

In the world of high jewelry, Couture is more than a tradeshow it’s a gathering of artistry, intention, and community As the only show ArunAshi participates in each year, it holds deep meaning for us. It’s where months of creativity, experimentation, and craftsmanship are unveiled and met with dialogue, appreciation, and critique.
This year, we explored a return to tradition leaning into yellow gold, a timeless material reimagined through our signature, boundary-pushing lens In an industry where alternative materials have become the norm, embracing the classic felt like its own quiet act of rebellion The response was powerful
But beyond the jewelry, what made this year’s show especially meaningful were the conversations with friends old and new about design, purpose, branding, and creating with soul I return to the atelier renewed: excited by new collaborations, grounded by deepened relationships, and inspired to keep pushing the limits of what jewelry can express. N O T E S F R O M A D R E A M E R
Fatherhood is the most meaningful creation of my life more lasting than any piece I’ve ever designed
It’s changed how I see time, not as hours but as moments, stories, values passed on.
As a designer, I feel that same pull toward legacy. I work with techniques that have been in my family for generations, but I’m always pushing boundaries, evolving tradition rather than preserving it in amber. Heritage is my foundation, but not my limit.
My sons are my past and my future through them, I see the purpose of what I build: to honor where I come from, and to shape what’s next
Creative Director
Not all reds play by the same rules Rubellite tourmaline doesn’t blaze like ruby or flicker like garnet it simmers A hue suspended between magenta and crimson, it responds to its surroundings and its wearer, making it less a fixed color and more a state of being. Ancient collectors once mistook it for royal ruby, but rubellite never needed a borrowed name to hold power. It is the color of passion remembered, of secrets kept, of dusk when the world slips into something more mysterious.
Arun doesn’t choose gemstones for beauty alone He is drawn to those with attitude, contradictions, a pulse beneath the surface Rubellite tourmaline refuses to sit still it challenges the frame, demands attention without asking For Arun, this unruly elegance becomes a medium for expression He lets the stone lead, pairing it with materials that amplify its tension: the cool edge of titanium, the unexpected softness of brushed gold. Each contrast is intentional, never ornamental.
There is no taming a rubellite It must be worn boldly or not at all It calls to those who walk offscript, who trust instinct over approval Within Arunashi, rubellite isn’t decoration it is declaration Quietly potent Always in motion Always just beyond the expected
Rubellite tourmaline is a red that remembers Neither ruby nor garnet, it flickers between magenta and crimson, carrying a history of emotion, myth, and transformation In ancient Persia, it was thought to hold fire from the earth’s core; in Mughal India, it was mistaken for royal ruby and revered as a stone of power and devotion. Across cultures, rubellite has been tied to the heart its longing, its courage, its wild and quiet strength.
It is not a gemstone for symmetry or ease It hums with contradiction soft yet bold, volatile yet poised Set within a frame of restraint, its color pushes outward, resisting control The structure is intentional, but the gemstone leads
To wear rubellite is to choose depth over clarity, tension over polish. It is a whisper of rebellion an ember caught in stillness. Beauty here is not ornamental it is emotional, elemental, and defiantly alive.
Diamond is a study in contradiction born under immense pressure, yet emerging with perfect clarity It is both ancient and elemental, formed over billions of years yet still capable of stopping time in a single flash of light Long revered as a symbol of strength and permanence, diamond carries the memory of Earth’s deepest fires. It reflects not just brilliance, but resilience a quiet reminder that beauty often begins in the crucible.
Throughout history, diamonds have signified power, protection, and unbreakable bonds Worn by queens, carried by warriors, traded between empires they are more than adornment They are relics of belief Yet their power lies not just in their past, but in their ability to constantly evolve The stone does not change, but its meaning does with each new hand, each new setting, each vision that dares to reshape it.
In this context, the diamond becomes more than a gemstone. It is a spark an idea caught in form It holds tension and potential That is why Arun chooses it Not for tradition, but for the challenge it presents He reframes the diamond’s legacy suspending it, slicing it, defying the expected because what is eternal should never feel static It should always provoke, illuminate, ignite
Lightning has always been more than weather it is omen, upheaval, revelation In mythology, it is the chosen weapon of gods: Zeus hurls it as judgment, Thor wields it to protect, Indra casts it to awaken It is the fire that sears through illusion, the moment when the sky fractures and truth is laid bare. Ancient cultures feared it, revered it, and wore it as symbol of divine connection, of power summoned from beyond
Art, too, has chased its force Turner’s tempestuous skies captured its sudden violence; Futurist forms echoed its speed and directional thrust. In ritual objects and sacred shields, lightning was often inscribed not as chaos, but as clarity jagged lines marking the place where the human meets the celestial
This piece draws from that lineage It is not decoration. It is invocation. To wear it is to court disruption, to carry the voltage of myth, to stand calmly at the center of the storm.
Pink sapphire is a study in contrast a hue that speaks softly yet lingers with unmistakable presence. Found in the rich mineral folds of Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Myanmar, it is forged by time but feels curiously present, almost modern Its color walks a tightrope between innocence and intensity, like a half-formed thought or an emotion not yet spoken aloud Across cultures, pink has been associated with devotion, vulnerability, and spiritual renewal yet within sapphire, it gains an unexpected edge, a resilience born from within.
Historically, sapphires have symbolized truth and wisdom, but the pink variety veers off the expected path. In ancient lore, it was believed to hold the power of the heart emotional clarity paired with quiet resolve Unlike its blue counterpart, pink sapphire doesn’t declare authority It invites it It glows rather than gleams, drawing the eye not with command, but with intimacy
That duality is what draws Arun to pink sapphire. It does not fit into a single story it is the story. A gemstone that balances strength with tenderness, clarity with dream. In his hands, it becomes a provocation set in tension, often against stark or unexpected forms, allowing it to pulse with emotion rather than dazzle with excess It’s not spectacle it’s substance, disguised in a whisper of color
Echoing centuries of art, history, and symbolism, this piece draws from the delicate allure of Depression Glass and the rich romance of Cranberry Glass materials once made accessible, now rare and revered. Pink, once seen as fragile, here becomes a color of strength, echoing both American gemstone lore and Roman legend, where gold and flame birthed ruby-red glass The swirling structure evokes the Messier 81 galaxy, a celestial marvel dubbed “Pretty in Pink,” where stars bloom in radiant spirals across a cosmic canvas. Like galaxies and gardens, the hues mirror life’s many stages fiery youth, enduring love, quiet grace
Mythologically, the pink tones align with the divine feminine, echoed in Shakespeare’s reverence for the rose, and the symbolic power of rhododendrons and hydrangeas emblems of desire, sincerity, and the sacred emotional realm This is not simply ornamentation, but an homage to the eternal tension between tenderness and fire, earth and cosmos, myth and material.