There’s a place of wild beauty, where impish langurs whoop and play among exotic blooms and, below the water, a kaleidoscope of marine creatures swirl and loop with ethereal grace. Poised squirrels gorge on juicy berries, while hummingbirds dart amid the blooming roses and daisies of a lush forest floor. This place exists in the imagination of Pavit Gujral, a gemmologist-turned-jewellery designer who uses her intimate knowledge of precious stones and gem setting techniques to make these startlingly representative items of fine jewellery reality, evoking her travels, artistic influences and flights of fantasy.
“My designs are created by being deeply inspired by nature’s bounty of flora and fauna, my love for the undiscovered world of deep-sea diving and a desire to educate the world about the existence of varied and immensely beautiful coloured gemstones,” says the designer, originally hailing from Chandigarh in northern India and currently based in Dubai. “The pieces are bold, bespoke, unique and created with utmost attention to detail. All my designs have a personal touch, a story to tell. I enjoy travelling to a great extent; the culture, demographics, food, architecture and people inspire me to create unique designs.”
Indeed, something unique about Pavit’s pieces is that almost each and every one can be pinpointed to a specific inspirational moment. Take, for example, the magnificent Al Maha brooch: “It’s one of my pieces which is heavily inspired by my travels and love for animals,” comments the designer, who is also an enthusiastic scuba diver. “I came across the majestic al maha — otherwise known as the Arabian oryx — during a lovely vacation in a desert resort in the Middle East. The graceful creature just sneaked up on us right outside our room. The Arabian oryx has held symbolic value for the people of the Middle East for centuries. It is inextricably linked to the ancient Bedouin life and culture, forming a source of food, leather and imagination.”
And when it comes to imagination, for Pavit there’s no slacking in that department. While her designs may come directly from her travels and experiences, it takes a keen and educated mind to translate those moments into stunning statement jewels that anyone would be proud to wear. So just what brought Pavit to the point of being able to translate her thoughts and feelings into tangible, precious objects? “I’m drawn towards things that are unique and trendsetting, and the same characteristics can be seen in my designs,” she explains. “All the pieces are bold, inspired and bespoke. My preference for design has been greatly influenced by my birth in India, a nation with an abundance of rich culture and the arts, so I have always been creative and drawn towards design. My passion for gemstones, combined with the desire to bring my experiences to life led me to designing jewellery. I went to the prestigious Gemmological Institute of America in New York to earn my graduate gemmologist degree.
“After pursing my education at GIA in 2015, I decided to step into the world of jewellery as a professional. I have been building up my collections ever since and achieving prestigious awards globally. These achievements have really helped me in establishing a name for myself in the jewellery industry worldwide.” Building her name has been a theme very important to Pavit. In addition to her mission to produce spectacular jewels, she has another goal in mind – and it involves bringing another dimension to the role of a jewellery designer. “I aim to be the ‘popstar of the jewellery industry’,” says Pavit. “And I’ll do it by creating pieces that are bold and truly inspired from my life experiences, making them more meaningful. In the next 10 years, I wish to see my brand flourish as an example of spectacular and sophisticated high jewellery inspired by the love of nature and colourful gemstones.”
So who is the typical client for Pavit’s uniquely recognisable numbers? One thing’s for certain — wallflowers need not apply. “The style of my jewellery is bold, and the Pavit Gujral woman has to be confident and bold as well!” says the designer. “That said, I feel my jewellery can be worn by all age groups — anyone who can appreciate it as art. All the pieces are set in 18 carat gold with rare and colourful gemstones of the highest quality, and I love to incorporate my clients’ requirements in my designs. After all, customer satisfaction is my biggest priority, hence I make sure that before the product is delivered it must be curated to perfection, brilliantly unique and bespoke. It’s important for me to understand my clients’ perspectives and envision the designs accordingly. I find such moments of organic creativity the most satisfying.”
Passion is in no short order when it comes to Pavit’s innovations. After all, such fantastical worlds of flora and fauna must spring from a place of true freedom in creativity. Combined with her expertly trained eye and industry know-how, Pavit’s jewellery is sure to keep giving us hit after hit — popstar or not. Explore the collections
Pavit Gujral's Favourite Treasures
Pavit gets personal - these top three choices represent the most meaningful pieces she has ever designed
The Hummingbird Necklace
“This one of the first pieces that I ever designed; hence it will always remain very special to me. The hummingbird symbolises uniqueness, resilience, playfulness, flexibility and strength along with the colourful iridescence which is all what Pavit Gujral Designs is all about.”
The Crab Earrings
“These gorgeous earrings are the true epitome of my brand’s vision. As totems, crabs are symbols of intuitive nature, perseverance, self-sufficient behaviour and sensitivity. The earrings are very dynamic and display movement due to the setting technique, with the crabs balancing beautiful tanzanite hearts with their claws.”
The Black Forest Collection
"This collection is very special to me as the black star diopsides it features belonged to my grandmother! The gold has been plated with black rhodium to give it a Victorian look and the round rhodolite cabochons are the cherries on the cake! The diamonds have been specially micro-pavé set to give the piece more brilliance."
