Engagement & Wedding, 2018
Some commissions start with a design brief. Others begin with a common tongue. Kanha Bakeri's journey with Aurus Fine Jewels began with a profound love for jewellery, not simply as adornment, but as art, heritage and self-expression. A genuine connoisseur of jewellery, Kanha entered the project with a distinct vision, a discerning eye and a desire to craft creations that would become integral to her story for generations to come.
Every bespoke journey at Aurus begins with listening. Puja Shah, Founder and Creative Director, understood not just the occasions Kanha was dressing for, but the feelings, memories and ambitions she wanted each piece to embody. Across her engagement and wedding celebrations, one element remained constant: her love for emeralds, regal craftsmanship, and timeless design.
Look 1: The Engagement
Puja Shah recalls: "Kanha wanted a piece that would feel unforgettable without feeling excessive. She already owned remarkable jewellery, so this commission had to offer something different - something that blended the brilliance of diamonds with the soul of traditional Indian craftsmanship."
For her engagement look, Kanha selected a soft ivory ensemble with a romantic, luminous aesthetic. The jewellery therefore needed to create impact while maintaining elegance. Her brief centred around a statement necklace and earrings that combined diamonds, kundan and polki influences in a contemporary silhouette.
The design journey travelled through sketches, conversations and refinements. Traditional Mughal and jadau references were interpreted through modern diamond settings to create a necklace that felt both familiar and completely new. Hanging emerald drops introduced fluidity, while carefully proportioned detailing ensured every angle revealed a new layer of craftsmanship.
Look 2: The Wedding
If the engagement commission was about balance, the wedding commission was about scale, drama, and architectural beauty. Planned nearly nine months in advance, the bridal suite became one of the most detailed bespoke journeys undertaken by Aurus.
Puja Shah shares: "Kanha knew exactly how she wanted to feel on her wedding day. She wanted a necklace that filled the neckline beautifully while still allowing the skin to breathe through the design. It needed to feel royal, powerful, and deeply personal."
Set against a deep red bridal lehenga, the wedding jewellery was envisioned as a grand emerald-and-diamond composition inspired by European royal jewels, Mughal artistry, Hyderabadi detailing, and Victorian latticework.
As the design evolved, an important discovery emerged. Early concepts toyed with a more traditional choker, but after several fittings and iterations, Puja realised that the design could better serve Kanha's proportions by reimagining the collar silhouette. The end result was a necklace that incorporated diamond collar shapes, detailed lattice work, scalloped structures and cascading emerald drops that beautifully framed the neckline.
The bridal suite extended far beyond the necklace. A convertible kamarbandh with emerald accents was made to later become a necklace, indicative of Kanha's appreciation for longevity and thoughtfulness of design - a philosophy explored further in our guide to heirloom bridal jewellery. Chandelier earrings, a maangtika, bracelet, rings and custom bridal choodas completed the ensemble, all echoing the same design language.
For Aurus, bespoke jewellery is never simply about creating beautiful objects. It is about translating personality into form, emotion into craftsmanship, vision into heirlooms. Kanha's commission was a perfect representation of this philosophy.
Puja adds, "The most rewarding commissions are when the client is part of the creative process. Kanha's knowledge of jewellery, coupled with her belief in our expertise, gave us the freedom to create pieces that felt truly her. Every emerald, every diamond, every curve was deliberate." From the first conversation to the final wedding photographs, Kanha's bespoke journey was a celebration of artistry, collaboration and timeless elegance. The result was not just jewellery for two occasions, but a collection of future heirlooms, built to tell her story for decades to come.
