La Maison Syr by Chennai-based Rashi Jain has luxury cufflinks in classic patterns and offbeat designs

Rashi Jain
| Photo Credit: RAVINDRAN R

It was a pair of cufflinks in the form of a martini glass and a cocktail shaker — a generational piece passed down from her husband’s family — that inspired Rashi Jain to create her own line of cufflinks. The shape and uniqueness of the design intrigued her. She started out designing pieces for her husband. This was in 2009, when she moved to Paris after marriage. As she explored the city, she imbibed all the artistic creations she saw there.

“We moved around quite a bit. We stayed in South Korea, Qatar, the UK. The business started taking shape in Doha. It was 2015, and the city was getting ready for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. We drove around seeing stadiums being built and all the work that went into them. It was beautiful to see how things were shaping up. I also used to visit the souks and met pearl divers. All these influences came together in my creations,” says Rashi.

Nilgiri tahr cufflinks
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“In Qatar, the men who wear the thobe (Qatari national garment), wear cufflinks with it. So, I created a few for a clientele there,” says Rashi, who then moved back to Chennai with her family earlier this year. The formal launch of the brand happened last week in the city. The brand is called La Maison Syr, a nod to her time in France and everything she learnt there. “’Syr’ in French means ‘gods’. And it seemed perfect as it also brings together my husband, daughter and my name — Saurabh, Yashica, and Rashi,” she explains.

The collection now has 20-odd pieces. These include classic patterns and offbeat designs like Nilgiri tahrs in tailcoats (one holding a Champagne bucket and one, a tray of glasses); the sun and moon; masula boats; a make up box and a poker-faced lady; a hibiscus with a screw on stigma and filament where you can store a bit of lipstick or kumkum. All the creations are primarily in platinum, gold, and white gold, with sapphire, emerald, ruby and diamond detailing. “I also do bespoke cufflinks; these depict my client’s story and personality,” she says.

Masula boats
| Photo Credit:
RAVINDRAN R

The sparkling pieces are all showcased at Kanakavalli at Kingsley, Ahalya’s (founder of Kanakavalli) charming boutique that houses beautifully curated saris and jewellery. “This is the first time I am doing a display. I am nervous,” admits Rashi, adding, “Ahalya believed in me and that’s how it started.”

Rashi comes from a finance background but soon realised that art was her calling. “I did a course at Van Cleef &Arpels – L’Ecole School of Jewelry Arts in Paris, and Lao – Le Arti Oraffe in Florence, Italy, and learnt a lot about jewellery making including how gouache works, how to give shape to an idea on paper, and transform that to wax and learn fabrication challenges before the concept goes in for metal casting, fire enamelling. I even went to the British Academy of Jewellery for drawing courses,” she adds.

A classic design on display
| Photo Credit:
RAVINDRAN R

Now, the designer is working on a Him and Hers collection which will have interchangeable pieces that can be used both by men and women as cufflinks and earrings. This idea came to her one New Year’s Eve in Nice. “We had forgotten to pack my husband’s cufflinks. So I sewed my solitaire earrings into the shirt’s cuffs,” she smiles.

While most think of cufflinks as a piece of jewellery, Rashi sees it it as a bond. “A cufflink holds two pieces of fabric together. It creates a connection,” she smiles. Her days are now filled with ideating, a lot of drawing and more erasing. “Everyday is a school day and I am learning something new.”

Available at Kanakavalli at Kingsley, Spur Tank Road. Prices start at ₹ 2 lakhs.

| Photo Credit:
RAVINDRAN R