Design is intelligence made visible and as Albert Einstein once said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”, but amalgamate design with divinity and what one gets is the sublime line of jewellery designed by Biren Vaidya, Design Director and Managing Director of The Rose International. Biren Vaidya is an entrepreneur, innovator, dreamer, thinker and an expert in every avenue that he has interested himself in.%% Hailing from an illustrious South Bombay family of ayurvedic doctors, Vaidya a commerce graduate joined the family business of herbal pharmaceuticals in 1982. It was then, when he realised that pharmacy was not his calling. “It was a natural step for me to join the family business of herbal pharmacy but both my father and I knew that I didn’t have the ‘high for healing’. For as long as I can remember, I always had a creative streak in me and, I expressed this creativity by sketching and drawing.” Inevitably, designing followed. What started as a hobby of designing clothes and trinkets for himself and his friends, paved the way for one of the biggest brands in India, The Rose International.%% Reminiscing his foray into the world of jewellery he says, “My elder sister Purnima Sheth was already into jewellery business. She was a jewellery manufacturer for South Indian showrooms. The day she made her first million she took off on a holiday with her husband and who better than a younger brother to ask for chaperoning? Thus I was asked to take care of her office for 45 days. It opened new doors for me as I was young and the office was very hep, trendy and bustling with young energy, music and art, it allured me to gems and jewellery on the very first day.” As the young inexperienced brother was asked just to be a supervisor and nothing more, it was a pleasant surprise for Purnima to learn that her brother had achieved almost 80 per cent of tasks that she and her husband would take care of together. She made an instantaneous decision of roping in Vaidya, who started out as an artisan in 1984 and by 1986 he was the highest paid artisan in the office.%% The Rose International, a company that has been manufacturing hand made jewellery since 1981 and specialises in making jewellery that is unique and distinctive. They supply jewellery to more than 20 speciality jewellery stores in India and export to various parts of the globe. At The Rose International, Vaidya allowed his creative juices to flow and came up with striking designs, which were converted, under his supervision, into beautifully crafted jewellery. Talking about his creativity and inspirations, he says, “I do not call my self a ‘designer’, I call myself an ‘inspiring impressionist’. The Almighty is the ultimate designer who has designed the universe and has given us air, water, trees, flowers and everything that inspires us.”%% With a bit of more probing he tells us that he is inspired by everything and anything but most of his designs start taking shapes in his mind when he is travelling. His job takes him around the globe but he never ceases to be inspired even from the simplest of places and usual elements of nature. He takes a bi-annual break once in Diwali and the other during the summer. “My wife and I also sneak away on weekends to Alibaug for a short break. I hate it when I don’t get my ‘me’ time,” he says. Vaidya is highly connected to God and divinity and also calls the Almighty the ‘chairman’ of The Rose International, while he smiles. But, he is not an idol worshipper either, he is believes Almighty is in his soul which shows him the light at the end of every dark tunnel.%%

When asked about the secret behind his design genius, especially when he has no formal training or education in the field of jewellery, he says, “As I started as a basic artisan in the year 1984, I went through all the process of jewellery manufacturing and designing. A very old Bengali artisan from our office played an instrumental part in training me when it comes to manufacturing but my friend and client Paul Binder taught me jewellery design and mentored me in the early days. He would ask me to sketch, draw, scribble and doodle and that was a very important lesson. Since the beginning I have always sketched three-dimensional designs unlike most designers who design or sketch flat and two-dimensional designs.” One look at his creations and it can be vouched for that only an exquisite handmade sketch could give shape and form to such story-telling pieces unlike the computer aided designs. %% Talking about his achievements, he has a spark in his eyes and a soft smile on his face. “We used to work out of a small office prior to 2005 and since my early days in the office I had envisioned a space that I would build for The Rose International headquarters. I had dreams about it for many years and one day I decided to take the plunge. I bought this place (his office in Breach Candy, Mumbai) without telling or consulting anyone and kept it under wraps. I was personally involved in every step of architecture and interiors of this space and one fine day of January it was ready to be launched. I brought my sister for the very first time to this office on January 26, 2005 and the immense pride that I saw in her eyes that day, is my biggest achievement.” %% Vaidya’s personal dedication and perseverance in all his ventures has been rewarded and recognised by various organisations. In 1998, he was commissioned by the Gem and Jewellery Council of India to craft a bejewelled three-dimensional representation of the Ashoka emblem for the President of India. The commission was a tribute to the talented expertise and professionalism of Vaidya. The exquisite piece of art was presented to Late K R Narayanan, Former President of India, at a specially organised function held at the President’s residence in New Delhi. The Trade Post, a leading magazine for the watch trade, recognised his contribution to the industry when they voted him ‘Man of the year’ in 2001, and awarded him a trophy at the hands of the Hon. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. But, there you have Biren Vaidya, a man with compassion, love, dreams and family bonds who considers his sister’s pride as his biggest reward. %%

