International Women's Day 2020: The sky is the limit for all of us

International Women's Day 2020: The sky is the limit for all of us

But to say there were no signs at all, would also be unfair. As a child, I always wanted to put my hands in everything and be able to do everything.

Riddhima Kapoor SahniUpdated: Monday, March 09, 2020, 11:43 AM IST
article-image

Ironically, I was never really a jewellery person. I didn’t have much interest in ornaments and jewellery. Even on my wedding day my mother had to force me to wear them. So today, when I look back, I could have never imagined myself to be the co-owner of such a successful jewellery brand. 

But to say there were no signs at all, would also be unfair. As a child, I always wanted to put my hands in everything and be able to do everything. I remember in my school days, a friend and I wished to open a boutique.

As I grew up, I realised my inclination towards the creative field and went on to pursue my higher studies in fashion marketing from London. I came back, got married and a few years later, my mother and I endorsed a very popular jewellery brand in Mumbai.

It’s from that point on that I discovered my love for jewellery. I used to have a lot of friends who were in the jewellery business, so I would suggest to them my designs and what look and feel the jewellery should have.

Fortunately enough, those designs were really appreciated and all my friends and family pursued me to take this up as a full fledged career.

They said, ‘Instead of having other people design your jewellery, you should do it yourself!’ So as fate had it, I decided to team up with Anuj of Punjab Jewellers and launch my own jewellery line, ‘R Jewellery.’

Back then there was no concept of everyday jewellery. Everything was about sets and jewellery being heavy and grandeur. I, on the other hand, am a very minimalistic person.

I like the concept of everyday jewellery. Just a few rings or a bracelet that you can throw on, which adds to your personality and at the same time isn’t over the top.

After all, that’s what jewellery is supposed to be — an extension of your personality, of your body and soul. It's supposed to make you feel stylish, confident and beautiful from within. That’s exactly what my jewellery brand stands for-  delicate yet forceful, beautiful yet dynamic, elegant yet convincing.

While most would like to believe that my family background would have played to my advantage, I can very proudly say that the ‘Kapoor’ name had nothing to do with the establishment of the brand. We braved our own struggles to bring the brand where it stands today.

Because R Jewellery is only available online, clients cannot physically go to the store. So getting orders rolling and delivering them on time is something that we deal with on an everyday basis. Amidst the criticism, what keeps us going is our attitude towards it.

We are always open to constructive criticism and feedback and we try and improve ourselves, our designs each and everyday. Like every other business we have our own ups and downs but the entire team is like a family.

There is so much love and respect we all share and everyone is treated as an equal. We laugh together and we cry together. On our tough days we pull each other up and always push ourselves to work harder and deliver better.

Of course it isn’t easy to stay strong when the tides are against you, but I have always derived my strength from my mother. She’s an iron lady who has been my role model since day one. My confidence, my strength, I owe everything to her.

As my mother did for me, I always tell my daughter that I have her back. We talk about feminism now and for me it has always been synonymous to respect and equality.

I have always understood feminism as respecting everyone, whether it be people or ideas. The last thing that should stop a woman from achieving anything is her gender. She must enjoy the same freedom and rights as a man and that’s exactly the work culture you’ll find at R Jewellery as well.

We live in a golden era now, where women are leading in every profession, whether it be in Space or on Earth. Today, women have nothing stopping them and that’s what I would want my daughter to know as well.

This Women’s Day, I would want to tell my daughter that the sky is her limit and if she ever falls, I am always there to catch her.

— Co-ordinated by Shubhangi Mishra

RECENT STORIES