‘When did you even have time to do all of this? You were busy dancing with me in the living room last night.’
‘Hey! Every minute of it had been worth it. Besides, Dhruv sent these candidates based on your design notes. He wrote a note that said we should consider them before finalising someone.’
Siya was speechless as she went through the candidates and Dhruv’s attached summary notes. These were far better proposals than the ones they’d seen so far.
‘I like this one. Prateek Gem Traders. They originally started here in Mumbai, but they have expanded in Dubai and UAE in the last two years. Their certifications are in line, and their pricing is very competitive. I have a call scheduled with them in the next fifteen minutes. I thought you’d like to speak to them before our meeting with the investors.’
She let loose a breath as she read through their quality tests and collection catalogue. If it works out with them, they might just pull this off. All thanks to Dhruv, she thought.
‘I still can’t believe Dhruv didn’t use this to his advantage. So he really only had been pushing to stick to the deadlines to keep Dad happy.’
‘Seems so. I don’t think we were wrong to be skeptical of him, but I’m glad he came around.’
‘Let’s get to this meeting and we’ll see where we go with it. I’m just trying to figure out how to break this to our investors.’
A thought sparked in her mind and Siya smiled, ‘I have an idea.’
An hour later, Siya and Abhay walked into the conference room. She took a deep breath of the stiff, cold air and her gaze swept through the room.
She found her father sitting at the head of the table, talking to one of the long-time investors. Kartik was dressed up in an Armani custom-made black suit to impress the ultra-elite people scattered across the long mahogany table. He even wore his gold cufflinks, which he fidgeted with to bring attention to it. He gave her a casual glance but said nothing, but then again, he barely ever spoke to her in the office.
Dhruv stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the city sprawled beneath. His eyes darted to Siya briefly before skimming away. She made a mental note to talk to him later.
Draped in a silk saree, Jaanhvi Rao was flipping through sales projection analysis. When she saw them, she tilted her head in greeting. ‘Ah, the stars of the show.’
Abhay inclined his head in polite acknowledgement and made small talk with her. Yogesh Dalmia joined the conversation and said, ‘We’ve been looking forward to this, especially after the teaser updates.’
‘Well, if we’re all here, shall we begin?’ Kartik asked, gesturing at Siya.
She nodded at him and shifted toward the screen. She lightly cleared her throat and said, ‘Thank you all for being here. Abhay and I are excited to share the vision that has haunted us for so long.’
A ripple of laughter went through the room. She could feel Abhay’s steady presence next to her and it eased her frazzled nerves. The screen brightened with the introductory first slide and she spoke with a clear cadence.
‘Our collection is called Vintage Reverie. It weaves together a story of our heritage and the lineage of ancient Indian jewels.Our aim is to preserve the integrity of art, so for this line of jewellery, our idea is to showcase beauty that is connected to its roots.’
Her team moved through the room, placing velvet boxes and files in front of every investor. When they revealed the jewellery, there was a collective intake of breath around the table. The dark mahogany glittered with gold, gems, and grandeur.
Drawing strength from their awed reaction, Siya went on. ‘We have created designs featuring precious stones like diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies with a focus on Mughal and Persian kundan and meenakari techniques and motifs like floral patterns and vines, alongside modern minimalist designs.’
Her heart pounded as she reached for the prototype piece in front of her, and held up a delicate necklace studded with rubies and rose quartz. ‘We drew references from royal archives and Mughal-era engravings to create the bridal collection.’
‘What about durability? Will these older stones, older cuts, stand the rough tear of daily wear?’ Jaanhvi asked.
‘We have chosen settings and backings that protect them and structured clasps designed for both durability and comfort. Our collection seeks to reimagine heirlooms with modern designs so we expect these pieces to be loved, worn, and passed on.’
Kunal Dalmia leaned in, and picked the piece from her grasp. As he studied it closely, he said, ‘This level of intricate designing is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Are these designs by your in-house artisans or private contractors?’
‘Both. Our design team has collaborated with two private craftsmen from Gujarat and Jodhpur.’
Abhay added, ‘But Siya has designed the majority of the pieces herself.’
Kunal smiled. ‘That’s truly impressive, my dear.’
Warmed by his compliment, Siya smiled but it dropped quickly when she caught Kartik’s narrowed gaze directed at her.
Abhay announced. ‘In two days, we will unveil the first look of the select few items from our upcoming collection at an exclusive auction for our core investors where they will go up for sale. We are also very honoured to include our select heirloom jewels from both the Kashyap and Agrawal family vaults to be auctioned off.’
‘Are these motifs of peacock feathers?’ Aagman Malhotra, an investment banker, asked.
