Within the limited expanse of this yet-to-be-fully-discovered realm of earth, certain mystic locations render a perpetual source of inspiration for artists. To siphon the obscurity from the serendipitous encounters with nature and to project them into stories is true art. And the greatest beauty of Zoya jewellery lies in these inimitable story projections expressed via supreme craftsmanship. Zoya, a chain of luxury diamond boutiques from the House of Tata, is not just a jewellery brand but an exhibition of fine art that intertwines storytelling with the pageantry glamour of voguish sensibilities.
In the time of the pandemic, when the scenic beauty of several exquisite locales only resides in the cravings of our hearts, you can add the delights of an enchanted world to your personal celebrations. Serving as an amalgamation of your personal stories with the stories around the globe, Zoya’s pieces of art become the perfect gifts for your milestone celebrations. To enjoy your birthdays, anniversaries or other personal milestones with tokens of Zoya art pieces is to share their history.
Amanpreet Ahluwalia, Business Head – Zoya, narrates the spirit of Zoya jewellery, in conversation with Payal Chauhan for Wedding Affair. “These milestones are quite unique and rare for the person who is celebrating it. So, whenever we create these pieces of art, a big part of the whole process is narrating its art and impeccable craft, while projecting our jewellery’s intrinsic feminine character. These things are very integral to Zoya jewellery. You will never find it trying to define the lady who wears it. It is quite distinguished and at the same time extremely elegant,” Ahluwalia says.
Zoya as a perfect wedding gift
The brand’s intricate craftsmanship, as we have established, is about enchanted stories and a fine eye. Hence, it is more like a souvenir of both the presenter’s love and the brand’s journey to the one receiving it. “Often we find that the inspirations for the wedding themes coincide with those of our art pieces. Hence, we seamlessly fit into the wedding gifting segment.
Zoya’s inspirations, as we always say, are about internal and external journeys. As we travel the world, we fall in love with these beautiful places. Of late, we’re also doing internal journeys that women go on while creating these pieces of art,” Ahluwalia explains how Zoya harmoniously fits the mould of a perfect wedding gift. “And, wedding gifting is becoming so close-knit that I think people are making an effort in finding the right gift for the near and dear ones.”
Zoya’s Boutique Stores
Zoya has had a superb history of its two iconic stores of Delhi and Mumbai. The brand also recently made its foray into South India with a stunning flagship boutique in Bengaluru’s most iconic luxury hub. Located in the ‘it’ neighbourhood of Vittal Mallya Road, the boutique boasts a quiet eloquence of love and reverence for high jewellery. The perfect union of design, craftsmanship and customer experience found a new address in the heart of the city. However, there is a unique offering available just in the Bengaluru store. “There is a designated bespoke lounge in the Bengaluru boutique. You can do a dream piece of yours with the designer at your own comfort in our store. Due to this, your inventory really opens up as you can co-create pieces that you would want for yourself,” Ahluwalia explains.
Zoya’s boutique stores are just like art galleries that chronicle the journey of the art piece. Ahluwalia further narrates the experience of a Zoya boutique, “What we have done is that we have exhibited the story of the brand into our product, which is further imbibed into our boutiques and then into the entire experience. We do say that our jewellery is hand-crafted, and so is the entire experience of buying. We want to understand your likes and dislikes and we give you your space. At Zoya, we do not create a space that is for selling, we are creating a space that is for storytelling, it’s about conversations and it’s about hospitality.”
Steering through the pandemic
Even when the world remains engulfed in pandemic anxiety, what is encouraging for Zoya is the fact that its clients are having conversations on jewellery. And mostly because it is majorly bought for personal milestones, and milestone celebration is not going anywhere. You will have your wedding anniversary, your birthdays or some joyous celebrations like graduation parties, your parents anniversary or your daughter in law’s birthday. Hence, there is a celebration of stories and art even with the tough market conditions.
Besides, Zoya has a detailed 80-safety checkpoints protocol as a measure against the spread of coronavirus. “I don’t see the trial phase of luxury jewellery thrown out completely. However, as a part of this brand, we are used to reducing the work that the client has to do,” Ahluwalia explains.
Apparently, the brand is also working towards digitising some part of the journey, so that the number of visits reduces. “This will come handy as it is for us, even during these times because our process is set for home visits. And then digitising the initial part of the journey has really helped us in terms of having conversations on jewellery.” The digitisation process includes video call appointments, conversations on Whatsapp and an innovative interface to share catalogues with the clients.
Way Ahead
The brand remains optimistic as its major response market is that of the celebration of personal milestones and also adding timelessness to your gifts or ornamental possessions. And that timelessness is a very intrinsic part of the segment. Hence, both these segments together are going to define the market for Zoya in the time ahead.
Talking about further boutique launches, Ahluwalia says, “To be very honest, we were looking at Hyderabad much before we were looking at Bengaluru. But because we also understand that we are a luxury brand, the location, space, the street and the address that the store holds become very critical. So we haven’t yet found a property that we’ve been wanting for ourselves in Hyderabad.”
“Bengaluru came by earlier and it was ready even before we had expected this pandemic situation. So currently, we are not actively looking at Hyderabad anymore. But if things get better, we’ll start looking at Hyderabad again. It may or may not happen this year. It totally depends on the pandemic conditions,” she explains.
For now, the brand thrives on the stories it sets out to tell and the wedding gifts that hold sentimental importance. Ancient cultures, a forgotten relic, a sensual dance, an exotic fabric, a sudden burst of rain – all capture the very soul of each inspiration with expert craftsmanship and immortalizes them in fine designs of gold, diamond and precious stones, the brand suggests.
