Interview Sahil and Aditya of SNS Jewelry Studio

Sahil (left) and Aditya (right) of SNS Jewelry Studio

Mayur by SNS Jewelry Studio specializes in creating stunning pieces of jewelry by harmoniously blending of-the-moment-trends and classic design and we get a chance to have an exclusive interview with the designers Sahil and Aditya. Founded in 2012, SNS Jewelry Studio brings the family tradition of excellence in gemstones to the field of haute jewelry. The young founders redefine the very essence of fine jewelry by artfully marrying rich Indian traditions with contemporary styles.

Q: Tell me about your background. What is your childhood story?

Sahil: My ethnicity is Indian and I was born and raised in Forest Hills, New York. As a child, growing up in my household was quite different than most typical households. I grew up with two different generations as my grandparents and parents both lived together with me of course and continue to do till date. Being an only son, I was often blessed getting both the generations love and attention. I was fortunate to be instilled with knowledge about my culture and background by my grandparents and parents respectively. At a very early age I learned the value of family, the importance of family and respecting elders and those before you. My grandfather from my mother’s side, who is here in New York with me till date, was the founder of our company / factory and was responsible for instilling the value of hard work and dedication in me. The passion at which my family worked in our family business was subsequently translated in my passion for work from an early age, from my school years till today. Of course, growing up in this city like many I grew up an avid sports fan. I was always encouraged to pursue tennis and basketball as they taught me the value of teamwork and ability to think ahead and plan the next few steps beforehand. It was due to my love of sports and family that today I am able to lead a company.

Aditya: I was born in Kolkata, India and grew up in an extended Indian family with frequent interaction with maternal and paternal aunts, uncles and grandparents in addition to my younger sister, Anjum, and parents. To say my family is big is an understatement, my dad has 3 brothers and 1 sister and my mom has 4 sisters and 1 brother. That makes for a total of 17 first cousins. I’ve always appreciated having such a large and loving family and to this day it remains my single greatest source of strength as I know they will be behind me as they have always been. My family is originally from Rajasthan, western India, but my paternal grandfather moved our family to Eastern India and the West Bengal region in the 1850s. My great grandfather was a leading gemstone trader and town head from Murshidabad, West Bengal (state), an enclave of growing Indian Jain population under British rule over India. I moved to Forest Hills, New York with my aunt and uncle when I was only six years old to learn and grow under the American educational system. In retrospect, a great move! Being away from parents other than yearly 2 month visit in NY or India for a period of 5 years, I feel I grew up a lot faster in many respects than most kids my age which only helped me in school and my interactions with everyone. My childhood was an extended 14+ years of studying every day to go above and beyond what was required of me in school (reference “Asian tiger parents/relatives”, competitive cousins), following the Knicks religiously, spending time every weekend with my cousins and family and reading voraciously on anything and everything. Education and garnering knowledge was keenly stressed in my childhood, something that my father and uncle were not as lucky to have finished in their childhood.

Q: What did you want to be when you grow up? Why?

Sahil: Being a premature baby at just five months and knowing that the medical doctors at North Shore Long Island Jewish hospital were responsible for me being here today with the help of some prayers was the reason I was always fascinated by medicine and the medical world. Growing up I always felt I should give back to those same doctors and others alike who spend countless hours saving lives. My father’s side of the family who are gifted nationally recognized surgeons in India would spend hours with me discussing medicine and their stories in the operation rooms during my yearly trips to India. I was nearly convinced this is my path in life and was gearing up to do just that. Everything with medicine was very intriguing to me, how surgery was a like an art form. My grandfather who would tell me his reasons of becoming a surgeon and the innovative methods he used during his early years as a surgeon for a mere thank you from the patient and patient families alike , made me realize the importance of putting a smile on people’s faces. It was never for the money or fame it was simply for making a difference.

