This is the age of dreaming the impossible dream. An age where no ambition is too high or overarching. The best time to do the unthinkable is indeed NOW. The cover of the May edition of South India’s largest lifestyle magazine RITZ, is adorned by individuals who embody this never-say-die spirit.
Each of them is now a name that has set a benchmark in their respective fields of entrepreneurship. Say hello to Mohan Ram K, Managing Director of Zingbi Fashion; the much-in-love and driven-by-passion couple Anirudhan Grandhee & Aishwarya Gupta, Directors of Viswa & Devji Diamonds and Dr Sethuraman, leading dermatologist and actor who are all making a major difference in the manner in which their businesses function while also serving as an example of how to enjoy success in your passion.
Text by: Vivek Raj
Photography: Nithin Bharath
Styling: Chaitanya Rao
Location Courtesy: Courtyard by Marriot
Hair & make-up: Vurve Salon
Shine Bright Like A Diamond – Anirudhan Grandhee & Aishwarya Gupta, Directors of the famous Viswa & Devji Diamonds
This entrepreneur couple has not only made a name in the diamond business, but is working tirelessly at establishing a decades-old brand as a force to reckon with. Catering to customers across the world especially in the Middle East and the Far East, US, UK and Europe, Anirudhan Grandhee and Aishwarya Gupta, the directors of the famous Viswa & Devji Diamonds have been perfecting the process of delivering quality while also laying emphasis on the design of their diamonds to make them stand out from the rest of the crowd.
The young couple who are in their twenties have made it to the prestigious cover of the RITZ May 2018 edition as an emerging power couple helming a brand in a field that is dynamic, competitive, fraught with risks and volatility, with their focus on ensuring their clients shine bright like diamonds, a la Rihanna.
We sit the jet-setting couple down for a pow-wow and come away feeling energised and inspired. Excerpts from our conversation:
Since you have been in the diamond designing business for quite some time, what is your approach to providing consistent quality to your customers?
Aishwarya: This is our third generation in this business. All along we have been known for our diamonds and their designs. We invest utmost care towards the brilliance, the cut, the colour and the clarity – that is why, we as a brand handle everything from scratch – right from procurement to cutting and polishing the stones. Our own in-house cut – the ‘Royal Cut’ – we reckon is even better than the ‘Belgian Cut.’ You will notice when you see our jewellery, that there’s a sparkle that is so different from the others!
What are the processes involved in finalising the look for your diamonds in terms of design and quality?
Quality has always been one of our biggest strengths and a talking point for our brand, Viswa & Devji Diamonds. Every diamond you see in our jewellery line has passed through at least 10-11 stringent quality checks as we are particular about the overall quality of the diamond. As for the design, we always like to stay ahead of the curve. We have design studios where we work to keep up with the trends and also set new trends while catering to the norms of tradition.
South Indians are famous for insisting on flawless diamonds, whereas customers up north are more relaxed in their quality specificationms. Commment.
Aishwarya: I believe that except for South India, no other part of the nation consumes this quality. South Indians consume the highest quality of diamonds possible! Even in the West, people generally prefer solitaires, and go easy on the quality of the diamonds. So, that’s why South India still remains our main market because we are primarily quality-oriented.
Anirudhan: I think only when the small stones are used, you get the design, and you get the precision of the design and the accuracy. If you use the Solitaire or the bigger stones, the design capacity gets reduced. You won’t get the beautiful designs that can be seen in smaller stones.
What are your thoughts about Viswa & Devji designs catering to a super exclusive clientele?
Aishwarya: It was a conscious decision to cater to a niche clientele who have a taste for good designs and quality. The reason we decided to do this is because we still find a vacuum in this market for these kinds of designs. Naturally, we wanted to fill in that space. Another dirving force was the fact that men are generally ignored when it comes to diamonds. Although the saying goes, “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”, we decided there should be change and we asked, “Why not men?”
Anirudhan: The fact as it exists now, is that men don’t get to wear any jewellery that excites them. Usually, men get either a ring or a bracelet in terms of jewellery presented to them, which eventually end up inside a locker. So, we thought why not create an opportunity for men to enjoy some good diamond jewellery? And, we came up with a collection called ‘Razzle Collection’ which is also called as the ‘Bridegroom’s Collection’ wherein we stud diamonds on pens, watches, or spectacle frames, on belt buckles and any accessory that men would usually prefer carrying with them. Diamonds are directly studded on the steel contrary to a gold part as is the usual custom. So, any watch or any article that has steel in it can still be studded with diamonds. This is something we have brought in new to the market so that men won’t feel left behind. We also feel this is a good gifting solution because not many know what exactly to gift men. A diamond-studded pen makes a far bigger statement than a normal pen or a wallet, even if it is from a big brand. This is how we feel we have bridged the gap between the markets with our designs.
Do you follow the trends and has there been any specific trend that has left you surprised or overwhelmed?
Aishwarya: Trends resurfacing is always going to happen because fashion trends are largely cyclical. The retro theme always comes back in fashion at some point of time and we are open for that. We do make a lot of effort to set new trends like the ‘Pink Gold’, which we recently introduced wherein using a particular technology, we change the colour of the gold. Pink gold suits the Indian skin tone much better than the yellow and it has gone on to receive a surprisingly positive response.
Anirudhan: Modern brides prefer the rose gold more since the diamonds come out looking really good and it suits the Indian skintone exceptionally well.
What’s your best tip to buy good quality diamonds?
Aishwarya: The best tip to buy a diamond is to go to a trusted jeweller. That’s the best advice I can give because reselling the diamond is as important as buying the diamond. So, buying it from a trusted jeweller is the best thing you can do. The common thing everybody is scared about is the black spot in the diamond. It is important to note that this black spot is nothing else than just dirt as diamonds are formed millions of years ago beneath the surface of the earth. When you walk in to Viswa & Devji, you can be assured that there will not be a single black spot as we deal with the highest quality of diamonds.
Has there been a time when your Viswa & Devji Diamonds saw a surprise boom in business or have you ever been surprised with the response from people going for diamond jewellery?
Anirudhan: A few years back, during Akshaya Tritiya, diamond jewellery stores would usually sport a vacant look. People tended to go more for gold jewellery. But, the past few years, we have noticed a shift in the market where diamond jewellers have started getting more business. This April too was pretty good for us as there had been quite a number of walk-ins at both our stores in Chennai and Coimbatore considering it usually is not the best-selling month for diamond jewellers.
Viswa and Devji stores are at G.N.Chetty Road (Between Hotel Accord and Hotel Residency) in Chennai & T.V.Swamy Road (East), R.S.Puram in Coimbatore.
Phone:
Chennai: +91 44468 64000
Coimbatore: +91 42242 23301/2/3
