Cover Vihari Poddar wears jewellery from Vihari Jewels, including a ring set with a 50‑carat Burmese star ruby
Vihari Poddar wears jewellery from Vihari Jewels, including a ring set with a 50‑carat Burmese star ruby
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Vihari Poddar founded her eponymous jewellery brand in 2006, but her family’s history in gems goes back at least four generations. The founder of Vihari Jewels discusses the struggles of those who came before her and how she is honouring them while paving her own way
Precious gems have been at the heart of Vihari Poddar’s family for generations: she runs her own jewellery brand, Vihari Jewels; her father is the founder of diamond company House of Gems; her grandfather was a gemstone auctioneer; and her great‑grandfather was a gem merchant. But more than just being the commodity of their trade, Poddar reveals that jewels, in particular rubies, hold so much more significance: they are the lifeblood of her family.
During the Second World War, Poddar’s paternal grandmother, Ranjan Sheth, who was born in Myanmar (then known as Burma), lost her parents and their family home burnt down. About 12 at the time, she and her nine siblings fled Yangon (then known as Rangoon), the capital city where they lived, for Kolkata (previously Calcutta) in India. They brought nothing with them except for about 40 pieces of Burmese rubies.
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Above Vihari Poddar’s grandmother, Ranjan Sheth, who fled from Burma to India during the Second World War (Photo: Vihari Poddar)
Vihari Poddar’s grandmother, Ranjan Sheth, who fled from Burma to India during the Second World War (Photo: Vihari Poddar)
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The siblings carried these not in their pockets but hidden in the skin between their toes, which had been sliced open with a pocket knife, embedded with the small gems, and then stitched back. This was the insurance their ruby trader father had left with them before he passed away. He had given them instructions to escape out their back door, which led to the waterfront where the ships were. They were to exchange one ruby for their passage to India; smuggled with the cargo to avoid being found by the military.
Only seven of the siblings survived the journey—two boys and five girls, including Poddar’s grandmother—and moved into an orphanage in Kolkata. There, the two brothers started trading the rest of the rubies to support the family. “The rubies were the currency that gave them life. If they had carried gold or cash, they would have been robbed, but the rubies were small enough to go unnoticed,” says Poddar.
“From there, my granduncle married off all his sisters and he got married. It’s a phenomenal story, and why my father and I always believe that when we sell something, whether big or small, it has to have value,” enthuses Poddar. “I want to sell jewellery not just as an accessory but as an investment; something that could save your life. For us, gems have always been an asset and not only a business.”
Above Vihari Poddar wears jewellery from Vihari Jewels, including a ring set with a 50‑carat Burmese star ruby
Vihari Poddar wears jewellery from Vihari Jewels, including a ring set with a 50‑carat Burmese star ruby
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About 10 years ago, Poddar’s father, Rajesh Sheth, acquired a Burmese star ruby rough weighing about 200 carats. It would be another five years before he decided to cut it, and a year and a half more before the final result was revealed: a mesmerising 50‑carat cabochon that Poddar says is the largest unheated Burmese star ruby on the market to date.
As the designer at Vihari Jewels, she decided that the best way to show off this rare gem was to set it on a ring, which she completed in 2019. “I had the diamond briolettes specially cut to fit the prongs around the ruby such that they’re facing down, not up,” she shares. “The reason is so that while the diamonds scintillate and shine, they don’t take away from the star: the ruby.”
It is such a unique creation that is also a beautiful and fitting tribute to Poddar’s heritage. She had put the ring on display during the opening of her flagship boutique in December 2021, which was a momentous occasion for her family as well. “The store is a tribute to all four generations of my family and to showcase where we came from through jewellery pieces with heritage,” she says. “It was also probably the best gift I could give my father. He was so proud and it was a dream come true for him to see the craft that has been passed down through his family culminate in this amazing physical store. To him, [it] was no less than a Cartier [store].”
While Poddar cherishes her family’s legacy and the jewels that have been passed down for generations, the mother‑of‑three does not expect her children to follow the same path as a jeweller. “I’ll provide them with the opportunity and platform if they wish to carry [on the legacy], but if not, I’m happy for my brand to die with me,” she says. “I’ll have no regrets.”
Her children, she further shares, have inspired her to explore a deeper purpose in life. “My daughter Kiara, who was eight at the time, said to me: ‘Mummy, I like what you do, but it’s not a need for people. I want to do something that can help people.’ I asked her what it was she wanted to do and she said: ‘I want to heal people with crystals.’ When she said that, I cried because I realised this was something that was missing from my life. It has been glamorous, but I was missing this depth. I give to charity, but I realised that I want to do something more to help a person grow.”
Having gone through a difficult postpartum experience with her third child, Poddar wants to spend more of her time helping other women who are struggling with similar issues of depression. “A lot of women who’ve had children find themselves feeling very empty and having nobody to talk to. I want to be able to help people with counselling and by reaching out to women who’re in a bad place, and provide a support system.”
It is a new phase of her life that Poddar is keen to explore and to find her calling in. “I’ve enjoyed my retail journey, but it’s not my final goal in life,” she says. “There’s so much more that people need and I want to do more than just being a jeweller; I want to do something more meaningful and help more people—it’s something I would really like to work towards.”
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Credits
Photography: Darren Gabriel Leow
Hair: Grego Oh using Keune Haircosmetics
Make-Up: Grego Oh using Dior Beauty
Styling: Adriel Chiun
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Annabel Tan is the Editor of Watches and Jewellery at Tatler Singapore, where she covers all things luxury timepieces and fine jewellery across both print and digital platforms. She is also the Editor of Tatler GMT Singapore, a role that deepens her fascination with the ever-evolving world of watchmaking. Outside of work, she’s usually on the hunt for her next favourite watch that she can’t afford, planning her next beach getaway, or catching up on the latest Formula 1 race.
