Alpana’s journey to finding her creative expression focuses inwards rather than outwards – “A mixture of things, namely, vision, art, and beauty inspire my creativity and are components of my design process. My inspiration comes from within and growing up in an artistically charged environment has enhanced it further and encouraged me to find my own creative outlet”, says the celebrated designer, who acknowledges her parents effort in helping her find way through the tough world of jewellery design. A student of Delhi School of Art, Gujral always knew that it was in design that she would find her life’s calling. Her mother Kiran Gujral is a jewellery designer too and hence designing came naturally to Alpana. “As a child, I would see my mom - always glamorous and wearing jewellery. She has been an inspiration to me. The vision in my work is a reflection of my mother's sense of style that she instilled in me during my growing up years.”%% Her latest work—titled Neelaya reinterprets the peacock motif and takes it from a typical and traditional role to a contemporary and artsy look. Speaking about the collection, she says, “The peacock means different things to different people. Some consider it sacred, while others consider it a symbol of purity, prosperity, wisdom and fidelity. I have tried to encapsulate many facets of its proud spirit in my collection Neelaya. The entire collection is themed around the royal blues and iridescent greens that are the colours of the peacock.”%% Alpana has successfully morphed the traditional art of Meenakari to suit the contemporary woman. Essentially, the materials have remained the same over the centuries; however, the new pieces are less complicated and less bulky. The older style used mainly three key stones—ruby, emerald and sapphire, whereas the new forms include many new varieties of colored stones to match the wide spectrum of contemporary fashion. Her work thus becomes an alliance of contemporary and classic styles and a mixture of oriental splendour and baroque exuberance.%%

Alpana believes that jewellery design is all about getting the right inspiration and that makes each of her collections diverse. One of her collections, Ambalika, is all about the evocative paisley or Ambi pattern, Shwetambari collection, as the name suggests, pays tribute to the purity of white through diamonds and pearls. The Rang Rasa collection is an embodiment of the glory of the Indian dance and dancer, and Ocean Sutra collection is all about the magical life of the ocean floor.%% Each collection comprises around a hundred pieces, and each piece is individually handcrafted over a period of four to six months. Perfection is the hallmark of each jewellery piece that comes from her atelier, and are exhibited and sold in various cities across the globe such as New York, San Francisco, Washington, Houston, London, Hong Kong, and Dubai. In addition, the Asia Museum store in New York and a renowned designer outlet in Dubai, RSH, that also showcases her collections. In India, she operates a boutique jewellery design house and caters to high-end markets in all major cities. %% While each of her pieces is dear to the designer, there is one special piece which remains invaluable, not for the precious gems and jewels that went into its making, but for the emotional value of working with her father, legendary painter Satish Gujral. “The pendant is one of my prize creations given the emotional sentiment of working so closely with my dad. It is a lovely sculpture that truly represents jewellery as an art form,” she says. %%

“Art is created to stimulate thought and emotion, similar to my designs. It’s much more than just decoration; it has an emotional impact on the wearer. I think it is important that the spirit of my jewellery makes the wearer feel special. I am very passionate about my creations and would never make something that I would not wear myself. After all how you look is a reflection of how you feel—when beauty is reflected, beauty is perfected,” she explains, adding, “If my designs can uplift a person's spirit or enhance one's mood or if it makes them feel beautiful then there is no bigger compliment.”%% Ask her what kind of woman would wear the eclectic and bold creations by Alpana Gujral, eclectic and bold as the jewellery is, and pat comes the reply, “A woman that wears my design would be confident and well versed in jewelry and style. They must be enjoying vibrant, striking pieces and are not afraid to be noticed. Maharani Gayatri Devi would be the quintessential Alpana Gujral woman. %%How I wish I could have seen her wear my jewellery, she who is the epitome of beauty and grace.” %%

Incidentally, the designer’s own personal style is no less elegant than her muse’s. “Style to me is effortless comfort—flowing clothes with complementary bold jewels is my staple look. I tend to wear bold, statement pieces so that I can get away with wearing less.” %% Work of course keeps her super busy – right now her workbench is overflowing with designs for her new, as-yet unnamed collection to come out later this year. “My world comprises of so much that I am appreciative of –a loving family, loyal friends, special clients, exquisite art and of course, lots of chocolates and movies. Reading offers me a great escape from the everyday work. I cherish all the people and things that have enriched my world.” %% After all these years though, the designer still takes things as they come, one day at a time, focusing on her “piece of the puzzle”, as she puts it. “Having been here for so long, I know that competition is only healthy when you are competing with yourself. There is enough of a platform for everyone to share their talent,” she opines and also advices aspiring designers to do the same. “It is extremely important to stay true to your essence and originality. Find your niche and never lose sight of it. I wish to see the design world flooded with original content and talent,” she signs off. %%

