Akansha Sethi is a London based jewellery designer, who aspires to create modern heirlooms, which convey a narrative. Since starting her brand Akansha has participated in prestigious Jewellery shows in the UK and India. She has shared a platform with some of the finest jewellers in the world in a variety of publications ranging from Condenast Traveller to New York Times. With being recognised as one of the 50 most influential global Indian women by Vogue India and a finalist for most innovative design by the National Association of Jewellers (NAJUK) for her ingenious button cover design. Her unique jewels are available at exclusive boutiques in the World including Kabiri (London, Mayfair) and select Paul Smith stores in (London, Mayfair) and Los Angeles.
Surrounded by her parents burgeoning art collection exposed her to the world of art and design from an early age, ranging from jewellery, artefacts and paintings. Her parents’ passion for collecting art has manifested itself into a global business, which has required them to travel the world in search of ‘beautiful objects’. She has joined them on their journey throughout her childhood to the present day. Her interest in jewellery was sparked from visiting antique and exclusive art shows during her childhood. Akansha seeks inspiration from her travels and by studying art movements, which have shaped her understanding of design.
The jewellery collections are a tangible set of objects, which relate to a specific moment or experience in Akanshas’ life.
“I work on the designs in stages, initially studying my source of inspiration then drawing it from the impression it has left in my memory. I gradually add colours and forms to bring this memory to its physical form. This leads to the final design, which is carefully analysed to make sure it would be comfortable to wear, and also perfectly captures the most important aspects of the original source of inspiration.”
Every piece is hand crafted using specially carved precious stones combined with vibrant enamel work to convey the narrative behind each collection. Her way of working involves designing a collection then carefully sourcing the stones according to the colour palette, which she feels best expresses the design. This does require more time, but Akansha feels this works for her as colour is one of the focal points in each ‘AS’ creation.