Ambaji Shinde, the jewel behind the jewel

I recently read the book « Shinde Jewels” by Reema Keswani and would like to share with you my impressions. I didn’t know who Ambaji Shinde was and this book opened a whole new window on the Indian 5000 years old tradition of jewelry and above all on the personality of a great designer and man. Shinde (1917- 2003) was born in a poor family in India. He first studied textile design in Bombay, but the first job he could find was in a jewelry workshop. He started his career as a jewelry designer by accident and in a few years showed himself to be a very talented and hardworking designer. The Nanubhai Company that hired the young designer was dealing at the time with Harry Winston and Van Cleef & Arpels. That’s how Shinde met Harry Winston who invited him to work for his company fist in Geneva and then in New York. He created for HW some of the most beautiful jewelry the world has ever seen. He mastered his techniques creating pieces in which the precious stones look like they are floating in the air and the metal parts are invisible. The most amazing trait of his personality was his modesty. At Harry Winston, Mr. Shinde was referred to as the ''jewel behind the jewel''. No matter how famous he became, creating pieces worth millions of dollars, Shinde stayed a very humble person, who worked 7 days per week, living a very small apartment and taking the bus every day to go to work. New York Times consecrated him many articles praising his professionalism and personality, calling Ambaji Shinde “The man who romanced the stones” Here for you some of his creations