"It's all about enjoying it and having an identity," says Shibani Dandekar as she turns jewellery designer

There are undercurrents taking place in the fine jewellery world as we speak. The shift from traditional to pieces that favour individuality over mere embellishment. It is at the heart of this belief in the fine jewellery space that Irasva Fine Jewellery unveiled Issho, the brand's first-ever lab-grown diamond collection. 

Fronting this milestone drop was Shibani Dandekar, whose latest collaboration with the brand blends modern glamour with a distinctive personal touch. In a candid conversation with HELLO! India, Shibani Dandekar and Leshna Shah, Founder and Creative Director, Irasva Fine Jewellery, share why the brand feels like an extension of their style narratives, the rules they love to break and how their tastes in jewellery define their vibes at the moment. 

Storytelling falls within the spectrum of building a jewellery brand. Shah reflects on it with her design language philosophy. If her jewellery could speak, it would echo the versatility that isn't confined to one aesthetic. "I think I'm quite eclectic and I'm quite versatile in terms of how I kind of wear my jewellery, design my jewellery and style my jewellery as well." And it is definitely evident in the collections presented by both Issho and Irasva. 

Dandekar, on the other hand, picks rules to break them. Between stacking and choosing a statement jewellery piece, she's "more of a stack-it kind of girl." But that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy styling "statement pieces every now and then." The same philosophy of not sticking to the conventional extends to her jewellery choices too. "It is about enjoying it, and it is about having an identity." It's no surprise that this duo choose mixing metals as a way of life with a unanimous "yay" every chance they get. 

Shibani Dandekar speaks candidly and truly from the heart, rooted in shared values, as in the collaboration with the brand. "I think when you're working with your best friend on something that you are so passionate about, you're so in sync with, it just came very easily to us. And it just felt very natural to do. You've got two people who are part of the collection who would wear the jewellery very differently based on our personalities, based on where we're going, based on our lifestyles."

Everyone has favourites, and the duo were no exception. When she was asked what her favourite piece of jewellery was that she'd secretly never want to take off, she did not hesitate and got straight to her favourite. "It's a really beautiful take on a tennis necklace. It's something that you can keep on and stack with other things." For Shah, she chose a horse pendant as an ode to the Year of the Horse. "It allows you to actually stack different things on it. Like it can actually add on charms, remove charms, wear it in different ways. I think that would be one of my favourite pieces."

Diamonds are a girl's best friend but when you have two best friends who love diamonds just as much, it's a match made in heaven.