B
orn in Dubai, of Indian descent, Karina Choudhrie’s love for jewelry began at an early age. From the age of 6 she began spending hours of her weekends with an inspiring teacher learning to draw and paint, and by the age of 15, she knew she wanted to become a gemologist. At the age of 18, she made the bold decision to move from Dubai to California to embark on a 4 year program in Gemology, Business and Marketing at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), enhancing her studies with courses in stone setting, casting, wax modelling and gouache painting. Soon after graduation, Karina accepted a job with a private, Beverly Hills jeweler that specialized in colored diamonds in classic settings, allowing her to hone her already impressive acumen more fully.
The new challenges and opportunities she faced after her move to London with her husband in 2010 inspired Karina to take more risks, and her work began to reveal a more authentic expression of her individual creativity.
Image courtesy of Karina Choudhrie
Upon her return to Dubai, Karina quickly made a name for herself as a private jeweler to some of the most discerning collectors in the world. While she had never lived in India, she attributes her heritage with instilling in her a profound appreciation for the artform, as well as her keen eye for exquisite gemstones and impeccable craftsmanship.
Image courtesy of Karina Choudhrie
Her uncompromising dedication to only utilizing materials of the highest quality, coupled with her ever-expanding expertise, made her the go-to jeweler for bespoke commissions and redesign projects. These appointments allowed Karina to travel the world, where she continued to strengthen her practical skills, spending time at the bench and training with experienced master goldsmiths.
Image courtesy of Karina Choudhrie
The new challenges and opportunities she faced after her move to London with her husband in 2010 inspired Karina to take more risks, and her work began to reveal a more authentic expression of her individual creativity. The 2018 launch of her first High Jewelry Collection, Under the Sea, is the culmination of years of developing the full scope of her imagination, of sketching and painting and sourcing gemstones.
Image courtesy of Karina Choudhrie
Inspired by her own experiences as a deep-sea swimmer, the idea for Under the Sea was born after diving in the ocean off Mauritius. The collection captures the ethereal beauty that lies within the depths of the ocean, as well as childhood memories of diving with her father and her brother and the visceral responses that underwater world has always evoked in Karina.
Image courtesy of Karina Choudhrie
Karina’s obsession with color is evident throughout her collections. She hand-selects each of the gemstones with which she works, seeking out unexpected stones and color combinations and often opting to source rough from which she creates proprietary cuts. Her passion for highlighting the beauty in imperfections is illustrative of her devotion to nature, and her avant-garde view of what constitutes value showcases her understanding of the sensibilities of contemporary collectors. And with the introduction of the Icon and Vitamin Pink collections, Karina offers modern tastemakers the ability to express their own individuality through her work.
Image courtesy of Karina Choudhrie
Image courtesy of Karina Choudhrie
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