Big, Bling And Beautiful

For more than a decade, scholarship-winning Math student Garema Nagpal has been in love with luxurious polki sets and glittering diamond jewellery, which she carefully crafted into nonchalant pieces. But her heart was always in making bling affordable, wearable and, above all, comfortable. So she took on the task of launching an umbrella label called Futurology, which currently imports costume jewellery from Fabira, Italy, with more such labels likely to be roped in. The ornate semiprecious, stone-studded pieces made out of resin, brass and steel make a statement with their vivacity and sheer size. Yes, big is beautiful now. And this is just the beginning of the journey Nagpal hopes to undertake. In the pipeline is her own store, which will house many such intriguing labels. The idea is to offer Indian women a wider choice in what they can wear to work without feeling constricted by the colour or weight. “I wanted to cater to not just stylish women who understand the changing dynamics of fashion,” she says, “but to those who were tired of diamonds and wanted a showstopper neckpiece, bracelet or earrings—lightweight, fuss-free, yet impactful.”

The straight lines and crisp look executed in white gold, silver and black—three non-conflicting colours that can complement almost any outfit—made these sparklers endearing. But what really worked in Nagpal’s favour is couture pieces at prêt pricing. She kept the prices Bejewelled CREDIT PHOTO CREDIT PHOTO 60 July 2014 between `5,000 and `20,000, and the stones, too, are carefully chosen—mostly green, nude or monochromes so they don’t conflict with your ensembles. “Leather is quite big now, so we have incorporated it in tassels along with gold mesh to give it a striking appearance in our neckpieces,” says Nagpal. You may spot little gold butterflies floating in acrylic neckpieces, which are separates, so you have the freedom to mix and match. And you can pick these beauties up from Ogaan in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

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Interestingly, beneath the warm exterior, you will find a woman who has had a challenging life, battling slip discs and a tearing move from Kansas, USA, when she got married in Delhi and began a new life. Thankfully, her supportive husband, who earlier worked for General Electric, has been her anchor and told her to do whatever really excited her.

Nagpal will admit to you that she is a chef who wears many hats and quite enjoys it. She has trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu; has started a global gifting website called www.sayyoucare. com; at one time was so obsessed with fitness she thought she would eventually become a trainer; and has done a professional makeup course with Vidya Tikari. But her focus shifted when she discovered the joys of making hand-cut jewellery pieces. “I’marestless spirit, I need to learn something new every day, so I have enrolled for spinning classes,” she says. “I also want to write a book and I have already thought of the title. It will be something like this—What I should have known as a girl but realised only when I became a woman—advice for girls on what to expect from life,” she giggles. “Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but you have to go along to discover its myriad facets. If I had a book like that, maybe I would have turned out a different person.”

“Leather is quite big now, so we have incorporated it in tassels along with gold mesh to give it a striking appearance in our neckpieces.”

CREDIT PHOTO July 2014 61