi, Shantanu & Nikhil, and Tarun Tahiliani. Intermingled were the master creators of some of the finest jewellery in India like Amrapali, Anmol, Bharany’s, Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas, Diacolor, Hazoorilal by Sandeep Narang, Hazoorilal Legacy, Kantilal Chhotalal, Moksh, Rakyan’s Fine Jewellery, Rare Heritage, Renu Oberoi and Sunita Shekhawat. The show also covered all wedding grounds including gifting and trousseau, with a special focus on sarees and exclusive masterclasses by industry stalwarts from nutrition and beauty to styling and wedding planning.
With my interest only in the finest of the finest jewellery, my aim was to find exclusive pieces from as many jewellers as possible. My first stop was Diacolor who made sure my day started with some oodlesome jewellery. Their yellow diamond sherwani buttons and cuff links caught my eye in an instant and they are surely a good way to a man’s heart.
Amongst the diamond jewellers, it was the simplicity of a Tanzanite bracelet at rakyan’s was enough to make me want to try it. Topped with a gorgeous inkish blue-purple oval Tanzanite, the bracelet would be a very classy choice and can be easily paired with many outfits. My next stop was one of Mumbai’s Tinseltown’s most favorite jewellers- Anmol. Had a pleasure of meeting the founder Ishu Datwani, sporting his favorite motif- the elephant, in a diamond studded brooch. Their fan shaped diamond slice earrings and the blue sapphire with diamond bracelet could be perfect accessories with an evening dress that just needs a little touch of sparkle. As it was a wedding show, I couldn’t take my eyes of their bridal necklaces and amongst all my favorite was the yellow and colourless diamond necklace that reminded me of fire crackers bursting in the sky. Another jeweller that caught my fancy was Rare Heritage and I had to try this unique, almost sculpture like, ring.
With brides-to-be already lining up early in the morning on day one, bridal jewellery was much in demand. Had a chance to catch a glimpse of the latest collection of some of the most famous Indian bridal jewellery houses. I started with the ones who specialized in diamond studded bridal jewellery. First stop was Hazoorilal Legacy and their was immediately greeted by their larger than life diamond choker necklace that has recently also won an award. Another favorite of mine was their elegant ruby, diamond and white enamel cocktail ring- a mix of modern techniques and Indian motifs. Truly loved it.
Amongst a few new entrants in the Vogue Wedding bandwagon were Kantilal Chhotalal jewellers and Renu Oberoi. The emerald and diamond collection at Kantilal Chhotalal were worth a visit as they sparkled gleefully under white floroscent lights. Every bride who saw their collection came out happy and smiling. Renu Oberoi, an industry veteran, showcased her one-off pieces and two of my personal favorites were her bell shaped diamond with gold lace earrings and a super flexible emerald and diamond bracelet.
I was looking forward to visiting Hazoorilal by Sandeep Narang as I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed and I wasn’t. Sandeep’s daughter Tanya was kind enough to allow us to photograph her own jewellery. Simple dressed she had accessorized herself with a long pearl rope necklace and clubbed it with a two finger ring with three different shapes of diamonds. With a personal taste of simplified glamour, I picked up a pair of kundan polki earrings with an emerald tassel- perfect for a summer evening wedding.
Next on my radar were jewellers who specialize in traditional Indian bridal jewellery. No one uses Keshi pearl like Moksh does and this time again their new pieces from this range were spectacular. You can see fine details from a necklace that I loved along with charming pearl drop chandelier pairing creamy pearls with yellowness of the gold. At Amrapali, I picked up an elaborate Sarpech, all set with emeralds, rubies and uncut diamonds. While I was wondering who would be the lucky one to wear such a beautiful piece, Mr. Rajiv Arora walked up to me and showed me how this Sarpech can be transformed into a choker with a simple clasp mechanism (see the video on my Instagram). Truly amazing!
While chit chatting with the gorgeous ladies at the Sunita Shekhawat booth, I suddenly spotted that the prettiest piece of their latest collection was actually worn Niharika Shekhawat herself- an elegant pair of curved earrings, set with uncut diamonds, pearls and enamel. One booth that was attracting a lot of brides was Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas and once I entered, I knew why! Their new display booth was a picture perfect scene from a high budget Bollywood film on royalties of India, complete with ornate mirrors, lamps and curtains with birds and flower prints. Their huge collection of bridal earrings are a must try and me and my cousin Kriti went all out trying one after the other.
Our last stop was Sabyasachi and I was very keen on seeing for the first time Sabyasachi’s first ever own jewellery line. From Indian traditional to elaborate diamond versions, he had it all. My favorite was a simple two row diamond necklace with a yellow diamond drop.
In all this crazy jewellery hunt my model cum helper was my cousin Kriti Bhardwaj who loved trying so many spectacular pieces of jewellery and posed endlessly for the perfect shot every time. For more videos and images do visit my Facebook page @bejewelledfinds and my Instagram page @preeta_agarwal.
Tags: Amrapali, Anita Dongre, ANmol, Bharany's, Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas, Diacolor, diamond jewellery, diamonds, emeralds, Fine Jewellery, Hazoorilal by Sandeep Narang, Hazoorilal Legacy, high jewellery, Kantilal Chhotalal, kundan polki, Manish Malhotra, Moksh, New Delhi, Rakyan’s, Rare Heritage, Renu Oberoi, rubies, Sabyasachi, Shantanu & Nikhil, Sunita Shekhawat, Taj Palace, Tanzanite, Tarun Tahiliani, Vogue Wedding Show, Wedding Jewellery
