Picture Titanic and Jack giving up everything for Rose. Freeze that feeling and multiply it by a 10, or maybe a 100, and you get the relationship between Biren Vaidya and his Rose…
“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck,” said Emma Goldman. Boy, was she smart? If you are a woman and a smart one at it, follow the footsteps of Goldman and ask for not one, but many roses on your table. All the men looking out for something to gift their Valentines on the most romantic day, take note that a rose doesn’t literally mean the flower. With pieces as beautiful or even more than a romantic red rose, Biren Vaidya’s jewellery brand is the ideal ‘Rose’ to lay on your sweetheart’s table as well as adorn her neck. As intricate and delicate as its namesake, the jewellery will enchant you as much as it did me.
On their 30th anniversary, the iconic brand’s maestro launched their second coffee table book called ‘Rose and her Royalty’- a book that captures snapshots of their elite patrons – from top notch bankers to ace musicians, from the leading businessmen to the most fashionable people in India! Flip through the pages for a quick recap of the years gone by and the way forward. Turning 30 has its advantages, because the brand also showcased its masterpiece – one of the most beautiful diamond neckpieces – with one of the world’s largest 290 carat Columbian emerald called the “Empress of Rose”.
Bee Vee, as Vaidya is fondly called, and the Rose design team, attribute the success of its creation to the brand ethos that they have defined over the past decades. They believe that it isn’t merely about jewellery for the next season or the year. It’s about crafting masterpieces that are heirlooms to be inherited by the next generation.
Royal Emerald
Princess Padmaja Kumari Mewar unveiled the coffee table book and coincidentally also shares her birthday with Rose on January 11. “I think their jewellery and work is beautiful and the brand does have a bit of an emotional connect because of the same birthday!” she said. Clearly impressed by the book, she was awed with the intricacy and variety of the jewellery it showcased. Flipping through it, she said, “The book is beautiful with some exquisite jewellery and has patrons that are world renowned and whatever you have to say about them is never enough”! Extremely appealing to the eyes, she found the Empress of Rose to be stunning and something that cannot be missed.
Cupid’s Child
Clearly smitten by his stunning half, Valentine’s Day happens to be a special event in the couple’s life as it was the first time Vaidya asked his wife out. “We celebrate Valentine’s Day more than our wedding anniversary!” he said looking back at the yesteryears. Writing her a romantic letter 26 years back, he explained the significance of Valentine’s Day to Sheetal Vaidya – the face of Rose today – took her for a drive and gifted her a pen to write her exams with. If you’re looking to draw inspiration from their V day plans this year, don’t. “Every year we do different things, I can’t tell you what we’re doing this year because it would just spoil my surprise!” he chuckled.
Not just for his wife, but Vaidya has a lot of respect for the fairer sex in general. Dedicating seven pieces of a collection he designed for Elle Décor magazine to the superior sex of the world – the women – he tips all the tall, dark and handsomes of the world – “Every man whose smart enough knows. Keep the woman happy and your life is made!” he says. He is very proud of all the ‘pillars’ in his life – his mother, sister, wife and best friend – all women.
Behind this very successful man, is his inspirational wife. “Sheetal has played a very important role in my life. As a man, I realize the need of someone who supports them all the way,” he says. With eyes full of love for his wife, he seemed proud of the fact that his wife has easily balanced a happy home and a successful business.
Any relation is incomplete without romance and then a simple rose won’t impress your lady love this February. Take a leaf out of Vaidya’s book as he tries to do something more romantic than what he did the previous year. Imagine outdoing a romantic dinner overlooking the Udaipur Palace under a starlit sky on a birthday – Bee Vee’s gift to his wife last year!
Love what you do, do what you love
Hailing from a medical background, his first encounter with jewellery was by chance. Since then, this love story has been going on. “Rose wasn’t by chance. It was a big design in the Almighty’s mind for me,” he says thoughtfully. Bee Vee loves designing – be it the store, the jewellery, the interiors, even food!
Tracing back to why the flower of love was chosen to represent the brand, he said, “It stands for so many things! Be it love, power, beauty and feminity – it inspires me!” With passion and love for what he does being the most important to him, he always tells his children to follow their hearts.
In all his years at the company, founded by Rajeev Sheth in 1981, Vaidya has developed a distinctive style that Rose clients look forward to – one that combines painstaking attention to detail with a bold, individual personality in every piece. “It’s the experience that we provide that is unmatched by any other brand,” he said.
When asked about the Empress of Rose, Vaidya humbly shared that they were blessed to have her find a path to Rose. “I believe that she found us, not the other way round.” The highlight of the iconic brand’s 30 year celebration, the Empress of Rose was a two-year romance from a rough draft to becoming a final piece of jewellery.
Going forward, Vaidya considers each day to be a new beginning and hopes to achieve much more. “Luxury is a changing horizon. Once you reach your destination, you have to prepare for the next one,” he says.
