Why The Classical Art Of ‘Shringara’ And Natural Diamonds Are The Perfect Pairing

When you think of the phrase ‘statement jewellery’, it often feels like an organic sequitur. From the delicate, real diamond studs that belonged to your grandmother, to the gold bracelet that was your 21st birthday present. Jewellery, no matter how it’s worn is always a statement. There is an inherent creative energy to how jewellery, for the lovers of it, is styled and taken out into the world. And that’s never more true for a creative mind; an artist.

When it comes in particular to the artist, the artistic axiom of ‘Shringara’ comes to mind. Shringara, one of the nine rasas (emotions) of love, attraction or beauty, is an ancient Indian aesthetic rooted in Sanskrit literature and classical arts, symbolising adornment and beauty through traditional jewellery. Though ‘Solah Shringara’–the sixteen bridal ornaments of earrings, nose rings, necklaces, bangles, anklets, waistbands that each carry symbolic and spiritual meaning, tends to get the most spotlight, the deep link between the practice and the artist has stayed steadfast for centuries. Since time immemorial, dancers, musicians, and artists have used ornaments, most often with real diamonds, to embody grace, rhythm, and expressive devotion. It is the bridge between performance to divine and cultural traditions of embellishment.

Though ‘Shringara’ might be defined simply as ‘adornment’, but its philosophy runs far deeper. It leans into the ideas of self-love, beautification as a celebration and expression of the self–and it is inextricable from the artist. Natural diamonds, in particular, are at the heart of ‘shringara’ because the practice, especially for the musician, has emotional, sensual and spiritual roots. From the late sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar’s 5-carat real diamond ring, to rapper-producer Raftaar’s penchant for decked-out bling, the diamonds take many creative avatars, often because it is linked with being an ancient marker of success. But it has always found itself in the vocabulary of a creative soul’s sartorial language…

1. Rishab Rikhiram Sharma

For the New-York based fourth-generation sitarist, ‘shringara’ is a philosophy close to the heart. His 2024 piece ‘Shankara’ is an ode to it, as well as a homage to Lord Shiva. The song pays tribute to the legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar, played for the first time at Harvard University, as an effort to promote music for mental wellness.

Rikhiram Sharma’s relationship with natural diamonds is a profound one, mirroring his guru Ravi Shankar’s own belief that the natural diamond was a gemstone that holds naturality and power, a connection to the ethereal. With six natural diamond studs embedded in his teeth and two diamond studs in his ears, Rikhiram Sharma has endorsed his resonance with the Vedic astrological belief that diamonds are connected to chakras or the planet Venus (considered the planet of love, art and music). His diamond teeth, which he had put in last year, are a symbol of both that and of ‘shringara’.

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2. Lata Mangeshkar

Since she first started singing in 1942 at only age 13, the iconic Lata Mangeshkar was an undeniable tour de force. From then till her passing in 2022, she was a household name; a staple of the soundtrack to almost every mainstream Bollywood film in some way, big or small.

Diamonds were the beating heart of her journey as an artist, when she bought a custom-designed natural diamond and ruby ring with her very first professional earnings; a gift to herself to mark the moment. “I decided I’d only wear diamonds. With my first salary, I bought gold jewellery for my mother. For myself, I got a specially designed natural diamond and ruby ring, with my initials ‘LM’ on it. I still have that ring. It’s one of my most prized possessions.”

Mangeshkar was said to have had a fondness for diamonds from childhood, with her fascination beginning with the glimmering real diamonds worn by her father’s theatre troupe. Her affinity ran so deep, she even created her own collection with various diamond cuts in 2005, with each piece inspired by a significant moment in her life.

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3. Madhu Natraj

Director of the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography and founder of its performing wing STEM (Space. Time. Energy. Movement) Dance Kampni, the legendary Bangalore-based kathak dancer is one of the country’s superlative creative and experimental dancers. Her unique combination of traditional Kathak and contemporary dance training, folk and martial dances of India and yoga certification have made her a pioneer in the country’s choreography landscape.

The dancer has a relationship with jewellery that she says began “at the womb, with the sound of ghungroos”. Heirloom diamonds, particularly because of their irreplicability and uniqueness,  have been a part of her family history, handed down from her grandmother to her mother, and even generations before. One of her favourite stories is about her ‘ajja’ (grandfather), an architect commissioned to create the main Mysore Palace gate by the royal family, being gifted with an enormous diamond and emerald ring by the Maharaja, because he was so enamoured by his work. That ring was then transformed by her mother into three pairs of earrings for her daughters, with light green emeralds amid a cluster of diamonds in a classic, closed setting, a merging of Victorian and South Indian design ideologies; the piece closest to her heart.

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4. Karan Aujla

The diamond is inextricably linked to the more classic, traditional artist, but it is just as significant to contemporary musicians like rapper-songwriters–albeit worn in very different avatars. The Canada-based Punjabi musician’s hit singles have often placed on the UK Asian chart and Billboard Canada, with him often collaborating with artists like Bohemia, The Game, Divine and KR$NA.

The rapper believes natural diamonds are the signifiers of success in hip-hop, but also connect him to his family and roots. Apart from the famous 100-carat VVS DEF colour diamond natural pendant (valued at $100,000, or ₹2.4 crores approx) that was made special for his India tour, Aujla often invests in diamonds that he then turns into wardrobe staples. His 4-Carat real diamond studs captured a tonne of media attention at his ‘It Was All a Dream’ concert, and he often wears diamond-adorned Cuban chains and bracelets.

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Contemporary, traditional, rap, sitar, dance; the diamond runs in the artist’s veins. For some, it is interwoven with childhood memories, a tradition they were raised with. For others, it is the seal of how far they’ve come, a reminder to themselves that they’ve made it through to the other side of creative success. But whatever their relationship to the natural diamond may be, what is clear is that it is a beautiful one.