This July, when Aisha Rao presented ‘Priyasi’ at Hyundai India Couture Week 2026, it made for an immersive delight—her signature polychromatic appliqué and intricate embroideries meeting cutting-edge, sustainable materials (like bio-resham and bio-bad)-in an almost theatrical performance. Models sashayed on the runway in the outfits holding large tulips, in a backdrop inspired by some of the greatest love stories—from Pride and Prejudice to Salim and Anarkali.
That couture magic has now transitioned into Rao’s new line. In partnership with Shree Jewellers, she’s widened the creative mood board, leading to a playful extension of the collection's universe. Does it have that Aisha Rao signature intricate craftsmanship? Yes. But the jewellery’s also arty, cool and coloured, and it can settle into occasion wear for brides, much beyond the wedding day!
In a chat with Manifest, Aisha Rao—who recently showcased her jewellery at her store at Kala Ghoda in Mumbai—talks about creating the bridge between couture and gemology, and why the modern Indian bride’s relationship with jewellery has undergone a quiet revolution.
Aisha Rao (AR): For us, expanding into fine jewellery was never about simply scaling our product offerings. Every decision within our atelier is carefully considered to ensure it feels like a natural extension of our brand language. Having established our design vocabulary in couture and subsequently translated that aesthetic into interior spaces and other creative collaborations, jewellery became the next intuitive canvas.
Our world has always been rooted in romance, heritage and meticulous craftsmanship, like welcoming like-minded creative brands into our spaces, including Maison Éclat, whose luxury eyewear is designed in Paris. In couture, we express this through polychromatic appliqué and fluid textile narratives. In our interiors, that same philosophy manifests through immersive, tactile environments.
Extending this language into fine jewellery allowed us to bring those same signatures, abstract botanicals, heritage motifs and vibrant colour play, into pieces that feel distinctly Aisha Rao. Partnering with Shree Jewellers brought generational gemological expertise and craftsmanship to that vision, allowing our romantic, whimsical design perspective to find a new expression through fine jewellery.
AR: The starting point was looking closely at the dimensionality of our runway silhouettes and asking how that sense of depth, rhythm and fluidity could be reimagined through precious stones and metal rather than thread. We wanted the jewellery to feel intrinsically connected to the couture, not as an adaptation of a garment, but as though both had emerged from the same design vocabulary. Colour became one of the first anchors. We returned to the saturated palettes that recur throughout our collections and translated them into a considered spectrum of multi-hued sapphires. We also studied the botanical forms embedded within our textile motifs, tracing their organic contours into gemstone settings and metalwork.
The intention was to preserve the instinct behind the couture while allowing the jewellery to have its own physicality and presence. This evolution had been taking shape for some time. When we created the ‘Eternal Spring’ necklace last year, it became an important proof of concept. It showed us that the Aisha Rao design world could exist just as naturally in fine jewellery. That piece gave us the confidence to explore the idea on a much broader scale and eventually develop it into a complete collection with Shree Jewellers.
AR: The relationship between couture and fine jewellery was approached as a dialogue rather than a matching exercise. We wanted each to hold its own presence while creating a sense of visual continuity, using contrast, proportion and considered colour to bring them together. The ‘Union’ ring is a good example.
Built around the soft luminosity of rose-cut diamonds, it carries a restrained emerald detail at the base. That small infusion of green introduces a note of colour that subtly connects the piece to the chromatic language of the house, without disturbing the purity of the design. We also wanted the jewellery to exist beyond the runway. Each piece was conceived to work against the richness and texture of couture, while remaining equally relevant with a more pared-back wardrobe. Styled with an elaborate gown or something as simple as a crisp white shirt, the jewellery retains its own character and presence, allowing the wearer to move between the two worlds without the piece feeling out of place.
AR: Colour is central to the collection, creating a bridge between the chromatic language of our couture and the world of fine gemology. We approached the palette with the same instinct we bring to textiles, layering, contrasting and balancing tones rather than treating gemstones as isolated accents.
In the ‘Inter-Vana’ necklace, this comes through in the arrangement of multi-coloured sapphires, which move through subtle gradients of tone to create a fluid rhythm along the collarbone. The shifting hues catch the light differently with each movement, giving the piece a sense of depth and dimension. The same approach extends across the collection. ‘Tarangini’ necklace brings together colourful amethysts and beer quartz, while ‘Maristella’ features multi-coloured tourmalines. Cool blues and softer tones are set against unexpected flashes of vivid pink, blue and canary yellow, creating contrast without losing harmony. For us, colour allows fine jewellery to move beyond a single idea of preciousness. It brings a sense of modernity and joy to exceptional gemstones, while giving each piece a distinctly expressive character.
AR: From a technique perspective, the collection draws on intricate stone-setting disciplines to achieve the interplay of light, texture and dimension we wanted. Rose-cut diamonds are particularly important to the collection, chosen for their vintage character and distinctive way of catching light. We also worked extensively with carved tourmalines and multi-sapphire stone, using variations in scale, placement and setting to create a sense of depth that echoes the layered surface ornamentation of our couture.
The motifs draw directly from forms that have long appeared within our textile vocabulary. The ‘Badari’ necklace reimagines the wild berry forms, while the ‘Amra-Mala’ is a fresh take on the familiar mango form. That same attention to detail extends beyond necklaces into statement brooches, including pieces developed in dialogue with the large-scale tulip installation created for our India Couture Week runway. We wanted the jewellery and the larger visual world of the show to feel connected, so elements that appeared at the scale of the set could also be distilled into the smallest details. It was about creating continuity across the entire visual language, from the architecture of the runway to the jewellery worn upon it.
