A visit to Karina Choudhrie's (above) London atelier, just around the corner from Buckingham Palace in London, reveals a rainbow-bright world of jewels that embody the jeweller's fascination with colour. On her desk are dozens of samples of minerals, both rare and humble, each prized for its intensity of colour and unique beauty. "I don't like this semi and precious concept of stones; if I want to use chrysocolla with diamonds and amethyst with emeralds, I will," says Karina who is so enthralled by the diversity of the gem universe that she doesn't shy away from unorthodox the stone combinations in the search for beauty.
Now based in London, but previously living between Dubai and California, Karina is drawn to colour with the zeal of one who yearns for the luminous hues of a childhood of sunlight streaming through palm leaves and sunsets staining the world pink.
Unusually for a small jewellery house, Karina's work spans from the magnificent Under the Sea high jewels inspired by the ocean life to the elegant everyday Vitamin Pink fine jewellery. This duality is only possible because Karina is a dreamer with a disciplined approach. The rich river of ideas that flow through her mind finds expression through her well-cultivated skills. Karina's strength in drawing and sculpture and experience in gemmology and jewellery-making allow her a complete run of the theatre of jewellery.
Born in Mumbai to Indian parents, she treasured the jewels given to her by her father each Diwali. So much so that Karina had always known she would be a jewellery designer. "It was the only thing I wanted to do; it must be some past life connection, as it didn't make any sense at all, as there was no family tradition or logical reason." From an early age, Karina learnt about discipline: at just six years old, every Saturday morning she had 3-hour drawing and painting lessons with an artist in Dubai. She credits the discipline she learned to have served her well. "I wasn't gifted; I had to learn the techniques," admits Karina. "Then, I could fine-tune the skill set at the GIA."
Still in her teens, Karina moved from Dubai to California to complete a four-year course at the GIA. Her first job was with a private jeweller in Beverly Hills that specialised in coloured diamonds. Starting in the high-end world of bespoke diamond jewellery, she applied the skills she learned at the GIA and supervised production, custom-made orders, and logistics. It was an obvious progression for Karina to set up her own business, and she started making her first jewels in a workshop in Jaipur in 2007. Her fledgling designs – particularly a Basra natural pearl necklace - caught the eye of the personal shopper of a Sheikha. Karina remembers the break as "beginner's luck", but it was more than that as soon she was invited into the homes and confidence of the Middle Eastern elite to work closely with them to re-fashion family jewels or create one-of-a-kind orders.
Karina then took the brave step of committing to her own designs and in 2023 launched Under the Sea, her first high jewellery collection. "I didn't want to find myself at the end of my career, only ever having made bespoke pieces. I wanted more freedom to use colour and gemstones in my way. So I shut shop for almost five years to reinvent myself and explore how I could contribute meaningfully to the jewellery world." Six years in the making, Under The Sea is Karina's first high jewellery collection. Deep-sea swimming in Mauritius was the creative spark for the collection. Each jewel - whether an abstract harmony of rippling colours as seen in the Deep Sea Prism earrings or the fantastical Medusa sautoir - captures the sense of awe and wonder that Karina experienced, gazing at the vibrant and colourful life that teems under the sea.
Designing and producing high jewellery is a world of its own. "When designing high jewellery, my mindset is one of extreme freedom and intensity," says Karina. "It is a long process and one of constant evolution and many technical challenges. It takes 30 to 40 drawings before I am satisfied with the final design, and I will work on a piece until it is just right. A pair of earrings have been in production for three years, and I am involved at every stage."
As well as having hands-on knowledge of the nuts and bolts of making jewellery, Karina is also a gemmologist and sources all her gemstones, often buying rough to custom cut. Karina casts her net wide: "I can work with any stones," she explains. "I love inclusions but am very particular about the cut and lustre. I start the design by thinking about adding more beauty and value to this gemstone. I buy my gems at different trade shows, and I love sitting with trays and trays of gemstones in Jaipur and making my selections. When I see a stone with a wonderful intensity of colour or something I have never seen before, I experience an 'oh my goodness' moment". But I don't instantly see a stone and know what I will do with it; I'll work that out later. I have a huge stash of gemstones, and with these, over the next four years, I will be able to continue adding new designs to Under the Sea."
The next milestone was the creation of Vitamin Pink (above), a line of fine jewellery for every day with a resounding sense of architectural elegance. Karina says: "I wanted to find ways to wear colour daily. I wanted to challenge myself to create a line of jewels with a solid, clean structure." The collection references the strength of the colour of female energy. Karina was clear that Vitamin Pink would have a timeless look. "They are solid pieces that don't dent, and I like them to be weighty to emphasise the beauty of gold. They are easy to wear: you can swim and exercise with them."
Karina continues her steady and systematic progress in establishing Karina Choudhrie Jewels as a high jewellery house and a fine jeweller. Each year, she will add some 15 one-of-a-kind pieces to the Under The Sea collection and prepare a second phase of Vitamin Pink. Small but mighty, Karina has set her sights high. "I think like a big brand, even if I am not, and I wanted the challenge of working in both the worlds of high and fine jewellery, but always treasuring my creative freedom."
