We caught up with Rajvi Vora, Jewellery Designer and Founder of Kastur Jewels, to talk about her love for jewellery design and where she gets her inspiration from.

We would love to know how your love of jewellery design came about?

I grew up seeing stunning heritage jewels that the women in my family wore and owned, from my mum to my grandmother’s and aunties and it always fascinated me. I am also obsessed with design and craft from ancient India and the Victorian era. 

Where do you get inspiration for your designs?

From old ideas, old design, old art, old stories, old architecture, old palace, old temples. Combining that with modern fashion takes and ideas. 

We love to hear that your materials and gemstones are ethically sourced, can you tell us more about how closely you work with you suppliers and artisans and how important it is to Kastur Jewels?

This is definitely an important part of my business but it’s not always possible to be a 100% certain as the chain is extremely long and full of discrepancy. But we do our best to make sure stones are ethically sourced, mainly gem-field certified and audited. Same with the sourcing of gold. We ask a million questions, ask for reports and audit checks. I work very closely with them and am in touch with them almost every day via What’s app, video calls, and when it was possible I used to travel 4-5 times a year to their workshops.

What has been your biggest highlight for Kastur Jewels to date?

Having a presence at the V&A and the BBC world service series that I will be presenting on the ‘new age of gold’, exploring the past present and future of gold. Which has a big focus on ethical mining of gold. 

Is there anything new you are working on, which you can spill the beans on?

An amazing collection of 22kt gold pieces using very old techniques and some fabulous stones. All one of a kind pieces. 

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

As important as design and creative drive is to a business, keeping in check with your finances and audits is probably more important if you want to be sustainable. You have to have patience and work hard, real hard. It will pay off one day.

If you had a free day in London to do whatever you want, no limits, where would you go?

Go to my local temple and just sit there in silence, pray and meditate. Then grab a coffee and go for a long walk through Regents Park connecting to other Royal parks of London. Go for some yummy ‘kitchari’ (traditional lentil and rice Indian dish) breakfast at Jean – George’s the Connaught hotel. Explore the antique shops of Burlington Arcade and grays antique jewellery shops on bond street. Meet friends for a long lazy lunch at the Dior pop up restaurant at Selfridges roof top ‘San Alto’ or go to Roka. Grab a drink /coffee at the brasserie of light at Selfridges. Then pick up my little girl earlier than normal from school so I can spend the rest of the day with her.

Website: https://kasturjewels.com

Visit Kastur Jewels at 14 Bulstrode Street, Marylebone, London W1U 2JG

Photography courtesy of Kastur Jewels