Jewellery Women Want to Wear: Inside Indian Designer Renu Oberoi’s World

There are some jewellery designers you meet and instantly warm to, and Renu Oberoi is one of them. Having been in contact for many years, we finally met on my last trip to Mumbai, when I paid Renu a visit at her private, by-appointment-only showroom. She greeted me with a smile and many gorgeous one-of-a-kind jewels on display, giving a clue to her entire design philosophy of creating one-of-a-kind pieces, because each woman is unique.

Every Renu Oberoi creation feels personal, as if it has its own little story. “If I won’t wear it, I won’t sell it,” she said simply, a line that sums up her whole ethos. Everything begins with what she genuinely loves and would wear herself, and that sincerity flows naturally into her designs.  

Origin Story: A Journey that Began at Home

Renu’s relationship with jewellery started long before she ever considered it as a career option. Growing up, she was surrounded by her mother’s impeccable taste. She was the kind of woman who knew her way around gemstones and had an eye for rare, beautifully made pieces. “I was exposed to thoughtfully designed, beautifully crafted pieces from a young age,” Renu recalled. “Fashion, jewellery and art were simply part of my everyday life.” This environment helped shape her good taste and natural eye for beauty, giving her confidence in her sense of style from an early age.

The real turning point, however, arrived after Renu got married. Like many Indian brides, she received a generous trousseau from her new family. Though rich in sentiment, the pieces did not reflect her personal style. Encouraged by her mother-in-law, she reimagined the jewellery entirely, melting it down and recreating it in her own design language, a moment that became the foundation of her creative journey.

Family and friends were the first to take notice. Living in a joint family, she would come downstairs wearing a necklace or pair of earrings, and someone would immediately ask, “Who made that?” Word spread quickly, and encouraged by the growing interest around her, she held her first private exhibition in 2002. “My father very generously funded me to make 99 pieces,” she told me. She remembers the show vividly because she sold 93 of the 99 creations. It was an extraordinary debut, especially at a time when designer jewellery barely existed in India.

From there, things moved quickly. She hosted trunk shows where women would queue before opening time, eager to see her new pieces. “They wanted to take their pick before anyone else arrived,” she said. Those early customers became loyal clients who returned year after year, drawn not only to the jewellery but also to Renu’s generosity, warmth and sincerity – qualities that still shine through in her work today.

Gemstones First: Renu’s Design Philosophy

If there is one thing Renu repeats throughout our conversation, it’s that every piece begins with the gemstone. “My design process has always been gemstones first,” she told me. “Anything and everything I see inspires me, but the stone decides what happens next.”

Her inspiration is charmingly unpretentious – from a matchstick to a skyscraper, anything can spark an idea – and she often buys stones in batches and spends time arranging them, matching shapes, testing proportions and waiting for something to click. Only then does she sketch the first outline for her team. 

Rose-cut diamonds, in particular, have become her signature, and it has been 20 years since she started experimenting with this diamond cut. She fell in love with it as a teenager, long before rose-cut diamonds were widely used in India. “I love their softness,” she told me. “They don’t have that hard sparkle – they’re much gentler.” They also make large jewels feel surprisingly light, which explains why so many of her dramatic pieces are so comfortable to wear. 

“Comfort is key,” she added, and in that simple phrase, I understood exactly what drives her as a designer. Renu isn’t creating jewels to be tucked away in a safe. She’s designing for women who want to wear their jewellery, enjoy it and feel completely themselves in it.

As she spoke, I kept glancing at a ruby necklace beside us. Almost lace-like in its construction, it was bold yet felt airy. That’s the magic of her process: statement design on the outside, clever engineering on the inside. Even now, with a growing design team, Renu insists on creating the first sketch for every piece.

Emerald Passion

While admiring all the high jewellery Renu has picked for me to try on, it’s impossible not to notice one thing: she has a natural pull towards emeralds. Cabochons, pear shapes, ovals, deep greens and light greens, each glowing with its own personality. Although she never said it outright, it’s clear from the sheer number of emerald pieces that this is a stone she gravitates towards.

What’s refreshing is that she doesn’t treat emeralds as grand, ceremonial jewels. Instead, she uses them in shapes and silhouettes that mould to the body and are very easy to wear. All the stones were set upright in a necklace of sleek marquise cabochon emeralds, creating a crisp line of colour that sits beautifully along the collarbone. Another favourite was an emerald choker necklace, presented with a matching pair of earrings. With its angled cabochon stones and clean diamond borders, the choker settled on my neck with complete comfort, which spoke volumes about its craftsmanship.

Women, Wearability and the Modern World

One thing Renu and I instantly agreed on is that jewellery today must fit into a woman’s real life – the one she lives every day, working, travelling, celebrating, running errands and doing everything in between. She spoke a lot about comfort, especially in earrings. “I’ve worn pieces from different jewellers that were so heavy they hurt my ears by the end of the day,” she said. It’s one of the reasons she loves working with rose-cut diamonds; they allow her to create volume without the weight. 

The designer also pointed out that something that looks simple on the outside can be surprisingly challenging to engineer. A necklace must sit flat on the skin, earrings have to balance perfectly, and bracelets should move like fabric rather than armour. It’s this combination of technical precision and thoughtful finishing that makes her jewellery feel so natural to wear.

Evolution of Style

Having been in the industry for over two decades, Renu has witnessed a shift in women’s taste and style. She pointed out that over the last 10 years, and especially with Instagram, women have become more confident in choosing jewellery for themselves. “Confident women start the trends, and the rest follow,” she said, and I couldn’t agree more. Even tastes in wedding jewellery have shifted. Younger brides want pieces that are versatile: designs they can wear long after the ceremony, not just for the wedding week.

This is partly why Renu introduced her Pret line, an easy entry point into the brand for women who want something beautiful for everyday life. I tried on a La Vie a Rose bangle – a rose is Renu’s logo – from the collection, and it made immediate sense. It was light, sculptural and comfortable enough to forget you’re wearing it.

Craftsmanship: The Hidden Art No One Sees

When I handle a piece of jewellery, I always flip it over to look at the back – it’s a habit, and I know many of my readers do this too. So, when I started examining Renu’s pieces, I was delighted to see how much thought goes into the parts of a jewel most people never see. “The back is always the most important,” she told me. “It’s like what your jacket is lined with.” And she’s right. You can tell an awful lot about a piece from the way it’s finished on the reverse.

Many of her necklaces have tiny diamond details tucked into the back panels or little rose motifs hidden along the clasp. They aren’t meant for show; they’re there because she believes the wearer deserves beauty everywhere, even in the parts only she will witness. It’s a very personal kind of luxury.

As our conversation came to an end, it reinforced that Renu’s strength lies in her honesty. She designs what she loves, listens to the stones and keeps the woman wearing the piece at the centre of every decision. In a world where self-purchase is becoming the norm, her focus on comfort, practicality and individuality feels exactly right for the way women wear jewellery now.