Celebrity jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali just turned 40. Designer to Bollywood’s best and society A-listers, the sister of Sussanne ‘Hrithik’ Roshan and wife of DJ Aqeel spoke to t2 about how she became a designer and why time is the only luxury she doesn’t have!

Have you always been a jewellery person?

No, I was more an artistic person. My foray into jewellery was purely by chance. A friend of mine was going to America to do a course in gemology. I had graduated and I tried interior design, ad filmmaking, television and serials. And I did not know what I really wanted to do. I needed an excuse to go along with her. So I told my dad that I wanted to go and study gemology, not having a clue about what it was. And not even imagining that it would be so tough!

Sussanne K. Roshan, Farah Khan Ali and Genelia D’Souza at a jewellery show

The first day I went to school, I was in shock because gemology entails the study of physical properties of gemstones and minerals. I ended up studying every day of my life. But it helped because I eventually topped my class in 1992. Then I went back to Gemology Institute at the end of 1992 to do a jewellery design course. Then I came back to India and started an apprenticeship under Nirmal Dwivedi of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri for a year and then I started out on my own through word of mouth.

In those days, there was nobody who was a jewellery designer in Bollywood from a film family. I got a lot of interested people who wanted to know what I was all about because jewellery is something that you only do when you are in a family of jewellers. So, the speculation about me being from Bollywood brought a lot of clientele to my door.

Any idols?

My first inspiration was my professor at GI, Robert Ahrens. Then once I got into the trade, it was the late Ambaji Shinde. He had worked for Harry Winston and created those masterpieces that Elizabeth Taylor used to wear. He would be my greatest inspiration because even his sketches were so lifelike.

After 17 years in the profession, do you remember your first design?

It was something that I designed for my sister: a peridot and diamond necklace. Even today when she wears it, people compliment her because the design is very classic.

Your design aesthetic…

Essentially, my design aesthetic is classic. I believe jewellery is an investment that people make and want to pass down through the generations. It becomes more important than just the diamond, gold and stone value. I do try a bit of pret jewellery, but a larger portion of my jewellery is couture, made-to-order and something that remains timeless.

Your brand Farah Khan is only six years old…

When I started, design was more important than marketing. I ended up doing the label because a lot of clients approached me. They needed to connect with me.

Earlier, I had a little office in my mother’s showroom, Tradition. Now, I have an office in Andheri and a factory with 300 workers. Everything is manufactured in-house.

You say that it is important that a design should please you before the client…

If you are not happy, you cannot make anyone else happy. For me, it is important that I love the piece so that I sell it with as much passion as with which I had created it. Sometimes I feel very sad selling my jewellery! Sometimes the pieces turn out so beautiful that for me they are pieces of art that I am letting go of, inspired by certain moments in my life. Sometimes I don’t even sell the jewellery if I don’t like the client! It is not about the money. The person who is buying it has to appreciate it as much as I do.

What do you think has inspired you the most?

I think it is nature. I am fascinated by the creations of god, be it animals or flowers. If you see my jewellery, it has a life of its own. I hate doing dead pieces. I use good stones that have lustre and movement. When I design, I actually feel like god. I am taking something from nature and giving a three-dimensional feel to it.

What are your plans with your label?

I am franchising in Delhi and Mumbai. I am looking for my flagship store this year. And I am working on a new collection.

You are also a busy mom…

My life is in fast-forward mode. I don’t know how I manage! I am hoping to slow down a bit. Being a mother, a full-time working-woman and a wife to a husband who travels all the time, it is very tough. Aqeel and I make time for each other by taking off for holidays by ourselves. I devote my Saturdays and Sundays to my kids. My son Azaan is going to be eight in May and my daughter Fizaa just turned five.