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< Haute Jewellery >

A cheerful Bina Goenka revels in being a trendsetter in the jewellery world

From being a lawyer to fashion designer to becoming a highly established jewellery designer, Bina Goenka of the Bina Goenka line of jewellery seems to have done it all. “I still have a lot to do. So far, my jewellery line has been very imposing, and is priced Rs 5 lakh upwards. Even my jewellery boutique located at Grand Hyatt, Santa Cruz, is intimidating. Now I want to reach to the masses through my new prêt line, Avanti, in which jewellery pieces will be available for under Rs 2 lakh,” says Bina Goenka, who though is in her late 40s, looks much younger.

“I have always been a creative person, so as a hobby I started making jewellery for my friends, relatives and for friends abroad. I made my jewellery using semi-precious to precious stones. It was on my friends’ suggestion that I took it up as a profession and started making jewellery from real gems to enhance the quality of my design,” recalls Bina.

Earrings with orange sapphire

Married to Pramod Goenka of the Dynamix Group of Companies, Bina decided to start something different, as she didn’t want to step on any one’s feet by joining her husband’s jewellery export house.

In the initial days she neither understood the quality part nor could she distinguish the finer nuances of precious gems. “I didn’t even understand the Carat part of it! Now just by glancing at the most rough stone, I can tell what it is all about. I learnt everything on the job by correcting myself every time I went wrong,” says a chirpy Bina.

Gold chain with diamond-studded chain links wound on a hibiscus flower

Mother of two grown-up children, Bina feels that many a time trends in jewellery design follow fashion on the ramp. “If one looks at the movement of fashion – being a fashion designer I can notice this trend easily – one can easily gauge the right kind of jewellery design for the season,” she explains.

Rather than following set trends, Bina charts her own path. “At a time when everyone was doing only white diamonds, I started the trend in coloured gems jewellery. Now I find every other designer doing it. Now I want to concentrate only on white diamonds and I am sure soon I will have followers!” claims Bina Goenka, laughing merrily for being a trendsetter.

Designer profiles by Surekha Kadapa-Bose

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