At Gaurav Gupta’s show in Mumbai last night, the stars shone down, but not just on the clothes. At the much-awaited event, the coveted couture on the catwalk got its own sheen with creations from Nemichand Bamalwa & Sons. It was time for the four-decade old renowned atelier to also take a bow as the heritage house’s jewellery grabbed attention with their curation of gorgeous handcrafted jewels.
In the designer’s new runway showcase, he expanded his language of couture beyond the garment with an exclusive collaboration with this jewellery house, bringing forth beautifully the notion that couture and jewellery can blend into a formidable artistic energy.
The collaboration with GG took ahead his sculptural approach to fashion, introducing over 80 handcrafted high jewellery creations—necklaces, cuffs, earrings and headpieces—with each developed to share a dialogue with the garments. The result? A runway where fabric and form scored as many ostentatious points as the gemstones, diamonds, and precious metals. The creative journey seen between the two houses also paid a nod to craftsmanship in Indian luxury.
To the audience it was a classic GG treat. In the new collection, Gupta’s sculptural vision demanded jewellery that could mirror the fluidity of his draped forms while retaining the gravitas of heirloom-quality high jewellery.
Both maisons approached the process as a unified design exercise, with garments and jewels evolving simultaneously. Proportions, movement, weight, and light were considered together, allowing each look to unfold as a complete composition.
Ananya Panday was showstopper in a 100 carat natural diamond necklace, with four solitaires, almost 20 carat each, on her head like a Matha Patti, with the nath giving her a cute bride look
The heart of the night went to a beautiful palette of materials with natural diamonds meeting Colombian and Zambian emeralds, Burmese rubies, Basra and South Sea pearls, polki, spinels, tourmalines and an array of exceptional coloured gemstones. Rather than functioning as decorative accents, these rare stones become part of the narrative, echoing the movement, structure, and emotional language of Gupta's couture.
Several hero pieces anchor the presentation, each conceived as wearable sculpture. Dramatic diamond collars were meant to contour the body like extensions of the couture itself, while emeralds and Burmese rubies introduced vivid bursts of colour against Gupta's architectural silhouettes. Basra and South Sea pearls softened the visual language, offering moments of quiet elegance amid the collection's sculptural intensity.
Traditional Polki also found a contemporary expression alongside rare coloured gemstones, underscoring the collaboration's dialogue between heritage and innovation.
For Nemichand Bamalwa & Sons, the project reinforced a legacy of exceptional gem sourcing and meticulous handcraft while introducing its creations to a contemporary couture audience. For Gaurav Gupta, it extends his exploration of wearable sculpture into the realm of fine jewellery, where gemstones become integral to the silhouette rather than embellishments upon it.
The collaboration also reiterates this—couture and high jewellery, once presented in parallel, are now each elevating the other through shared craftsmanship and storytelling. As Vinod and Sheetal Bamalwa, Partners, Nemichand Bamalwa & Sons, said, "The vision and the styling that we ventured with Gaurav Gupta while planning jewellery with his outfits, gave a different experience in the understanding that 'thinking out of the box 'creates a story, and we saw the magic come alive through his vision. Gaurav is a dreamer and an artist, and his attention to detail to each and everything is absolutely a delight to be a part of. It's been a pleasure."