Eye on the diamond

A new collection of couture jewellery from the House of Tata's Zoya looks skywards for inspiration

What could embody the celestial travellers of the skies better than sparkling diamonds, rubies and emeralds framed by gold or set on beds of cabochon lapiz lazuli? The recently-launched collection, Celestium, from Zoya - a chain of luxury diamond boutiques from the House of Tata - offers this and much more. The idea behind the collection is "more innocent, and not in your face," says Sangeeta Dewan, design head, Zoya. "I imagined a little boy seated under a tree looking up at the sky. At first he sees the stars through the tree, so one of the pendants is shaped like that. In another piece, the stones are set like a boy seated on a moon-shaped swing."

A classic line, the collection is ideal for formal dos. "These pieces are perfect for a power meeting at work or a cocktail evening, and even a high-end wedding reception," says CK Venkataraman, chief executive officer (jewellery), Titan Industries.

Just like the other collections from the brand, Celestium brings together luxury and fine art. "There is so much economic darkness in the country today. Celestium is all about rising above that," says Nisha Jamwal, luxury consultant to Zoya.

Apart from Zoya, the House of Tata owns and produces another jewellery brand - Tanishq. Venkataraman maintains that the customer profile for the two brands is very different. "Tanishq gets a lot of business from the upper middle-class and some from the middle-class. But the clientele for Zoya comes from the upper class which is interested in acquiring the finer things in life. The discernment that a Zoya customer brings in is higher." The clientele for these collections believes in acquiring the piece for its design rather than for the purpose of investment. "Hence, the diamond-to-gold ratio is higher. The emeralds have to be the best, without a trace of cloud," says Venkataraman.

With 50-60 pieces produced for each collection, prices start from Rs 40,000 and go up to Rs 40 lakh. And the sky is the limit for custom-made pieces. "A substantial part of the sales is generated from the pieces priced between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh," Venkataraman says.

Launched in India in 2009, the brand has been prudent in its plans for expansion. "It's not like we set up ten stores across the country immediately. We wanted to use the first-mover advantage to perfect the format and construct. Today, we have reached a certain level in terms of design, finish and quality. We have a lot of high-profile clientele," says Venkataraman.