Mumbai: Mozambican rubies and Zambian emeralds are the stars of a beautiful new collaboration between Gemfields and The Line fine jewellery label. The Line x Gemfields Songbird Collection is at once a tribute to Indian traditions, history and artistry and a means of making the high-fashion allure of gemstones accessible, and brought into the everyday.
The songbird’s call remains recognisable through the centuries, much like the distinctive silhouette of fine Indian jewellery. However, each songbird’s voice is its own. It is in this vein that The Line introduces its latest collection: a contemporary take on the known silhouette of much-loved Indian jewellery.
Songbird reflects classic Indian jewellery silhouettes – from crescent-shaped hoops, string necklaces and flowering earpieces to shoulder-dusting chandelier earrings and regal chokers, all handmade from 18k yellow gold. Most of the pieces place the pops of colour provided by coloured gemstones alongside delicate pearls for an unmistakeably Indian look that’s both time-honoured and contemporary.
Each design contains vibrant rubies from the Montepuez mine in Mozambique or verdant emeralds from the Kagem mine in Zambia. Both mines are owned and operated by Gemfields, a worldleading miner of coloured gemstones with responsible practices at its core, making the company a natural partner for The Line.
The Line was founded as a jewellery label by fashion journalist Natasha Khurana in 2015 – after she was inspired by the arresting beauty of loose gemstones. Living between Dubai and New Delhi, Natasha is a lover of fashion, art, history and literature, and is continually inspired by her surroundings, particularly by India and its storied legacy of jewellery craftsmanship.
She recalls her epiphany moment, when she first realised a passion to work with coloured gemstones: “I remember the first time I saw gems, in a packet, loose, unadorned. The colour, the fire of rubies and emeralds! I lost my heart. Gems are what drew me to jewellery as a career. I believe we need to do very little by way of bejewelling gems: when they are this beautiful, they speak for themselves.”
With Songbird, Khurana addresses the “weighty legacy of Indian jewel-making and wearing” with lightness – channelling the spirit of the Indian people, who for centuries have thought nothing of donning the most extravagant pieces every day in abundance. This is a tradition that can be seen in religious paintings and archival photographs of Indian royal courts.
With colour an integral aspect of Indian life, and rubies and emeralds both long revered in India, coloured gemstones from Gemfields are a most natural fit for Khurana’s collection of wearable treasures.
“It is a true delight to watch the Indian sun dance through these Zambian emeralds and Mozambican rubies, bringing them to life in Natasha Khurana’s elegant creations. Here is a collection that heroes the versatility of coloured gems – equally as captivating in a playful ear climber as they are in recognisable silhouettes such as the adorned hoops. The Line perfectly marries wearability with a charismatic twist and an elegant simplicity, elevated by the entrancing flicker of dancing coloured gemstones,” said Emily Dungey, Gemfields director of marketing and communications, during the launch event at Soho House in Mumbai.
