Zaavorr, a modern jewellery brand launched its website in August 2021, after almost two years of ideation and design. It is founded by Vanraj Zaveri, a fifth-generation jeweller, hailing from the well-known family of jewellers, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri & Sons. Zaveri has also completed his education at Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California, and launched Vanraj Zaveri Fine Jewels.
His newest venture, ‘Zaavorr’ is a combination of the last name of the founder, and the word ‘ore’, a synonym for gold. It also celebrates the ideology of the brand, which was always to hero gold. When Vanraj Zaveri first came up with the idea of Zaavorr in 2019, the brand was meant to be heavier on gold, different to the brand as we know it as today. However, the pandemic changed things; it made Zaveri reposition the brand to focus on wearable fun jewellery that is more design-forward, and inspired by nature. Of his decision the founder says, “I felt like gold had taken a backseat to diamonds, so I wanted to bring it back to the limelight.” Zaavorr does use diamonds and other semi-precious stones to add a bit of oomph and sparkle, but the attention is all on the 18-karat hallmarked gold.
Though the designs were ready in 2020, the team felt like it was not the right time to launch a brand when India was gripped by the effects of Covid-19. Waiting for the right time, Zaveri launched the first Aphelion collection on their e-commerce portal in August 2021.
Reaching for the stars
In astronomy, Aphelion signifies the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is most distant from the sun. The moon and stars inspired collection came about when the founder took a late night flight into Bombay, and was starstruck by the expanse of the full moon night outside his window. To achieve the textures necessary for the collection, Zaveri used the special method of cuttlefish bone carving. The bone is a chalk-like material and has a thin, hard surface on one side and a soft crust on the other, making it ideal for direct casting. Zaveri explains how the process took him many tries to perfect, as the material is delicate and prone to breakage. He wanted to get deep into the surface of the bone, where the natural grain and texture of the material would contribute to the cosmic jewellery pieces. As the method is traditionally used for larger, silver pieces, and not gold, it took the Zaavorr team time to get the casting process right. Conscious of the sustainability angle, Zaveri, an underwater conservationist, used cuttlebone that was fishmongers’ waste.
The result of this complicated process is jewellery that is naturally textured to resemble craters, the uneven surface of the moon, matching the vision of the designer.
Aphelion encompasses multi-layer necklaces, rings and midi rings, earrings, hand and body harnesses. The delicate body harness features rose-cut quartz, an aquamarine fringe and tiny stars and a half moon in textured gold. The Galaxy earrings are designed to transition from a casual day look to a night look, with a detachable fringe that one can tack on to any pair of studs to make a look dressier. This writer’s personal favourite is the Scintillation ring pictured below, for which Zaveri cites shooting stars as the inspiration. Replicated in blue aquamarine stones and interspersed with round diamonds, the piece is constantly in motion with every movement of the wearer.
On trends in the jewellery industry, Zaveri says multiple ear piercings on young women is taking off. The modern Indian woman is also embracing semi-precious stones more than ever before, breaking away from the traditional emeralds and rubies. “They want their jewellery to be light, they want to have fun and be comfortable with the pieces they wear,” says Zaveri.
Building on the trend of fun jewellery, Zaavorr was established. Zaveri admits that the brand is untraditional, not everyone will absolutely love it, but he is okay with that. “We want our pieces to go to a personality that would be attracted to having something different, which is why we took a more design-led approach,” says the jeweller. Zaavorr is also competitively priced, starting from Rs.6000; the average price of a product is about 35,000. The pieces are made-to-order, cutting dead stock, and are delivered directly to the customer.
Path to the stars
“For me the hardest part of launching this brand was breaking away from the mould of the family business,” says Zaveri candidly. Laughingly he admits the website was one angle of the business which stumped him. “It was a completely alien process to me but I thoroughly enjoyed it,” says the entrepreneur. The most important piece of advice Zaveri would give jewellers is “do something different, focus on your strengths, believe in your product and everything else will follow.”
In the works
Zaavorr is working on soon-to-be-launched menswear collection consisting of bracelets and trinkets for the dapper modern man. Simultaneously, the brand is also working on the next collection, which is of course, inspired by nature and organic forms.
With aspirations for an international reach, Zaveri wants to stick to the online market. The cosmic-inspired jewellery is available on their website.
