Nature inspires people to create beautiful things, and designing jewellery is no exception. That’s what designers at the 118-year-old Chennai-based Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers (VBJ) have done by bringing out a Tulips signature collection.

“In the last three years, we have given a lot of focus on our signature collection using nature as an inspiration,” Jithendra Vummidi, Managing Partner, VBJ told BusinessLine .

In 2016, the jewellery firm had launched the Dalia collection inspired by the Dahlia flower. He said that any inspiration that is derived from nature will be timeless, and added that it takes about one year from finding the right source to making the jewellery.

‘Mood board’

And, it was not easy in bringing out the Tulips collection. The company’s 50-plus designers used the ‘mood board’ to capture the essence of the flower. An open tulip and a bud (real ones) were placed at the innovation lab. Every day, designers would observe them (their growth patterns) and design the jewellery ranging from small earrings to necklaces costing from ₹27,000 to ₹15 lakh, he said.

The designers also researched history to find out how the tulip was used in paintings, architecture and also as a symbol of power in Turkey. “We took all these in the mood board and brought them in to our design. It took nearly eight months from the concept to jewellery,” he said, adding that ₹20-30 crore is required to invest in a signature collection.

What came out was a collection comprising of Tulip-inspired jewellery, keeping in mind the elegance and aesthetics of rose-cut diamonds. The collection has a decorative and a full-bloom effect because of the floral design.

Tulips jewellery is set in an age-old diamond cut called rose-cut, with modern and traditional overlays, he said.

Persian inspiration

The company also used inspirations from Kirigami, Persiana and Navarathna for its signature collection.

VBJ will bring another collection by end of 2019 with a mix of geometry and nature, he said.

VBJ will be a ₹1,000-crore jewellery brand by the financial year ending March 31 with a 25 per cent growth over the previous year.

“Out of the total revenue, 10-15 per cent will come from the company’s signature collection jewellery that currently contributes 7-8 per cent,” Vummidi said.

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