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A Doctor turned Designer of Unconventional Jewellery, Lara Morakhia collaborates with Bungalow 8

Lara Morakhia, who is making her Bungalow 8 debut this weekend, is quite literally an accidental designer. A doctor by training, she was forced to give up practice when a trekking accident left her incapacitated for over nine months. It was then that Lara, known in chic circles for her sumptuous collection of Indian art, channelled her creative energies into making jewellery. Blessed with a curatorial eye, Lara used her collection of old gold pieces, beads, antique and fine silver from Rajasthan, Bhutan, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, to make unconventional, extravagant jewellery.

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Years later, when Lara walked into Bungalow 8, her favourite store, wearing one of her own creations, Maithili Ahluwalia was smitten by the striking pair of earrings. “When I found out that she had designed the earrings herself, I immediately invited her to collaborate with us,” says Maithili. Lara has created 56 pieces of opulent jewellery for Bungalow 8, taking inspiration from sources as diverse as royalty and tribal art, architecture and traditional Indian costumes.

Gleefully self-taught, refreshingly unselfconscious, Lara will tell you how she has never sat down to sketch any of her pieces. “Once I see something, I know immediately how to use it,” she says. A statement necklace, for instance, features a Nepalese Mahakala face on a traditional Rajasthani Hassli with a hint of diamonds. Leather tassels at the ends of the necklace give it a touch of stylish irreverence. “I wanted to use the Hassli In a different form so that you can wear it from behind and let it float in the front, slightly off centre even,” she says of the stunner. Similarly, a statement cuff ring has been created by reimagining a cluster of small earrings and discs to create: “One fabulous look.”

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Catch the showcase of this Unconventional Jewellery at Bungalow 8 store.
Saturday 29th& Sunday 30th July
12 pm- 8 pm