Aditya: I’ve always wanted to be successful and follow in the footsteps of my father and uncles. Probably the single thing that scared me the most all the time I was growing was not being successful. It was something that was constantly following me, in elementary school, high school, business school and Masters at NYU. I needed to get somewhere and make something out of myself through hard work/determination and that was reinforced in me every day by my parents. My father and my paternal uncles built our Indian silk and hand embroidery business from scratch in New York in the early 1970s with only a few thousand dollars in their pocked and sky high ambition. Today, it is one of the largest wholesale suppliers of fine silk, embroidery and assorted fabrics in New York. What I wanted to be when I grew up evolved over time from police officer (elementary school), real estate baron (high school), banker (business school/college), restaurateur to jeweler. What remained constant was motivations to be successful and be able analytically solves problems and create value in everything I pursued. My parent’s constant sermons on doing well and seeing firsthand how hard they worked always pushed me to try harder. The path that I did take after finishing school was to get my CPA license and join KPMG’s Partnership Taxation practice focused on Private Equity and then eventually here as SNS Jewelry Studio. Life is funny sometimes and seems convoluted, but steadily and surely you get to your designated path and for me it was jewelry.

Q: What advice or words of inspiration do you have for upcoming designers?

Sahil: Starting any new job or creating any new design can be often a daunting task for many. The best advice I can give is to simply follow your heart and do what you feel is right and not what others determine to be right for you. You may find yourself falling often at first but learn the art of getting up each time. Being free to design what you feel and having a reason to do so is a very powerful feeling. Most importantly love what you do and be happy doing it. Find your purpose and feel it from inside and in the end it will all make sense. Constant innovation is an essential part of the game.

Aditya: Constantly evolve and never be afraid to try something new or provocative. Try to create your products around a central theme in order to be easily identifiable in the market place and to stand out from the crowd. Create something that the consumer doesn’t even know yet that they will like.

Q: How did you start the SNS Jewelry Studio?

Sahil: SNS Jewelry Studio was born from my bedroom at home. I was always surrounded by gemstones and the colors it gave. Initially I had to find my reasons for doing this as there was no pressure from anyone in my family. Then slowly it all made sense to me. I was always awed by my family and the values I was brought up with and I told myself it’s my turn now to lead to give back to continue their legacy. When one fine day I decided to start and lead a jewelry company it all started with the name. SNS stands for “Sunil Neena Sahil”; they are my parents and I. It was my way of giving homage to the ones who brought me to this stage of life. At home and at work till this day the conversations often relate to work be it at the family dinner table or in the living room. And yes, we do have our fun times as well. It became as simple as you have the resources of gemstones which your grandfather started Mr. Shanti Kumar Shah in the early 50s so why not do what you were always told: go make people smile, make them feel beautiful as I can hear my grandfather from my father’s side saying every day. I found myself returning to my sporting days where tennis taught me to start thinking the next points ahead before it played out and basketball, where the importance of teamwork came about. Now being an only child, this was a daunting task for sure, yes there was my family but this was jewelry a new venture a new beginning. I needed a partner, even batman has robin I would tell myself. I needed to create my team. It was over lunch on a bright sunny day in New York where I met Mr. Aditya Bothra, my childhood friend from our high school days. Before speaking with him, as he had no clue why I wanted to meet for lunch, I told myself lets convince him he is the right person to join in this venture. His background of accounts and the value of numbers from his days at KPMG and my background of jewelry / gemstones design from my days at the Gemological Institute of America and Tiffany & Co. all made sense to me like the perfect drink. When drank separately it tasted good as each had its own individual taste but when drank together it was better. In I walked in and we sat and enjoyed a good lunch and there I started my speech. Now of course what was said nor he or I remember but it worked. And today I can say I found an extended brother and family to continue and build our own legacy. I often relate to Steve Jobs’ speech at Stanford University where he told the students to “connect the dots” and looking back all my dots certainly connected.