Alpana’s journey to finding her creative expression focuses inwards rather than outwards – “A mixture of things, namely, vision, art, and beauty inspire my creativity and are components of my design process. My inspiration comes from within and growing up in an artistically charged environment has enhanced it further and encouraged me to find my own creative outlet”, says the celebrated designer, who acknowledges her parents effort in helping her find way through the tough world of jewellery design. A student of Delhi School of Art, Gujral always knew that it was in design that she would find her life’s calling. Her mother Kiran Gujral is a jewellery designer too and hence designing came naturally to Alpana. “As a child, I would see my mom - always glamorous and wearing jewellery. She has been an inspiration to me. The vision in my work is a reflection of my mother's sense of style that she instilled in me during my growing up years.”%% Her latest work—titled Neelaya reinterprets the peacock motif and takes it from a typical and traditional role to a contemporary and artsy look. Speaking about the collection, she says, “The peacock means different things to different people. Some consider it sacred, while others consider it a symbol of purity, prosperity, wisdom and fidelity. I have tried to encapsulate many facets of its proud spirit in my collection Neelaya. The entire collection is themed around the royal blues and iridescent greens that are the colours of the peacock.”%% Alpana has successfully morphed the traditional art of Meenakari to suit the contemporary woman. Essentially, the materials have remained the same over the centuries; however, the new pieces are less complicated and less bulky. The older style used mainly three key stones—ruby, emerald and sapphire, whereas the new forms include many new varieties of colored stones to match the wide spectrum of contemporary fashion. Her work thus becomes an alliance of contemporary and classic styles and a mixture of oriental splendour and baroque exuberance.%%

Alpana believes that jewellery design is all about getting the right inspiration and that makes each of her collections diverse. One of her collections, Ambalika, is all about the evocative paisley or Ambi pattern, Shwetambari collection, as the name suggests, pays tribute to the purity of white through diamonds and pearls. The Rang Rasa collection is an embodiment of the glory of the Indian dance and dancer, and Ocean Sutra collection is all about the magical life of the ocean floor.%% Each collection comprises around a hundred pieces, and each piece is individually handcrafted over a period of four to six months. Perfection is the hallmark of each jewellery piece that comes from her atelier, and are exhibited and sold in various cities across the globe such as New York, San Francisco, Washington, Houston, London, Hong Kong, and Dubai. In addition, the Asia Museum store in New York and a renowned designer outlet in Dubai, RSH, that also showcases her collections. In India, she operates a boutique jewellery design house and caters to high-end markets in all major cities. %% While each of her pieces is dear to the designer, there is one special piece which remains invaluable, not for the precious gems and jewels that went into its making, but for the emotional value of working with her father, legendary painter Satish Gujral. “The pendant is one of my prize creations given the emotional sentiment of working so closely with my dad. It is a lovely sculpture that truly represents jewellery as an art form,” she says. %%

“Art is created to stimulate thought and emotion, similar to my designs. It’s much more than just decoration; it has an emotional impact on the wearer. I think it is important that the spirit of my jewellery makes the wearer feel special. I am very passionate about my creations and would never make something that I would not wear myself. After all how you look is a reflection of how you feel—when beauty is reflected, beauty is perfected,” she explains, adding, “If my designs can uplift a person's spirit or enhance one's mood or if it makes them feel beautiful then there is no bigger compliment.”%% Ask her what kind of woman would wear the eclectic and bold creations by Alpana Gujral, eclectic and bold as the jewellery is, and pat comes the reply, “A woman that wears my design would be confident and well versed in jewelry and style. They must be enjoying vibrant, striking pieces and are not afraid to be noticed. Maharani Gayatri Devi would be the quintessential Alpana Gujral woman. %%How I wish I could have seen her wear my jewellery, she who is the epitome of beauty and grace.” %%

Incidentally, the designer’s own personal style is no less elegant than her muse’s. “Style to me is effortless comfort—flowing clothes with complementary bold jewels is my staple look. I tend to wear bold, statement pieces so that I can get away with wearing less.” %% Work of course keeps her super busy – right now her workbench is overflowing with designs for her new, as-yet unnamed collection to come out later this year. “My world comprises of so much that I am appreciative of –a loving family, loyal friends, special clients, exquisite art and of course, lots of chocolates and movies. Reading offers me a great escape from the everyday work. I cherish all the people and things that have enriched my world.” %% After all these years though, the designer still takes things as they come, one day at a time, focusing on her “piece of the puzzle”, as she puts it. “Having been here for so long, I know that competition is only healthy when you are competing with yourself. There is enough of a platform for everyone to share their talent,” she opines and also advices aspiring designers to do the same. “It is extremely important to stay true to your essence and originality. Find your niche and never lose sight of it. I wish to see the design world flooded with original content and talent,” she signs off. %%

