HELLO! India Exclusive: Queenie Singh, Tiara Dhody and a sparkling mother-daughter empire

As summer arrives, Queenie Singh and Tiara Dhody are visibly excited for the new store they opened in South Mumbai, where Queenie believes the mojo has overtaken Bandra’s millennial and zillennial spending capacity. Back to the basics, with Queenie’s frequent London-Mumbai sojourns, how do the mother and daughter bond between work and play? How advantageous has it been for Tiara to be designing jewellery when her mother has handed down the A to Z of the business? From the finest kaarigars to the best ways to engage consumers with live showcases and strong client relationships? HELLO! gets the details in this tête-à-tête.

HELLO! India: Queenie, your mother often told you how beautiful you are. A lot of success comes from those early beliefs we absorb from our loved ones. Is this how Tiara grew up, too?

Queenie: She grew up as a princess, no doubt! And she was my princess. My sister and many other family members told me I was absolutely obsessed with Tiara when she was a little girl. And that’s true! She’d go along with me everywhere — to shoots, to fashion shows, my workplaces…

HELLO! India: They say millennials live in a cloud of digital distraction, with so many confidantes around. How candid are your exchanges?

Queenie: Tiara’s now a young woman. She’s got her own mindset, her own thoughts. She talks to me about work a lot, though the dynamics change with time. Once in a while, she talks about her love life. I do give her advice about work, but I’m aware of how strong-minded she is. Tiara has her own beliefs, you know? And she’s a writer, too!

HELLO! India: Your background as a fashion model connected you with the topmost designers in India. Today, you do Lakmé Fashion Week collabs with Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani, and Vikram Phadnis, and even a film with photographer Vikram Bawa…

Queenie: While I also covered fashion weeks as a writer, mine was a genuine passion for fashion. Today, people choose to become fashion designers to become famous. For me, it was the other way round! I loved fashion, I loved glamour, I loved jewellery, and all things beautiful. When you do that with fierce passion, things happen naturally. 

HELLO! India: Tiara, your generation has a lot more access to ideas, information, and global culture. What’s your take on your mom’s influence amid this information explosion?

Tiara: Mom gave me a great foundation, along with the freedom to do what I feel is right for me. Creative freedom is my life! It’s vital to have someone at home who really believes in your potential. Despite all the exposure I’ve been lucky to have — the travel, the friendships, the family and friends — her presence, approval and encouragement are most important.

HELLO! India: A key differentiator between you and your mom is your passion for reading and writing. Does that, in any way, lead you to adopt a different creative process?

Tiara: My approach isn’t that different. I found what works for me within the system she provided for me. But yes, my love of stories does translate into new collections of jewellery. For instance, I recently created my Pomegranate Collection, loosely inspired by the story of Persephone [the Greek goddess of spring, vegetation, and the Queen of the Underworld]. One of the pieces carries an engraving that reads, “Taste the fruit, know life and death.” I also draw from powerful female figures such as Rani Lakshmibai and Joan of Arc. Many of my sword and shield motifs are rooted in their strength, drawn from both history and mythology. At the same time, there are softer influences like The Secret Garden, a book I loved growing up. You see echoes of its imagery in my pieces like the red-breasted robin and blooming roses.

HELLO! India: The world of jewellery design is quite saturated now. Queenie, would you say you entered a less crowded market when you did?

Queenie: I don’t think I ever tried to follow a trend, or got intimidated by other people in the scenario because it’s such a crowded market. I just believe that one needs their own niche. Today, for example, people opt for cosmetic surgery to look like a Dakota Johnson, when they could opt for procedures that make them the best version of themselves! Similarly, I’d rather focus on what I can do better with my style than try to copy others.

HELLO! India: You’ve also cultivated friends as clientele from the world over…

Queenie: Well, the second thing I did was be consistent. I did two shows everywhere in the world where I felt I had potential. So, two shows in America, two in London, two in Chennai, two in Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Delhi… That consistency kept clients coming back, and I was available for after-sales care, as well. I also give them a very fair opinion of what would work on them. Gradually, word-of-mouth helps to grow your brand. I didn’t have a social media account till a couple of years ago. I didn’t lean on PR agencies. It was all built organically.

HELLO! India: Tiara, what about your connect with your work? Do you think it was organic like in your mom’s case?

Tiara: I’ve always been a creative person. Whether it was painting, or jewellery, at some level, I knew that the art had to translate. It just panned out this way because when your mother is in a certain business, she can really help you! My mom helped me with the suppliers and good kaarigars; she taught me how to set up a showcase… It felt very natural. I launched Treasures by Tiara in 2019- 2020. It’s a young brand. I wanted a brand story along the lines of “these are whimsical treasures you’d find going through a treasure chest.”

HELLO! India: What do you have planned next as a mother-daughter duo?

Tiara: We opened a new store early in May in South Mumbai, with an adjoining café called Teasures By Tiara Café.

Queenie: You’ll find both my jewellery collections and Tiara’s there. To me, her jewels have rich stories, the right mix of creativity, patience in execution, and original thinking. I envy that combination because I don’t have it in me.

Tiara: I’ll be honest. As we’re trying to keep our prices reasonable, we don’t choose the best of the best stones. We select the stones that fit the story the best.

Queenie: Yet, it’s not like her target consumer is very different from mine. She also gets the socialites who spend family wealth, not necessarily just self-made entrepreneurs and professionals. For example, my faithful Jewels by Queenie clients have been blown away by her Lady Warrior ring.

HELLO! India: Do you believe word-of-mouth marketing is enough for your creations in today’s Instagram- and influencer-driven world?

Queenie: I do feel Tiara could invest a little more in promotions to define herself more clearly. Jewellery influencers are also looking for a good story, but there are so many of them now. In my view, I believe paying an influencer to endorse you has very little credibility.

Tiara: I second that, though my generation does tune into social media all the time.

HELLO! India: Queenie, you were on The Real Housewives of London in 2025, mostly celebrating your creativity and your work with the elite ladies of the city. How did that appearance come about?

Queenie: They had approached me to be one of the housewives, but I declined because I thought it’d be too invasive. A reality show is really about a lot of mudslinging. I wanted to observe one season and then decide. Their interest was piqued because I always do fabulous showcases in London. So, for the show, I did my showcase at Apollo’s Muse, the ultra-exclusive private member’s club at Richard Caring’s Greco-Roman inspired restaurant, Bacchanalia, in Mayfair. It was a beautiful, opulent room. I appeared in the seventh or eighth episode. All the housewives were invited, and they wore my jewellery, which was great! I also showcased photos of Tiara’s collection.

PHOTOGRAPHY: RYAN MARTIS
HAIR: POOJA RATHOD & SUREKHA TANAVADE
MAKEUP: VIJAY KUMAR

This story was featured in the Vol 1. Issue 8 of HELLO! India. For more exclusive stories, subscribe to the magazine here.