But, the ultimate award comes two decades after Vaidya commenced his career. He has finally achieved what until now has been a dream—The Rose Salon. His thoughts have revolved around this for years, but it is only now that these thoughts have been translated into a reality that is stunning. The Rose Salon is the definitive setting for experiencing the magic of jewellery. It is the result of painstaking attention to detail, from the foyer, to the colour scheme, to the actual works of art that are displayed in their natural setting. It is a tribute to the beauty of gemstones and exquisite jewellery; a sincere tribute that comes from the hands and mind of an expert, Vaidya that engulfs all five senses of a human-- smell, sight, feel, taste and sound. With lounge music, rose aromas, exquisite jewellery to feel and delectable teas and coffees from around the world, Rose Salon is truly an experience extraordinaire. %% Sharing one of his darkest creative periods of his life, Vaidya tells a heart-touching story. “There was a phase in my life where I had a creative block for one and half years. I could not design anything new, at least nothing that I loved. Then one day a very old patron of ours came to the store, had one look at the pieces and left me a message, ‘Biren, I do not see you in Rose any more.’, I had a sleepless night but my creative block was broken with that simple message. After, a few days I got a call from Elle Décor to take part in an interior design competition that I declined but the editor convinced me somehow. That made me delve into my creative self even further and I created ‘7 Wonders’ – a unique concept that uses jewellery for everyday features of interiors. It was highly acknowledged and I cherish it to this day.” For a man who considers creativity and jewellery designing as an inseparable part of his life, the creative block would most definitely be disturbing but that did not deter his confidence and he kept moving forward creating one exquisite jewellery piece after another and setting a benchmark in the jewellery segment of India. %% “That is also my suggestion to aspiring designers, believe in yourselves, have faith and follow your passion. Having a clear understanding of the customer’s brief and his pocket size is also very important. If you can not grasp the attention of the client in first five minutes, you may as well consider him to be lost from your store,” he signs off. %%

Design is intelligence made visible and as Albert Einstein once said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”, but amalgamate design with divinity and what one gets is the sublime line of jewellery designed by Biren Vaidya, Design Director and Managing Director of The Rose International. Biren Vaidya is an entrepreneur, innovator, dreamer, thinker and an expert in every avenue that he has interested himself in.%% Hailing from an illustrious South Bombay family of ayurvedic doctors, Vaidya a commerce graduate joined the family business of herbal pharmaceuticals in 1982. It was then, when he realised that pharmacy was not his calling. “It was a natural step for me to join the family business of herbal pharmacy but both my father and I knew that I didn’t have the ‘high for healing’. For as long as I can remember, I always had a creative streak in me and, I expressed this creativity by sketching and drawing.” Inevitably, designing followed. What started as a hobby of designing clothes and trinkets for himself and his friends, paved the way for one of the biggest brands in India, The Rose International.%% Reminiscing his foray into the world of jewellery he says, “My elder sister Purnima Sheth was already into jewellery business. She was a jewellery manufacturer for South Indian showrooms. The day she made her first million she took off on a holiday with her husband and who better than a younger brother to ask for chaperoning? Thus I was asked to take care of her office for 45 days. It opened new doors for me as I was young and the office was very hep, trendy and bustling with young energy, music and art, it allured me to gems and jewellery on the very first day.” As the young inexperienced brother was asked just to be a supervisor and nothing more, it was a pleasant surprise for Purnima to learn that her brother had achieved almost 80 per cent of tasks that she and her husband would take care of together. She made an instantaneous decision of roping in Vaidya, who started out as an artisan in 1984 and by 1986 he was the highest paid artisan in the office.%% The Rose International, a company that has been manufacturing hand made jewellery since 1981 and specialises in making jewellery that is unique and distinctive. They supply jewellery to more than 20 speciality jewellery stores in India and export to various parts of the globe. At The Rose International, Vaidya allowed his creative juices to flow and came up with striking designs, which were converted, under his supervision, into beautifully crafted jewellery. Talking about his creativity and inspirations, he says, “I do not call my self a ‘designer’, I call myself an ‘inspiring impressionist’. The Almighty is the ultimate designer who has designed the universe and has given us air, water, trees, flowers and everything that inspires us.”%% With a bit of more probing he tells us that he is inspired by everything and anything but most of his designs start taking shapes in his mind when he is travelling. His job takes him around the globe but he never ceases to be inspired even from the simplest of places and usual elements of nature. He takes a bi-annual break once in Diwali and the other during the summer. “My wife and I also sneak away on weekends to Alibaug for a short break. I hate it when I don’t get my ‘me’ time,” he says. Vaidya is highly connected to God and divinity and also calls the Almighty the ‘chairman’ of The Rose International, while he smiles. But, he is not an idol worshipper either, he is believes Almighty is in his soul which shows him the light at the end of every dark tunnel.%%

