Risham Jewelry increased its revenue two times in 2022 and is looking to diversify into another jewellery category in the near future
Bengaluru: Risham Jewelry is transforming the market through its unique approach to creating handcrafted designer bead jewellery. The diversity of colour and inspiration from natural elements enables the brand to create high-quality, affordable and timeless pieces that can serve as heirlooms for customers, to be passed from one generation to another.
Alternative thinking
It was 12 years ago that Srutiza Mohanty began learning bead weaving. She considered the art form gorgeous and unique, and so had become fond of it. In those days, she was working as a software engineer in the IT sector, and in her free time, would make bead jewellery. “People who used to see my creations were in awe of them, as the designs were outstanding. My products ticked all the boxes I wanted in a piece of jewellery from a customer’s perspective— they were lightweight, colourful and durable, and designed in contemporary styles,” shares Mohanty. Those were still early days. It was only after Mohanty gave birth to her daughter and quit her IT job that she decided to turn her bead jewellery-making endeavour into a full-time business. “The process was entirely organic. I had been making two-three jewellery pieces a month in my free time after work. Initially, I used to get curiosity and admiration from people for my jewellery, as also disdain, especially from teenagers who were used to seeing beads as cheap and throwaway. However, I was creating bead jewellery that was classy and not the kind that teenagers wear to the beach. So, the demand for my creations was growing. But I was finding it difficult to cater to it,” explains Mohanty.
Mohanty quit her job and initially participated in pop-up events to get a grip on the process of selling and entrepreneurship. “I focused on creating a brand [Risham Jewelry] that would offer customers a unique, colourful and relatable product line. Despite my lack of entrepreneurial skills, I learned things steadily, and from then on, it has been new learnings and growth every day,” shares Mohanty. Today, Risham Jewelry is transforming the market through its unique approach to creating handcrafted designer bead jewellery.
“Typical bead jewellery by other brands is done through the process of embroidery on a fabric backing. Further, there is a limitation of design and style in such pieces. However, at Risham Jewelry, we are deploying a variety of techniques, and the patterns we make are original and captivating,” conveys Mohanty. The product designs and colour choices, she continues, have been given a contemporary touch to connect with modern buyers.
“To create more modern looks, we have tweaked the designs and added elements such as wood and metal. We are also not using traditional shades of colour and instead, are experimenting with colour palettes as far as possible,” explains Mohanty. The result is bead jewellery in diverse, classy designs that can be worn anywhere by people of any age group. Indeed, the brand’s wide range of handcrafted pieces is designed to provide a creative style statement to any wearer.
Tackling challenges
In the early days, Mohanty faced challenges in managing sales and production, and it was also not easy for her to procure quality raw materials. “When I was in the IT sector, I worked in a corporate environment where everything moved in a structured manner. That is why at Risham Jewelry, even the simple task of talking to people and familiarising them with the products proved challenging for me initially,” adds Mohanty.
Risham Jewelry has been a bootstrapped venture so far, and Mohanty says they have just started gaining momentum. “The competition is humongous when it comes to establishing a lifestyle brand as there are a lot of big-budget brands with teams and technologies at their disposal. But we have successfully carved a niche in this hotly contested segment. And in the process, we are reviving the more-than-1,000-year-old art of bead weaving which has been integral to ethnic jewellery in India,” adds Mohanty. She wants to make her brand renowned nationally by introducing its products in physical retail outlets and collaborating with fashion labels. She is also contemplating getting venture funding from the right investors.
Brownie Points
- Risham Jewelry has a production team of female karigars trained from the basics. Since they need to take care of their household duties and cannot work full time, the karigars are given flexible hours at work and allowed to take their work home and complete it in their free time. Recently, the brand doubled the number of karigars working with it.
- The brand uses social media platforms, pop-up events, workshops and exhibitions to connect with customers. Its team constantly listens to feedback from customers and tries to understand what kind of designs and styles they want more of.
- Risham Jewelry increased its revenue 2 times this year. The brand is looking to diversify into another jewellery category in the coming year.
First appeared in The India D2C Yearbook 2022
