A gem of a person

If you are a follower of fashion, then you will be familiar with her work -- if not her name. Pick any picture from last year's fashion show...

If you are a follower of fashion, then you will be familiar with her work — if not her name. Pick any picture from last year’s fashion shows and chances are that the model will be wearing one of Kavita Behl’s designs. From Arjun Khanna and Shahab Durazi to Tarun Tahiliani, when it comes to jewellery they always ask for Kavita. Says Arjun Khanna, "There are so many reasons why designers use her. But mainly because her designs are phenomenal and so different from anything else available in the market."

High praise for one who started just eight years ago. In casual conversation, Tina Tahiliani-Parikh and Kavita struck upon the idea of couture silver and gold-plated jewellery. Kavita had time on her hands her two daughters had started school — and design in her blood, as Kavita is the daughter of art dealer and curator D Popley. Circumstances were also in her favour as her husband, Sunish, had just started to export silver artefacts to the West. Together they started to run Indiana Creations.

"In thosedays everyone had jumped onto the bandwagon of kurtas. I felt that there was a need for accessories. Women wanted to match their jewellery with clothes. So, I found a niche and developed it," says this 37-year-old. What helped was the fact that people no longer turned their noses up at costume jewellery. "Now, a wedding can have upto 10 functions and nobody has so many diamond sets lying around. My jewellery has become a practical option," she says. Today, she retails to India’s most-exclusive boutiques from Folio, Ensemble and Ogaan.

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About four years ago, she began to work with semi-precious stones for the international market. She also began to restore antiques that her husband picked up on his travels around India. And a lot of her pieces can be found in Harrod’s and sometimes even on the catwalks of Milan, New York and Paris. The export side of the business accounts for half of their turnover.

"Internationally, semi-precious jewellery is a big rage. And some of the most beautiful stones come fromIndia. Price-wise India is very competitive in this segment," says Kavita.

But Kavita has the most fun being an integral part of the fashion world as she is very style conscious. She wears mainly western clothes and her favourite designer is Shahab Durazi. "I freak out on his clothes. I like to look elegant," she says. And since she gets a preview of each year’s couture before it even hits the ramps, Kavita gets a headstart viz style. "For Shahab’s show I began work two months before the opening and for Arjun’s black and white collection I did a special collection of jewellery," she says. Arjun agrees. The crystal collection she did for him, he thinks, is among her best work.

She also likes to party and is always scouting for new ideas. "I love to party. For such a large city, the social scene is quite small," she says. When she is home, she enjoys reading. "I am passionate about reading and read anything," she says. But what really thrills her is seeing her work on others.

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"I still get a kick when Isee someone wearing my work. I really enjoy what I do and still get into work with a spring every day," says Kavita.