When asked about the secret behind his design genius, especially when he has no formal training or education in the field of jewellery, he says, “As I started as a basic artisan in the year 1984, I went through all the process of jewellery manufacturing and designing. A very old Bengali artisan from our office played an instrumental part in training me when it comes to manufacturing but my friend and client Paul Binder taught me jewellery design and mentored me in the early days. He would ask me to sketch, draw, scribble and doodle and that was a very important lesson. Since the beginning I have always sketched three-dimensional designs unlike most designers who design or sketch flat and two-dimensional designs.” One look at his creations and it can be vouched for that only an exquisite handmade sketch could give shape and form to such story-telling pieces unlike the computer aided designs. %% Talking about his achievements, he has a spark in his eyes and a soft smile on his face. “We used to work out of a small office prior to 2005 and since my early days in the office I had envisioned a space that I would build for The Rose International headquarters. I had dreams about it for many years and one day I decided to take the plunge. I bought this place (his office in Breach Candy, Mumbai) without telling or consulting anyone and kept it under wraps. I was personally involved in every step of architecture and interiors of this space and one fine day of January it was ready to be launched. I brought my sister for the very first time to this office on January 26, 2005 and the immense pride that I saw in her eyes that day, is my biggest achievement.” %% Vaidya’s personal dedication and perseverance in all his ventures has been rewarded and recognised by various organisations. In 1998, he was commissioned by the Gem and Jewellery Council of India to craft a bejewelled three-dimensional representation of the Ashoka emblem for the President of India. The commission was a tribute to the talented expertise and professionalism of Vaidya. The exquisite piece of art was presented to Late K R Narayanan, Former President of India, at a specially organised function held at the President’s residence in New Delhi. The Trade Post, a leading magazine for the watch trade, recognised his contribution to the industry when they voted him ‘Man of the year’ in 2001, and awarded him a trophy at the hands of the Hon. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. But, there you have Biren Vaidya, a man with compassion, love, dreams and family bonds who considers his sister’s pride as his biggest reward. %%

But, the ultimate award comes two decades after Vaidya commenced his career. He has finally achieved what until now has been a dream—The Rose Salon. His thoughts have revolved around this for years, but it is only now that these thoughts have been translated into a reality that is stunning. The Rose Salon is the definitive setting for experiencing the magic of jewellery. It is the result of painstaking attention to detail, from the foyer, to the colour scheme, to the actual works of art that are displayed in their natural setting. It is a tribute to the beauty of gemstones and exquisite jewellery; a sincere tribute that comes from the hands and mind of an expert, Vaidya that engulfs all five senses of a human-- smell, sight, feel, taste and sound. With lounge music, rose aromas, exquisite jewellery to feel and delectable teas and coffees from around the world, Rose Salon is truly an experience extraordinaire. %% Sharing one of his darkest creative periods of his life, Vaidya tells a heart-touching story. “There was a phase in my life where I had a creative block for one and half years. I could not design anything new, at least nothing that I loved. Then one day a very old patron of ours came to the store, had one look at the pieces and left me a message, ‘Biren, I do not see you in Rose any more.’, I had a sleepless night but my creative block was broken with that simple message. After, a few days I got a call from Elle Décor to take part in an interior design competition that I declined but the editor convinced me somehow. That made me delve into my creative self even further and I created ‘7 Wonders’ – a unique concept that uses jewellery for everyday features of interiors. It was highly acknowledged and I cherish it to this day.” For a man who considers creativity and jewellery designing as an inseparable part of his life, the creative block would most definitely be disturbing but that did not deter his confidence and he kept moving forward creating one exquisite jewellery piece after another and setting a benchmark in the jewellery segment of India. %% “That is also my suggestion to aspiring designers, believe in yourselves, have faith and follow your passion. Having a clear understanding of the customer’s brief and his pocket size is also very important. If you can not grasp the attention of the client in first five minutes, you may as well consider him to be lost from your store,” he signs off. %%

