Neha Dani Paraiba

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 tells The Study, 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.”

Browse a growing collection of Neha Dani's jewelry on 1stDibs.

Contemporary jewelry is inextricably linked with the moment in which it is created, frequently reflecting current social, cultural and political issues such as environmental consciousness, identity and sustainability. It’s informed by fashion trends, from the chokers of the 1990s to the large chain necklaces of the early 2000s.

Jewelry is one of the oldest forms of adornment. Lockets made of silver or gold have been treasured gifts for hundreds of years, for example, and charm bracelets, which have existed since prehistoric times, didn’t become especially popular until the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. For many centuries, fine jewelry was used primarily to express wealth or status through lavish materials. Then, in the 1960s, a concept known as the “critique of preciousness” emerged, with jewelers creating pieces that did not get their value from gemstones or precious metals. Instead, it was the jeweler’s artistic vision that was prized and elevated.

This shift still informs Contemporary jewelry being made by artists today. Whether they are using cheap, found materials and working with provocative geometric shapes or seeking out the rarest stones, they are imbuing their work with meaning through their skills, techniques and ideas. Innovative designers such as Elsa Peretti, who popularized sculptural sterling-silver jewelry for Tiffany & Co., and David Yurman, who twisted metal into the simple yet striking Cable bracelet, have also influenced the direction of Contemporary jewelry’s forms and aesthetics.

Meanwhile, technological advancements like metal alloys and laser engraving have led to new possibilities in jewelry design. Now, edgy makers and brands as well as minimalist designers are pushing Contemporary jewelry forward into the 21st century.

Find a collection of Contemporary rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.