Poonam Soni, Founder, Poonam Soni Jewels.
Poonam Soni has been an independent voice in Indian fine jewellery for almost four decades, drawing from Indian craftsmanship and culture to create unique pieces that evolve into distinctive collections. With her latest collection, VVV Art Deco - Vivid, Vibrant & Vintage, she explores a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours, textures and unexpected combinations, bringing together unique precious stones and an artistic palette shaped by months of experimentation.
1. VVV Art Deco brings together Art Deco geometry, vintage influences and bold colour. What inspired you to explore this particular intersection for the collection, and what does "Vivid, Vibrant & Vintage" mean to you as a designer?
Ans: Art Deco is my latest passion with its symmetry, and timeless modernity, qualities that translate wonderfully into fine jewelry. With VVV (Vivid, Vibrant & Vintage), I wanted to strip away the rigidity often associated with classic periods and infuse it with unbridled energy.
To me, "Vivid, Vibrant & Vintage" is a celebration of vibrancy and color through design. "Vintage" honors the roots of craftsmanship and makes it timeless while "Vivid" and "Vibrant" represent the fearless, contemporary spirit of today's wearer. It's about taking heritage lines and waking them up with electrifying color and modern movement.
2. You have often challenged conventional ideas of how fine jewellery should look and be worn. How do you see the role of jewellery evolving today, particularly as younger consumers increasingly view it as an expression of personal style rather than just an investment or occasion purchase?
Ans: Precisely because the customer is so discerning - we offer unique styles to keep them excited and going a step further - we customise to their choice and personality. Our strength is new styles , design innovation and customise - so we have a loyal addicted customer who gets the excitement of New and the choice of a variety of all kinds of jewelry of their choice. And that's what is the difference between a designer, stylist and businessman
We are first designers - fearless to experiment and start new trends. For too long, fine jewelry in India was treated like museum pieces-locked in a bank vault and reserved strictly for weddings or high-profile events. I have always believed that high jewelry is meant to be lived in, loved, and integrated into everyday self-expression.
Today's younger consumers are wonderfully liberated. They don't buy jewelry for societal validation or purely as a safe financial asset; they buy it as an extension of their personality. They want pieces that tell a story, transition effortlessly from a boardroom meeting to an evening soirée, and reflect their individual style ethos. This shift has forced designers to be more experimental, versatile, and avant-garde
3. The stackable bangles in VVV Art Deco reinterpret the traditional bridal chura, including the ivory bangle with the hand-painted evil eye motif. What drew you to this tradition, and how did you approach reimagining something so culturally familiar in your own design language?
Ans: Today a woman is experimental and wants her own unique style. I wanted to design a colorful stack of bangles in vivid colors. The idea of reinventing the Chuda came from there. The evil eye canvas paintings is a very Poonam Soni style or variable art and it is done on ivory which is the auspicious way the Chura starts -after that the bride can use her own innovative colours and complete the stack look of chuda
The traditional bridal chura is one of the most culturally potent symbols of Indian heritage, yet it has historically been bound to a specific life stage and rigid material conventions. I liberated that concept and made it wearable beyond the wedding day, versatile, modern, and deeply personal.
In reimagining it, we maintained the stacking rhythm of the traditional chura but introduced fine materials, Art Deco geometry, and hand-painted art-such as the evil eye motif. Marrying miniaturized hand-painting with fine jewelry is a signature of my design vocabulary, blending protective symbolism with high fashion.
4. Colour plays a particularly strong role in this collection. What is it about colour that allows jewellery to become more expressive and personal, and how do you see women styling coloured jewellery differently today?
Ans: The Poonam Soni style has always been about color and this time the color has been elevated into a kaleidoscope of visual impact - you can't imagine till you see it! Color is an emotional trigger; it speaks before design even does. While white diamonds and traditional gold have their place, colored gemstones , color painted bases inject soul and individuality into a piece. No two colored stones or artistic finishes are identical, which makes the jewelry intensely personal to the wearer.
Today, women are styling color with incredible confidence. They aren't waiting for a matching outfit anymore. Instead, they are using vivid rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and multi-hued enamels as statement pieces against minimalist silhouettes-or mixing contrasting colors fearlessly. Color has become a tool for sartorial storytelling.
5. VVV Art Deco is a limited-edition collection, with 50% of the pieces pre-booked even before its formal rollout. What does this response tell you about how the Indian fine jewellery consumer is evolving and what clients are currently looking for?
Ans: For me, designing is a passion. The selling is the second part of the story; the very fact that almost 70% of the Art deco pieces are booked is validation of the design and demand of a client. They're looking for new things. They're looking for styling different trends and unique pieces. Clients are no longer looking for mass-produced uniformity; they crave exclusivity, storytelling, and collectible design. This is precisely the reason that the Poonam Soni Brand has remained niche with each piece of Jewelry telling its own story . Mass expansion would mean mass design.
This response tells me that patrons want our wearable art with a distinct point of view. They trust creators who push boundaries, and they recognize the value of limited editions. When a collection has a soul and a distinct narrative, it resonates instantly.
6. Having built your jewellery house over several decades, how have you seen Mumbai's fine jewellery landscape and clientele evolve? And as the city continues to shape India's fashion and luxury conversations, what do you think will define the next phase of fine jewellery in Mumbai?
Ans: When I pioneered bespoke jewelry design decades ago, the market was strictly traditional, risk-averse, and driven by commercial weight rather than artistic design. Mumbai's landscape has transformed radically since then. It has emerged as India's true fashion and creative capital, with a clientele that is globally traveled, deeply experimental, and appreciative of craftsmanship.
The next phase of fine jewelry in Mumbai will be defined by art-meets-jewel concepts, experiential retail, and uncompromising individuality. Clients want to be part of the creative journey, and they expect retail spaces to be immersive galleries rather than standard jewelry stores. The shift from Jewelry houses into fine Jewelry entering fashion brands is actually more a mass concept than a Designer one. It is more of styling than designing unique pieces designers, creating unique collections and customising will always be the choice of a discerning customer.
7. Looking ahead, as you continue to expand your design vocabulary and explore new themes, what are the conversations, cultural influences or shifts in the modern Indian woman that you are most excited to translate into jewellery next?
Ans: As a Designer, I am totally involved and rooted in my Latest collection VVV Art Eco and it has a long way to go because we still are experimenting with unique colours ,new textures and we have different factories who turn out one piece single piece so the next collection is going to be an expansion of the same theme and beyond that I haven't thought because Design is not thinking it's a passionate involvement of creating the unique but definitely the brand is always going to be active and turning out new exciting jewellery pieces and creating path breaking designs. My focus is only my creativity and design and expanding the story of the jewellery history of India
Website: https://www.poonamsoni.com
