After creating a dazzling masterpiece featuring 7,801 diamonds that etched his name in Guinness World Record, Indian jeweller Kotti Srikanth, the owner of The Diamond Store by Chandubhai, has been fondly called the ‘Lord of the Ring’.
When one sees the ring in person, it looks difficult to resist trying it on. Named as ‘The Divine - 7801 Brahma Vajra Kamalam’, the ring is created with such precision and finesse that it’s difficult to pull your eyes away.
In an interview, Kotti shares with Sputnik the story behind the creation of the stunning masterpiece and his aim to offer high-quality artistic jewellery pieces made with passion and precision.
Sputnik: What inspired you to make a ring, which entered the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most diamonds?
Kotti Srikanth: My vision was to create an exquisite ring with a flower as an inspiration. A big flower not only enhances the finger, but also the hand.
As I went into the details of designing the ring, I wanted to explore the possibility of fitting the maximum number of diamonds on one ring to make it look the most glamorous and ensure that it shines when looked at from all angles.
This led to the highest number of diamonds, which paved the way for the Guinness World Record.
Sputnik: What is the reason behind naming your ring - ‘The Divine - 7801 Brahma Vajra Kamalam’?
Kotti Srikanth: The name of the ring is inspired by the Brahma Kamalam, a rare flower found in the Himalayas. The word 'diamond' is 'vajra' in the Sanskrit and Telugu languages. The flower was chosen as the design of The Divine Ring as it is a common offering for worship in the most natural and purest form.
Sputnik: How are you planning to sell it and how much will it cost?
Kotti Srikanth: We will be doing an auction online for which the registration has already begun. The registered bidders will be part of the real-time auction that will occur live, from 13 till 22 November. People can register on the website www.thedivine7801.com. The reserve price for the bidders has been kept at $104,690 approx. (INR 78,01,000).
Sputnik: When did you start working on this masterpiece?
Kotti Srikanth: The ring was conceptualised in September 2018 and it took about 11 months of dedicated artistic effort and craftsmanship to complete. All the diamonds used in this ring are certified conflict-free natural diamonds. The ring has a total of six layers with many petals on it.
Sputnik: What was your biggest challenge while creating it?
Kotti Srikanth: I’ve been in this trade for a long time now. Having firsthand experience and a passion for creating artistic jewellery pieces, this was not a very tough ordeal. However, two challenging situations were -- planning the maximum number of diamonds in a beautiful way, and the uniform procurement of conflict-free natural diamonds of the same variety that would come out from the same lot of rough diamonds.
Sputnik: How is Indian jewellery different from jewellery that's made in other countries?
Kotti Srikanth: The tradition of jewellery in India has always been rich, unique and glamorous which has been passed on through generations. India’s jewellery market should be close to a $5 trillion industry and the art of jewellery making doesn’t vary with designs, but with concepts.
Even the common jewellery created here may appear as a complex piece of art in other countries. My focus has always been on bringing differentiation compared to what is existing in the market. This has enabled me to add value to my pieces and make them stand apart.
Sputnik: How has the jewellery business been affected due to the pandemic, especially around the festival and wedding season?
Kotti Srikanth: The way people shop has changed over the last few years. People have become wiser and started buying more jewellery than ever before. The reason is that due to the limitations on the number of guests in the marriage ceremony and events due to the pandemic, a lot of money is being saved and people are using that it to buy more jewellery.
