othing replaces the experience of holding a ring or a necklace in your hand, of turning it over and trying it on, to understand the essence of a jeweller, its guiding force… a theory borne out when visiting Diva Jewels’ stand at GemGenève (this year was the brand’s third time at the international gems and jewellery show). Managing director Rishi Mehta unpinned the brooch he wore on his lapel and placed it in our hands. Representing a magnificent scarlet macaw and designed to transform into a two-finger ring or a bracelet, its articulated wings can be made to flap, thanks to a tiny mechanism positioned on one of the bird’s chakras. Had it taken flight, we would not have been in the least surprised. Inspired by the time a real-life macaw perched on the director’s son’s shoulder, this extraordinary piece of engineering is just one of the jewels in the Marvels of Nature collection.

Rishi Mehta, Managing Director, Diva Jewels. ©Andras Barta

RIshi Mehta grew up among all things precious. His father and co-director Mukesh Mehta has more than five decades of experience in jewellery, and is a well-known and respected name in India. In 1995 he established Diva Jewels, a specialist in custom-made and one of the few houses to design and craft in-house the jewellery it creates, chiefly for wealthy Indian families seeking bespoke pieces for an important occasion, often a wedding.

Reviving the en tremblant technique

Diva Jewels instils life into each of its creations, through movement. Accordingly, the Mumbai-based brand has mastered the art of en tremblant – a jewellery-making technique that has precious stones delicately tremble with the wearer’s slightest movement. As well as imparting movement, en tremblant accentuates the sparkle of the gems whose every facet catches the light.

Two-finger ring from the Marvels of Nature collection that highlights the en tremblant technique. ©Diva Jewels

En tremblant jewels first appeared in the nineteenth century as jewellers’ response to the floral and foliage patterns of the then fashionable crinoline. Often in the form of a butterfly or other insect, en tremblant jewellery is attached to a hidden wire spring, a part known as a trembler, and quivers as its wearer moves.

“At Diva, we set out to redefine the art of jewellery and to bring jewels to life by revisiting the en tremblant technique,” says Rishi Mehta. “We have also created kinetic jewels and developed spring mechanisms that lend movement. Because we have our own atelier, we can experiment and innovate endlessly. Imagination has no limits. Nature is a constant source of inspiration, particularly birds and flowers as they swoop and sway. Each piece in the Marvels of Nature collection we are showing in GemGenève comes to life in some way.”

Jewels instilled with movement

“I had the opportunity to show some of my work to Nadège Totah [GemGenève co-organiser and talent scout] and she encouraged me to go beyond my comfort zone and explore the global, not just Indian, market in my designs,” continues Rishi Mehta who, taking this advice to heart, imagined a profusion of versatile, quivering jewels. A peacock ring fans its tail of multicoloured precious stones while an articulated blue jay alights on a flower, on a two-finger ring. Crafted from diamonds, coloured sapphires and enamel, in a back-and-forth movement it dips forward, as though drinking nectar from the bloom, then returns to its original position. Folded into a one-finger ring, the jay is suddenly poised next to the flower.

Rishi Mehta takes us to a display case containing a pair of shoes that were the starting point for the entire collection. Designed to be worn, they are adorned with a custom-made floral and humming-bird motif, composed from more than 800 carats of white and pink diamonds, mounted in 18k rose gold. “They are the most expensive pair of shoes in the world and were made to order. We can adjust the jewelled embellishments to the wearer’s size. Hand-crafted in our atelier, this ‘jewel of a shoe’, if we can call it that, was created over months of research and work.” A second pair, presented in May this year, features a motif which can be detached and worn separately, as a brooch.

Marvels of Nature collection, Diva Jewels. ©Andras Barta

Stones and their symbolism

Indian jewellery is renowned for its opulence, wealth of colours and love of symbols. The Indian audience’s taste for coloured precious stones also stems from their symbolic value in the Hindu religion. The Navaratnas, for instance, are a group of nine stones, each associated with a celestial body in astrology and said to bestow its energy on the wearer. Ruby, for example, is associated with the sun, represents the soul, the ego and consciousness, and is considered the source of all life and energy. Yellow sapphire is linked to Jupiter, which represents wisdom and knowledge, and brings abundance and prosperity. Blue sapphire is Saturn’s stone, the planet of karma, justice and discipline.

Diva Jewels brings a fresh perspective to the Indian tradition. Its creations borrow from the naturalistic jewellery of the nineteenth century, a pioneering era for botany, and revisits a technique invented at that time, yet it does so in a completely new way, through vivid colours, exuberant designs… and a touch of magic.