By Priti Salian in Bangalore
Less than three years ago, Biren Vaidya, the creative soul behind The House of Rose, a high-end Indian jewellery house, sourced an extremely rare 3,000 carat rough emerald from Colombia, directly from the mine. His original idea was to cut drop-shaped emeralds from this exceptional stone. But so mesmerised was he with the original baroque shape of the gemstones derived from the rough that he decided to create an exclusive piece out of them, retaining their organic identity.
Vaidya worked with his team of nine designers and artisans for almost two years to design and craft the piece, and what emerged was the stupendous La Reina necklace, meaning "The Queen" in Spanish. The suite comprises a necklace and earrings made with 23 of the best baroque-cut emeralds from the 781.98 carats cut from the original rough. White South Sea pearls and pear-shaped, rose cut, round brilliant cut and baguette diamonds studded in white gold further enhance the beauty of the emeralds.
Vaidya's muse has always been his wife, Sheetal. He designs all his jewellery for her and around her. "For La Reina, it was the ethereal beauty of the emeralds that demanded a design that elevates the piece to something that is much more than just a piece of jewellery," says Vaidya. So, he created a piece of art that can be treasured forever.
La Reina is worth millions of dollars and has already been displayed to the brand's most loyal customers. Baroque emeralds of this kind have very few counterparts in history, several of which are displayed at one of the Smithsonian Institution museums.
The House of Rose was established in India three decades ago and has created rare and high-end masterpieces ever since. This coveted jewellery house has high net worth patrons across the world for whom the brand conducts private viewings in London, Hong Kong, Qatar, Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. People who appreciate art love The House of Rose jewellery.
One of the brand's two jewellery stores in India is in Delhi. A walk-in space that showcases collectibles, it is open to anyone who cares to buy or simply admire The House of Rose's jewels. The Mumbai store - the first to open - welcomes customers only by appointment to either purchase or order bespoke jewellery.