Aditya: On a beautiful and bright Spring Wednesday afternoon in May 2012 I decided to meet Sahil Jain for lunch at a favorite midtown Vietnamese restaurant, Obao, as we had done on countless other occasions in the months past to catch up over a meal. For me a break from a busy work day and upcoming longer evening at KPMG and for him a break from meeting clients at Tiffany’s, we always enjoyed our meeting and little did we know this particularly lunch was going to be a bit different. At the time, I had just recently been promoted to Senior Associate in my 2nd year at KPMG and I was leisurely looking at opportunities to transition after September and he had recently left Tiffany’s. Over a two hour lunch, he first approached me about this idea of founding a company together that would leverage his parents/grandparents rich history in the gemstone trade in creating haute jewelry that used exquisitely cut gemstones with primarily a modern feel but delicate Asian influences. A forward integration as they teach in business school corporate economics class. That sparked keen interest in me and I remember having left lunch that day with a lot of thoughts in my head, but deep inside I knew I was in and each our expertise was really going to complement each other in making this company successful. Over the successive days and months, things really started falling in place as I spoke to my parents and his, and it was reassuring as always to have family behind us. We officially found the company on June 14th and the journey started. I joined Sahil once I finished with my KPMG obligations in late September and I have never looked back since. Working together with my friend and extended brother, Sahil, and getting enldess love and mentorship from his parents and grandparents has really helped me transition smoothly in the field of jewelry. Typically, there are many barriers to entry in the jewelry industry, but having the right team and partnership in place really nullifies all boundaries and barriers. We have started a business together, but we have gained another family and determined support network in the process.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in the fashion industry?

Sahil: Of course where there is jewelry there is fashion as both industries go hand in hand. My relation and love for fashion and the industry alike is due to me living in New York. For me, it started right at home in New York. Being that New York is often referred to the fashion capital of the world and semiprecious gemstone is our family business since the early 50s, colors and combinations were something I was always surrounded by. From an early age I learned the beauty of gemstone would often shine brighter with the right clothing to match with it. I would often study the premier fashion houses and see what clothing colors are in trend as it reflected in our use of gemstones. And I always live by the saying the boss always dresses better than its employees so for me it is as important to look good and feel good, as one’s clothes and colors often reflects one’s personality.

Aditya: Watching my father and uncles deal with Suppliers in their warehouse for Saisilks in Fashion District, NY over countless summer breaks played the biggest role in pursuing a career in the fashion industry. Fabrics much like the colored stone jewelry market is constantly evolving with new colors, styles, cuts and designs and similarly is a very labor intensive industry. Watching them deal with fabric buyers from diverse industries as home furnishing, TV, opera and women’s wear, I was amazed at how they could recall all the 1000+ designs/styles, prices at any given moment. This in addition, to managing the extended supplier network in India. What started with the lure of being paid $50/day and lunch out at age 12 quickly grew into passion as I learned to appreciate the complexity and diversity in an industry that valued original ideas and was constantly evolving.

Q: How different is it working in New York and India?

Sahil: The difference of work and working styles in New York City and India are quite similar in the systems but different in styles. In both places all operations follow the same patterns but the language and way of communication is different. While our design concepts and orders take place in our New York office the main work is done in our manufacturing facility in Jaipur, India where full product development and designing is done by our team of artisans and designers. During the day English is the language I find myself speaking with all our clients and by night I turn back into the local chap speaking Hindi relaying the day’s orders and messages to my team. In India we have all the raw materials in both stones and jewelry and all our tools / machinery from where the process begins and in New York we have all the finish products that derive from these raw materials. So in short I find myself communicating in two different time zones and in two different languages shifting my end to beginning and beginning to end.

Aditya: Working in India and New York is quite different. In addition to the language difference, there is a larger cultural difference that plays into every single thing you do: conversation with a supplier/vendor, labor relations, work schedule. Some differences: Monday to Saturday full day work schedule (9-5 pm), constant stream of religious holidays, intermittent government called strikes among other things. Both locations offer their individual challenges and opportunities and we work keeping them in mind to deliver the very best product to retail partners and ultimate customers.

Q: What are your thoughts on being an Asian that influence your design?

Sahil: Being an Asian has played a major role in our designs. The two different cultures and two different lifestyles, environments all crosses paths by the bridge we created and blends into one. Being that my family originated from Jaipur, India it is a city that is very royal and has a rich history of kings and queens. As that is one side, the other side of the coin is New York, our urban modern home. The blending of both reflects in our designs as we use our gemstones to reflect the modern fashion of today, and our jewelry design comes from the rich royal statement looks of Jaipur, India. I believe having the luxury of both worlds has helped shaped the company and brought a whole different meaning to design. Having the ability to incorporate and introduce two different worlds to our clients under one roof brings everything to a full circle. We are able to take the best of advantages of both the worlds, cultures, traditions and systems into our daily actions as they intermingled.

