This Mumbai-based jewelery design studio is making a splash globally with the concrete ring named Strangler and concepts like rot and atrophy
In late August, a start-up Indian jewelery label dazzled in Las Vegas. Mumbai-based three-year-old jewelery firm Studio Rain debuts internationally to win the Innovation Award in Couture, a premier annual event in the fine jewelery and luxury watches industry. The award-winning piece, the Strangler Ring, is constructed of an acid-treated concrete reinforced with black 18K gray gold and brilliant-cut round diamonds. Due to the US travel ban, the co-founders, wife Rahul and Roshni Jhaveri witnessed the ceremony virtually. “It was a surreal feeling,” says Rahul, 36, while Roshni, 37, explains that innovation is an important part of her design practice. “It’s innovation not only by using an unexpected material, but also through finishes and discovery.”
beauty from destruction
Since inception, the duo’s creations have advanced jewel design into sculptural art forms. Strangler’s is a by-product of his ongoing study of atrophy, or the instability of things. “It took a lot of effort to get the edges just right, and by treating the acid, the idea was to let go of the false sense of control we’ve always had,” says Rain creative director Rahul. “It is the destructive work that softens the edges, partly exposing the inner form—to form the final ring. We are creating the work by seemingly destroying it, but the work itself instinctively.” are also allowed to make.”
Venerable art collector Qazi Shah meets Studio Rain during its first exhibition in Mumbai in 2019. “I had not, and still have not, encountered another jewelery design practice like his in India – one whose work is not in the world of art and ornamentation. So distinctive,” she says. “The studio doesn’t refer to Indian antique jewelery as everyone else does, but chooses avant-garde designs and innovative techniques.” Like the Boletus SP Rotating Rings, one on Shosh and discourse. A trio of 18K white and rose gold rings feature inverted Burmese rubies and diamonds, and when viewed together, each shows a progression of ‘rot’.
a physical world
These ultra-exclusive pieces are a deliberate approach by Studio Ren to keep design at the forefront of their jewellery. To do this, Rahul and Roshni interact with several creative individuals. “We draw our inspiration from this group of architects, interior designers, visual artists, choreographers, performers, creative people,” says Rahul. The Strangler, for example, is a collaboration with Mumbai-based architectural firm Material Material Studio.
One of the brand’s collaborations, titled (A) Otherness, comprises 65 pieces that were the product of discussions between the studio and contemporary artist Prashant Salvi. It evolved from a series of drawings to become an exploration of texture, materiality, shape and techniques. The results include pieces such as the Orange Peel Ruby Reflections bracelet, set in 18k white and high-gloss rose gold with Burmese rubies and diamonds. Ruby is hidden from sight but visible through reflections, a miracle of light and shadow. “We are constantly experimenting and exploring materials to enhance the design experience,” Roshni says.
Before the pandemic, Studio Rain debuted its collections in immersive installations in Mumbai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad (a Delhi exhibition is on the cards now). Working with lead design curator Divya Thakur on her first Mumbai show, Seeing the Unseen in February 2019, or with American musician Randall Taylor and Mumbai sculptor Nilesh Kinkle in January 2020 on The Fringe: Infinite Possibilities, resulting in more Sensory artistic expressions compared to typical commercial ones performed.
put design first
Before establishing their fledgling label, Rahul and Roshni, who met as students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, had no experience in jewelry sales or retailing. Roshni’s previous career was as a strategy consultant – she now oversees sales and marketing at Renn – while Rahul is from a third-generation diamond family that sources, cuts and polishes rough diamonds. At Studio Ren (Latin for ‘rebirth’), his five-person design team has a background in art studies or an architecture degree. The studio’s location in the northern Mumbai suburb of Borivali and Jhaveris’ long daily commute from her home in Malabar Hill to work allows the founders to absorb the city’s transformative ideas. “The cities we live in are in a constant state of flux, so that’s where the fascination for atrophy began,” says Rahul. “We are impressed by the city, but also its lack,” perhaps alluding to the wild Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a biodiversity gem in the eastern end of Borivali.
Working with both precious gems and gold, but also materials that would not otherwise be considered valuable – such as concrete or coins – expanded on his idea of the volatility of things. “Everything we do is a creative pursuit. Jewelery is just an important part,” concluded Rahul.
Studio Rain pieces start at price points of ₹2.5 Lakh; The commission work starts from ₹3 lakh. Description: Studiorenn.com
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