Harjinder Bawa and her daughter-in-law Cherry, the creative force behind Chand Begum Ke Jewels, work together but live separately! By Purabi Shridhar

LONG before independence the Bawa family of Peshawar had a successful jewellery business. Partition and relocation to Delhi saw the business die out. When Harjinder, who moved to Delhi from Peshawar as a child post-partition, married into the Bawa family, heard about it all, she decided to revive the legacy. And she did. Today, Chand Begum Ke Jewels is a name to reckon with in the Indian and international market for traditional, exclusive jewellery.

Daughter-in-law Cherry Bawa who shares the same passion for beautiful pieces of jewellery ably assists Harjinder.

Medicine To Metal
Having cleared her pre-medical exams, Harjinder entered Delhi Medical College. But it wasn’t meant to be. “Circumstances were such that we couldn’t afford medical studies, so I opted for BSc with zoology honours,” she remembers. Then came marriage and domesticity and one fine day, Chand Begum Ke Jewels. That was almost 23 years ago.

In the meanwhile Cherry, a hotel management graduate from the Pusa Institute, Delhi, came in as the new family member. “I always loved jewellery and I like pieces that are different. It was inevitable that I would join my mother-in-law,” she says.

Having revived the legend of Chand Begum Ke Jewels in the form of a boutique where minimum pieces are displayed and business is mostly by appointment, Harjinder has ensured the exclusivity of her creations by designing one-of-a-kind pieces.

And it has paid off with the clientele including the country’s who’s who and a growing market in Toronto, East Coast of the United States and Tokyo. The duo are very particular about doing ‘traditional‘ jewellery that are ‘heirloom’ pieces and shy away from modern, fusion designs.

Cherry, the designated creative head sums up the principle at work: “Jewellery, as they say, is all about feeling and connecting to your dreams. We strive to give the Indian women a vivid picture of their dreams through our jewellery.” The coloured stones are imported from places like the US, Brazil and Thailand.

No Tension
While Harjinder and Cherry are both involved with the creative aspects, their areas of expertise differ. As Harjinder says, “We are two different women with different feelings. She is into big pieces, I like making smaller, finer pieces.” Cherry agrees pointing out that it is their devotion to exclusive pieces that has earned them the special niche that they occupy.

Otherwise, “there are so many jewellers today and if we start selling the same pieces to all we won’t be occupying the position we are in. That is also one reason why we don’t go in for publicity. Most of our clients come by word of mouth.”

They also have, Cherry points out, plenty of NRI clients and for those from Tokyo they’ve gone in for little modifications to their designs without moving away from their forte of traditional, heirloom pieces. With designer Satya Paul recently using their pieces for his show in the Middle East, more markets are opening up for them. However, both women are wary of going in for fast expansion.

What is the secret of their successful pairing at work? “There is no tension because we live separately. We come to work and then go back to our respective homes,” laughs Harjinder. “Touch wood!” seconds Cherry.