Aditya: Being Indian or Asian, is an integral part of us and will always come through some aspect of our design, but having grown up most of our lives in New York the designs we produce are more attuned to western clientele tasted. The Indian aspect is the exoticness of our diverse offerings that make them unique in the market place. History is proof to Indian ingenuity in jewelry from as far back as the Mughal rule to the relatively more recent British Raj in India. We constantly take inspiration from many decades of Indian history and culture and they are delicately integrated into our jewelry.

Q: How do you define your style?

Sahil: Our style of jewelry all relates to us our lifestyles and our background. We want to “bring out the queen in you” as I often say. Each of our handcrafted jewelry pieces stands apart due to the fine craftsmanship in design and gemstone cutting. Our attempt is to make each piece, each collection stand on its own and reflect a royal feeling when seen and worn. We love to play with colors and gemstones and always are on a mission to innovate and use stones and designs one cannot imagine. Often I relate it to cooking because we continuously try new ingredients until we can come up with that one winning dish that leaves a lasting impression.

Aditya: Modern and catered to Western sense of design and beauty, but very delicately Indian/Asian influence and touches.

Q: Are there any celebrities that you would like to work with?

Sahil: Marketing is slowly becoming the number one most important part of any companies’ business plan. Sales often reflect by the ways one markets its products. Of course one of the biggest marketing tools any company can obtain is having a celebrity endorser. The love of movies in my life is very well known as music and movies is what keeps me active and is now the source of my entertainment. The list of celebrities that I would love to work with does not end however if I were to choose a top choice I would say Ms. Angelina Jolie. The reason I have her in mind as a dream of course is due to her sheer elegance and her philanthropy work and tie-ups with the UN. And of course I feel our jewelry would look beautiful on her, not that she needs help in enhancing her beauty.

Aditya: Katy Perry would be a very interesting celebrity to work with as I feel her bold and colorful sense of fashion and personality will really work well with our designs that focus on large faceted colored gemstones. The emphatic beauty and brilliance of our pieces will complement her really well.

Q: Are there any celebrities that you would like to work with?

Sahil: Marketing is slowly becoming the number one most important part of any companies’ business plan. Sales often reflect by the ways one markets its products. Of course one of the biggest marketing tools any company can obtain is having a celebrity endorser. The love of movies in my life is very well known as music and movies is what keeps me active and is now the source of my entertainment. The list of celebrities that I would love to work with does not end however if I were to choose a top choice I would say Ms. Angelina Jolie. The reason I have her in mind as a dream of course is due to her sheer elegance and her philanthropy work and tie-ups with the UN. And of course I feel our jewelry would look beautiful on her, not that she needs help in enhancing her beauty.

Aditya: Katy Perry would be a very interesting celebrity to work with as I feel her bold and colorful sense of fashion and personality will really work well with our designs that focus on large faceted colored gemstones. The emphatic beauty and brilliance of our pieces will complement her really well.

Q: What’s next for you?

Sahil: Being that SNS Jewelry Studio is only a year old, the future list does not end. We will always continue to innovate and develop our jewelry designs and manufacturing facility and slowly but surely hope to be a brand name. It’s a step by step process for us as we are often traveling from New York to India and in between looking and thinking of ways to improve ourselves and our company. Currently on the list is working on new designs for the upcoming fall season and finding new colors to incorporate our jewelry with.

Aditya: Working with color stone jewelry is a lifelong learning process and we will continue to learn and grow with our company. Each successive collection that you will see from us over the years will be a result of this passion and learning process. We’re very excited to show you what we have up our sleeves in the months/years ahead and are confident that we’ll raise our prominence and familiarity in the market place by focusing on the basics and maintaining quality and fine craftsmanship of our diverse jewelry.

For more info, please visit www.SNSJEWELRYSTUDIO.COM

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