Cut from a Different Cloth

An artist is an artist after all, and Aditi Amin, a painter by hobby and banker by profession, chose to channel her creative energies into making fashion jewellery. The only similarity between her age-old hobby and her new-found passion was the canvas. Yes, she uses the canvas as her base for jewellery and decorates it with crystals, glass, beads, woven zari braids and more. According to her, the label ‘By Aditi Amin’ is an amalgamation of her varied experiences and her quest to present before the world statement pieces which are bold, unique, fun and avantgarde. Aditi says, “Designing larger-than-life statement jewellery pieces is an expression of art.”

- Shanoo Bijlani

You started your brand some four years ago. Are you a trained jewellery designer?

No, I used to be an investment banker working with Wachovia Securities, now Bank of America, in the US. Designing and creativity comes naturally to me since I have been painting for many, many years now.

So how did you think of veering into this field?

After I got married and settled in India, I had a lot of free time on my hands. I had to do something about it, and out of sheer boredom I started re-designing some of my old jewellery. Surprisingly, my friends supported me and appreciated my work. That encouragement helped me a great deal. I mustered enough courage to design my first collection and emailed the photos to Kimaya, Mumbai. They picked up the entire collection to showcase at their store. It felt really good.

Is jewellery-making an extension of your painting hobby?

Yes absolutely! Being creative and spending time designing jewellery is therapeutic for me. I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend working.

Have you held any art exhibitions of your paintings?