“After the partition, my grandparents had to leave everything behind in Lahore and move to Shimla. This necklace was one of the first things my grandmother could afford to buy for my mother’s wedding,” says Tanya Vohra Ahuja in an interview with India. While speaking, she gently touches a flower-shaped Polki pendant made with 22k gold foil. Heirloom jewelry like this often holds memories and stories. As they are passed down through generations, they help keep not just family memories alive but also preserve culture and tradition.
Before the start of the Wedding Atelier by HSBC, Rochelle Pinto, Head of Editorial Content at India, hosted a relaxed Editor’s High Tea at the Modernist in the Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai. The event brought together creative minds and fashion lovers, where the conversation naturally turned to heirlooms.
Heirlooms are more than just beautiful pieces—they represent local culture and history. From the detailed floral Parsi gara embroidery on Maia Sethna’s sari to the colorful Rajasthani meenakari work on Anuja Joshi’s wedding necklace, these special items help preserve traditions. For Mitali Sagar Patel, her emerald necklace tells a story of love and patience, as her father and grandfather spent years collecting the perfect Colombian emeralds to make it.
Heirlooms pass on a rich legacy. Wearing them is a way of honoring family roots and showcasing cultural pride.
Some of Mumbai’s most stylish individuals share their cherished heirlooms with Vogue India.
Natasha Luthra
A fashion and lifestyle influencer wore a beautiful Sabyasachi sari that she had earlier worn for her godh bharai (baby shower) last year. She paired it with her mother’s wedding jewelry—a gold choker decorated with Polki stones and rubies.
Hanna Khan
A content creator celebrated her half-Parsi roots by wearing a turquoise blue Parsi gara sari. She completed the look with her grandmother’s jewelry—pearl and ruby earrings and a special ring with the letter ‘H,’ an initial she shares with her nani.
Sukhmani Sadana
A writer and actor wore her grandmother’s gold earrings, which had unique lavender quartz drops—something not commonly seen in Indian jewelry.
Anaita Shroff Adajania
A fashion and costume stylist, wore a vintage Cartier watch gifted by her mother-in-law, with straps from Gazdar Jewellers. She paired it with a handmade bag by her husband’s grandmother, bangles from Sabyasachi, and a unique necklace designed by SavioJon.
Mitali Sagar Patel
Cofounder of House of Misu, wore a stunning emerald necklace made from old, rare emeralds. She also wore her father’s gold Audemars Piguet watch with a bamboo-style strap on her wrist.
Mehak Oberoi
A celebrity makeup artist, wore a colorful pendant featuring a peacock design, decorated with pearls and jadau work. The necklace is one part of a pair—she has one half, and her sister has the other, both passed down from their mother.
Prerna Mehra
A content creator and entrepreneur, dressed in a style inspired entirely by her grandmother (nani). She wore her nani’s favorite sari, her necklace, and a bracelet that her nani had redesigned from a gift. She also wore a pearl and ruby hathphool, big sunglasses that belonged to her nani, and carried a hand-embroidered beaded bag made by her.
Anuja Joshi
CEO and cofounder of Interflora, wore a special necklace created by Bikaner artisans. This same necklace was worn by both her and her mother at their weddings. It features a mix of meenakari and jadau work. She also wore gold and silver bangles passed down from her great-grandmother.
Vaishnav Praveen
Cofounder of The House of Pixels, wore his mother’s traditional Tamil nose pin, called a besari, but styled it as an earring. He paired this special family piece with a sari-shirt by Falguni Shane Peacock, which he wore like an angavastram, a classic South Indian drape.
Karan Berry
Cofounder of Karleo, wore a unique gold-and-silver hasli necklace that sits on the collarbone. This rare heirloom was passed down from his grandmother to his mother and then to him. He also wore his grandfather’s vintage Timex watch from the 1940s, known for its self-winding feature and mother-of-pearl dial.