Alpana’s journey to finding her creative expression focuses inwards rather than outwards – “A mixture of things, namely, vision, art, and beauty inspire my creativity and are components of my design process. My inspiration comes from within and growing up in an artistically charged environment has enhanced it further and encouraged me to find my own creative outlet”, says the celebrated designer, who acknowledges her parents effort in helping her find way through the tough world of jewellery design. A student of Delhi School of Art, Gujral always knew that it was in design that she would find her life’s calling. Her mother Kiran Gujral is a jewellery designer too and hence designing came naturally to Alpana. “As a child, I would see my mom - always glamorous and wearing jewellery. She has been an inspiration to me. The vision in my work is a reflection of my mother's sense of style that she instilled in me during my growing up years.”%% Her latest work—titled Neelaya reinterprets the peacock motif and takes it from a typical and traditional role to a contemporary and artsy look. Speaking about the collection, she says, “The peacock means different things to different people. Some consider it sacred, while others consider it a symbol of purity, prosperity, wisdom and fidelity. I have tried to encapsulate many facets of its proud spirit in my collection Neelaya. The entire collection is themed around the royal blues and iridescent greens that are the colours of the peacock.”%% Alpana has successfully morphed the traditional art of Meenakari to suit the contemporary woman. Essentially, the materials have remained the same over the centuries; however, the new pieces are less complicated and less bulky. The older style used mainly three key stones—ruby, emerald and sapphire, whereas the new forms include many new varieties of colored stones to match the wide spectrum of contemporary fashion. Her work thus becomes an alliance of contemporary and classic styles and a mixture of oriental splendour and baroque exuberance.%%

Alpana believes that jewellery design is all about getting the right inspiration and that makes each of her collections diverse. One of her collections, Ambalika, is all about the evocative paisley or Ambi pattern, Shwetambari collection, as the name suggests, pays tribute to the purity of white through diamonds and pearls. The Rang Rasa collection is an embodiment of the glory of the Indian dance and dancer, and Ocean Sutra collection is all about the magical life of the ocean floor.%% Each collection comprises around a hundred pieces, and each piece is individually handcrafted over a period of four to six months. Perfection is the hallmark of each jewellery piece that comes from her atelier, and are exhibited and sold in various cities across the globe such as New York, San Francisco, Washington, Houston, London, Hong Kong, and Dubai. In addition, the Asia Museum store in New York and a renowned designer outlet in Dubai, RSH, that also showcases her collections. In India, she operates a boutique jewellery design house and caters to high-end markets in all major cities. %% While each of her pieces is dear to the designer, there is one special piece which remains invaluable, not for the precious gems and jewels that went into its making, but for the emotional value of working with her father, legendary painter Satish Gujral. “The pendant is one of my prize creations given the emotional sentiment of working so closely with my dad. It is a lovely sculpture that truly represents jewellery as an art form,” she says. %%

“Art is created to stimulate thought and emotion, similar to my designs. It’s much more than just decoration; it has an emotional impact on the wearer. I think it is important that the spirit of my jewellery makes the wearer feel special. I am very passionate about my creations and would never make something that I would not wear myself. After all how you look is a reflection of how you feel—when beauty is reflected, beauty is perfected,” she explains, adding, “If my designs can uplift a person's spirit or enhance one's mood or if it makes them feel beautiful then there is no bigger compliment.”%% Ask her what kind of woman would wear the eclectic and bold creations by Alpana Gujral, eclectic and bold as the jewellery is, and pat comes the reply, “A woman that wears my design would be confident and well versed in jewelry and style. They must be enjoying vibrant, striking pieces and are not afraid to be noticed. Maharani Gayatri Devi would be the quintessential Alpana Gujral woman. %%How I wish I could have seen her wear my jewellery, she who is the epitome of beauty and grace.” %%

Incidentally, the designer’s own personal style is no less elegant than her muse’s. “Style to me is effortless comfort—flowing clothes with complementary bold jewels is my staple look. I tend to wear bold, statement pieces so that I can get away with wearing less.” %% Work of course keeps her super busy – right now her workbench is overflowing with designs for her new, as-yet unnamed collection to come out later this year. “My world comprises of so much that I am appreciative of –a loving family, loyal friends, special clients, exquisite art and of course, lots of chocolates and movies. Reading offers me a great escape from the everyday work. I cherish all the people and things that have enriched my world.” %% After all these years though, the designer still takes things as they come, one day at a time, focusing on her “piece of the puzzle”, as she puts it. “Having been here for so long, I know that competition is only healthy when you are competing with yourself. There is enough of a platform for everyone to share their talent,” she opines and also advices aspiring designers to do the same. “It is extremely important to stay true to your essence and originality. Find your niche and never lose sight of it. I wish to see the design world flooded with original content and talent,” she signs off. %%