The modern Indian bride’s relationship with jewellery has undergone a quiet revolution. We have moved far beyond the era where wedding jewellery was viewed purely as a static vault investment, designed to be worn once, photographed, and locked away. Today’s bride views her bridal wardrobe through the lens of longevity, personal identity, and versatile luxury. She isn't buying for a single day; she is building a personal archive of heirlooms that can and should live far beyond the wedding mandap. There is a distinct shift toward pieces that can be deconstructed, restyled, or worn effortlessly in global contexts. A bride wants to style her statement necklace with an heirloom saree for her reception, but then layer its key components with a tailored tuxedo jacket or a silk slip dress for a gala five years down the line. This desire for extended wearability has opened the door to incredible experimentation.
Brides are no longer bound by traditional monotone gold or all-diamond palettes. They are embracing rich, unconventional color, seeking out multi-colored sapphires, unexpected tourmalines, and rose-cut diamonds that feel artistic rather than formulas. They are drawn to fluid, asymmetric silhouettes and reinterpreted heritage motifs that reflect their own global lifestyle: rooted in deep Indian tradition, but inherently modern, expressive, and unboxed.
AR: The vision has always extended far beyond bridal. Our aim was never to create pieces exclusively for a wedding day, but to craft expressive fine jewellery that anyone can invite into their permanent collection, whether they are a modern bride, a collector, or someone buying their first major heirloom. That mindset naturally aligns with how younger buyers view luxury today. They no longer measure value solely by heavy monotone gold or conventional diamonds, they look for individuality, emotional resonance, and versatility. In fact, the vast majority of our pieces are anchored in the soft, vintage luminosity of rose-cut diamonds paired with a rich spectrum of coloured gemstones, with only a select few embracing warm gold metalwork.
This contemporary energy fits effortlessly into both bridal trousseau and everyday elevated wardrobes, making them feel like personal, artistic treasures meant to be worn, styled, and lived in for a lifetime.
AR: To us, true modernity comes down to lightness, ease, and freedom of movement. High-end luxury should never demand physical sacrifice. That conviction has always dictated how we build our garments, and it is the exact principle we brought to this line. In our atelier, we have continuously engineered heavy, complex, and deeply detailed couture silhouettes so that they sit weightlessly on the body. We firmly believe that grandeur does not have to mean uncomfortable. We applied that exact same ideology to the jewellery. A piece feels contemporary when it respects the wearer’s body. Our necklaces and statement creations are engineered to eliminate unnecessary bulk, carrying an unexpected weightlessness despite their visual complexity.
When jewellery moves fluidly, rests without tension on the collarbone, and lets you move effortlessly through an evening without feeling weighed down, that is when it transitions from a static treasure into a modern heirloom.
AR: We have always deeply embraced Indian heritage; it is woven into the very DNA of our house. However, our approach is never about taking a traditional motif and forcing a literal reinterpretation onto it. We looked at classical symbols and gave them a fresh visual context. We reinterpreted the Guttapusalu, a beloved South Indian heritage design, translating its traditional bunched pearl fringe into our fluid, botanical layout to mimic the gentle gathering of textile trims. Similarly, we revisited the tiger claw, historically worn as a protective talisman. By softening its silhouette with delicate bows and a spectrum of coloured gemstones in pieces like ‘Lioraé’ and ‘Lumina’ gold-chain necklaces, we transformed an imposing heritage motif into something romantic and nostalgic.
We allow ourselves to draw inspiration from its essence, distilling its soul and translating its expression into a modern visual language. You can see this philosophy across the line. We are fascinated by forms like the Haathphool (hand harness), through pieces like ‘Lyra’, which carry incredible architectural presence and history. Drawing inspiration from their sweeping lines, our goal is to strip away their rigid, heavy structures and re-engineer them into weightless, fluid pieces of jewelled body art, creations that feel deeply rooted in Indian culture, yet effortlessly natural on a global stage.
AR: When designing a jewellery trousseau from scratch, the goal isn't to accumulate repetitive, heavy bridal sets, but to build a living archive of heirlooms that carry deep personal meaning and quiet nostalgia.
A modern trousseau should act as an emotional bridge across generations, anchored by five distinct, essential creations:
First is a high-impact anchor like the ‘Azaria’ necklace, designed for extravagant events where fluid, multi-layered presence is key, yet engineered so weightlessly that it moves with the body rather than weighing it down.
Alongside it, versatile creations like the ‘Celeste’ earrings offer an effortless, all-occasion elegance, dramatic enough to command a look, yet balanced so seamlessly that they pair with a crisp silk shirt or an evening gown long after the wedding festivities.
For the wrist, an articulated piece like the ‘Solenne’ bangle introduces sculptural grace, offering a modern edge while holding its own as a standalone signature.
To anchor the collection in sentiment, the fourth essential is a deeply personal heirloom ring passed down from a mother or grandmother, to carry family heritage right into the bride's new chapter.
Finally, a versatile statement brooch completes the capsule. The beauty of a brooch lies in its remarkable fluidity, it can be pinned onto a bridal veil or styled over a tailored lapel or on a safa, proving that true fine jewellery is meant to transcend gender, be lived in, and pass through time.