From Madonna, Rihanna and Beyoncé to Cher, Oprah Winfrey, Scarlett Johansson and Miley Cyrus, some of Hollywood’s biggest names swear by the collection of this internationally-acclaimed jewellery designer. HELLO! catches up with the artiste for a quick, candid conversation.
HELLO!: Pop icon Madonna wore your cross pendant for her 63rd birthday. Your thoughts on this. Absolute exhilaration.
HS: “It was a dream come true. To reach the pinnacle of pop and fashion perfection means the world to me. Madonna is everything and more and has shaped culture.”
HELLO!: You are every Hollywood star’s go-to designer. What makes your designs so sought after?
HS: “I’m not sure about that. But yes, I have had the privilege of having many top artistes wear my designs.”
HELLO!: Your most memorable celebrity interaction and why.
HS: “It was with Madonna because she is of another level and radiated such charisma.”
HELLO!: What role do the spiritual elements of Maya, Lila and Puja play in your designs?
HS: “I am influenced by all three, in every piece I make.”
HELLO!: The stones you love to play around with.
HS: “Where do I begin! The entire gamut.”
HELLO!: What do you do when not designing jewellery?
HS: “Homes, gardens, music, books, dogs, mountains and letting the mind wander.”
HELLO!: A role model you grew up admiring for their jewellery collection and sense of style.
HS: “I have had many role models, but both my grandmothers were very informative and influential in my development. The greatest jewellery collection of all, I would say, would be Barbara Hutton’s. It was truly magnificent.”
HELLO!: Your earliest design influences.
HS: “I’m self-taught. My influences were, and continue to be, the great 1920s and 30s—the greatest era of design ever.”
HELLO!: If you were not a jewellery designer, what would you be?
HS: “I love spaces, gardens and music. So anything in any of those fields.”
HELLO!: The Bollywood star who carries off your designs best.
HS: “Kareena Kapoor Khan. She has her own style and panache and marches to her own drumbeat. She is exceptionally good to deal with. A class act.”
HELLO!: The critic whose opinion matters to you the most.
HS: “My mother.”
HELLO!: Tell us about the impact of Mughal, Rajput and European influences on your work.
HS: “My work is a cocktail of many ideas and eras, of thoughts and passions, of movement and flow. Like a magpie, I assimilate it all.”
HELLO!: The positives of hailing from a royal family.
HS: “Good manners!”
HELLO!: If you could raid one jeweller’s collection, who would that be and why?
HS: “Caroline Monaco, the Princess of Hanover, Diane von Furstenberg and Lily Safra. They have exquisite and amazing collections.”
HELLO!: Your favourite nook in your home when you want to take a break.
HS: “That would be my bedroom, my sanctuary.”
HELLO!: Your most prized possession?
HS: “My relationships and my dogs. Can one call them possessions? I think not, but you get my drift.”
HELLO!: On being a low-profile jeweller with the most high-profile list of clients.
HS: “It’s who I am. I can’t change that.”
HELLO!: Who do you design for? Your perfect muse, who is not famous.
HS: “I design for myself, for what catches my fancy, for what fuels me...”
This story has been adapted for the website from a story that was originally published in HELLO! India’s October 2021 issue. Get your hands on the latest issue right here!
