Market advantages, Mughal gold

Sonar Jewellery launches ‘Mughal Collection’ at L’atelier.

ISLAMABAD:

The hike in gold prices may mean bad news for some, but for the high-end luxury market it can only mean one thing: higher returns. The demand — so close to wedding season — remains unwavering despite spikes in prices, especially for formal sets. Consequently, a red carpet event at L’atelier for Sonar Jewels’ ‘Mughal Collection’ by Syma Raza and Hamna Amir proved to be a success with orders coming in like wildfire.

The collection boasts two key strengths: a well-articulated revival of the Mughal era’s opulence coupled with pieces for both women and men (always a rarity as few jewellery brands cater to men today).

Model Ali Murtaza, sporting a gleaming white item and brooch says, “It’s a Mughal theme so it’s what the emperors wore. The designs are mostly for grooms and they’re very decent, not cheap.” It’s the sort of design a lot of guys, including Murtaza, would opt to wear on their weddings.

“We introduced Sonar last year,” says Zahra Raza, CEO L’atelier and Sonar brand representative. “They started out small and made it big in three months; the clients are in awe,” she adds.

Raza, wearing kundan earrings by Sonar set in traditional, precious stones — the look combines the best of the past and present — explains that despite gold’s recent “expensiveness”, the demand for gold-plated costume jewellery remains strong. “These kind of earrings are very contemporary. You can wear these with practically anything.” Given the reasonable prices — ranging from Rs2,500 (individual pieces) to 36,000 (sets), one can assume business is doing well.

Still, there are concerns, as with a lot of gold-plated costume jewelry, that the sets may come off too “heavy,” as guest Kiran Khan, 26, points out. “However, the earrings are very nice,” she adds. One can see that it’s the strength of the collection’s theme that carries it further.

While the models posed and preened for the media storm at the red carpet outside, we caught up with a busy Hamna Amir who seemed quite pleased with the turnout.

Background

Amir explains that Sonar started three years ago as a joint venture, handling orders from Pakistan to the UAE and beyond. The jewellery is gold-plated, 24 karat, set in precious and semi-precious stones imported from the US. What really sets the standard is all Sonar jewellery is a hundred per cent handmade; no machines, no assembly line manufacture. “It’s affordable and for all age-groups,” she adds.

‘Mughal Collection’

“We were really inspired by Princess Jodha and especially  loved the rings and malars, jewellery from the era. We thought we should do a revival — everyone loves revivals and they work well, especially for jewellery. We’ve done menswear too: malars, brooches, cufflinks and buttons for sherwanis.”

Future plans and the advantages of gold

“At the moment we’re looking to expand the business with more lines and products. Gold is a big advantage for us right now. It’s getting expensive but the luxury market continues to buy the products, which is great for us. Ultimately, when it comes to jewellery, people want to buy quality designs and are willing to spend,” Amir says.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2011.