Neha Dani is a bit of an anomaly in the jewelry world. At a time when technology has enabled makers to speed up processes and increase their production, Dani takes a deliberate approach. First, she makes a sketch, which is turned into a wax carving, and then she begins searching for the right stones — a process that can take years.
As a result, Dani only produces about 15 to 20 pieces annually. The singular quality of her work has made her one of the industry’s buzziest talents — and earned her the distinction of being the only contemporary jewelry designer whose work is carried by New York’s Macklowe Gallery.
“I was always intrigued with my mom’s jewelry box and was fascinated with the intricacies and minute details that go into jewelry making,” the Delhi-based Dani tell us, explaining the roots of her interest in design.
She went on to study and develop her craft at the Gemological Institute of America and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, eventually starting her own line. In doing so, she defied cultural and familial pressures to eschew a career and concentrate on being a wife and mother, instead proving that she could get married and have a family while still pursuing her dream.
While Dani’s gender might have made her path more challenging, it also gives her an edge as a designer. “Being a woman, I can feel and understand femininity like the person who will wear my work,” she says. “It helps me in my expression of my designs, as my pieces are definitely bold yet quite feminine and delicate.”
In honor of Women’s History Month, Dani tell us how French designer Victoire de Castellane, creative director for Dior fine jewelry and former head of Chanel‘s costume jewelry collection, has inspired her creative process.
Which jewelry designer has most influenced your own work?
Victoire de Castellane has been very inspirational. I am amazed at the way she mixes different gemstones and uses colorful lacquer to express her creativity. She is very experimental in her work and has no boundaries to her imagination.
What about her have you found impactful?
Victoire’s bold use of color and form shows a lot of freedom and courage in her thought process. That has always inspired me to push the boundaries of my creativity.
How is that influence reflected in how you operate as a designer?
My jeweled pieces are like miniature sculptures, where the view from every angle is different. I work with colored gemstones stones and custom-color rhodium finishes and titanium anodized in different hues. Victoire’s work has influenced me to be bolder with my creativity.
If you could say anything to her today, what would it be?
I would first congratulate her and thank her for her beautiful contribution to the world of jewelry with her timeless collections.