Design is intelligence made visible and as Albert Einstein once said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”, but amalgamate design with divinity and what one gets is the sublime line of jewellery designed by Biren Vaidya, Design Director and Managing Director of The Rose International. Biren Vaidya is an entrepreneur, innovator, dreamer, thinker and an expert in every avenue that he has interested himself in.%% Hailing from an illustrious South Bombay family of ayurvedic doctors, Vaidya a commerce graduate joined the family business of herbal pharmaceuticals in 1982. It was then, when he realised that pharmacy was not his calling. “It was a natural step for me to join the family business of herbal pharmacy but both my father and I knew that I didn’t have the ‘high for healing’. For as long as I can remember, I always had a creative streak in me and, I expressed this creativity by sketching and drawing.” Inevitably, designing followed. What started as a hobby of designing clothes and trinkets for himself and his friends, paved the way for one of the biggest brands in India, The Rose International.%% Reminiscing his foray into the world of jewellery he says, “My elder sister Purnima Sheth was already into jewellery business. She was a jewellery manufacturer for South Indian showrooms. The day she made her first million she took off on a holiday with her husband and who better than a younger brother to ask for chaperoning? Thus I was asked to take care of her office for 45 days. It opened new doors for me as I was young and the office was very hep, trendy and bustling with young energy, music and art, it allured me to gems and jewellery on the very first day.” As the young inexperienced brother was asked just to be a supervisor and nothing more, it was a pleasant surprise for Purnima to learn that her brother had achieved almost 80 per cent of tasks that she and her husband would take care of together. She made an instantaneous decision of roping in Vaidya, who started out as an artisan in 1984 and by 1986 he was the highest paid artisan in the office.%% The Rose International, a company that has been manufacturing hand made jewellery since 1981 and specialises in making jewellery that is unique and distinctive. They supply jewellery to more than 20 speciality jewellery stores in India and export to various parts of the globe. At The Rose International, Vaidya allowed his creative juices to flow and came up with striking designs, which were converted, under his supervision, into beautifully crafted jewellery. Talking about his creativity and inspirations, he says, “I do not call my self a ‘designer’, I call myself an ‘inspiring impressionist’. The Almighty is the ultimate designer who has designed the universe and has given us air, water, trees, flowers and everything that inspires us.”%% With a bit of more probing he tells us that he is inspired by everything and anything but most of his designs start taking shapes in his mind when he is travelling. His job takes him around the globe but he never ceases to be inspired even from the simplest of places and usual elements of nature. He takes a bi-annual break once in Diwali and the other during the summer. “My wife and I also sneak away on weekends to Alibaug for a short break. I hate it when I don’t get my ‘me’ time,” he says. Vaidya is highly connected to God and divinity and also calls the Almighty the ‘chairman’ of The Rose International, while he smiles. But, he is not an idol worshipper either, he is believes Almighty is in his soul which shows him the light at the end of every dark tunnel.%%

When asked about the secret behind his design genius, especially when he has no formal training or education in the field of jewellery, he says, “As I started as a basic artisan in the year 1984, I went through all the process of jewellery manufacturing and designing. A very old Bengali artisan from our office played an instrumental part in training me when it comes to manufacturing but my friend and client Paul Binder taught me jewellery design and mentored me in the early days. He would ask me to sketch, draw, scribble and doodle and that was a very important lesson. Since the beginning I have always sketched three-dimensional designs unlike most designers who design or sketch flat and two-dimensional designs.” One look at his creations and it can be vouched for that only an exquisite handmade sketch could give shape and form to such story-telling pieces unlike the computer aided designs. %% Talking about his achievements, he has a spark in his eyes and a soft smile on his face. “We used to work out of a small office prior to 2005 and since my early days in the office I had envisioned a space that I would build for The Rose International headquarters. I had dreams about it for many years and one day I decided to take the plunge. I bought this place (his office in Breach Candy, Mumbai) without telling or consulting anyone and kept it under wraps. I was personally involved in every step of architecture and interiors of this space and one fine day of January it was ready to be launched. I brought my sister for the very first time to this office on January 26, 2005 and the immense pride that I saw in her eyes that day, is my biggest achievement.” %% Vaidya’s personal dedication and perseverance in all his ventures has been rewarded and recognised by various organisations. In 1998, he was commissioned by the Gem and Jewellery Council of India to craft a bejewelled three-dimensional representation of the Ashoka emblem for the President of India. The commission was a tribute to the talented expertise and professionalism of Vaidya. The exquisite piece of art was presented to Late K R Narayanan, Former President of India, at a specially organised function held at the President’s residence in New Delhi. The Trade Post, a leading magazine for the watch trade, recognised his contribution to the industry when they voted him ‘Man of the year’ in 2001, and awarded him a trophy at the hands of the Hon. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. But, there you have Biren Vaidya, a man with compassion, love, dreams and family bonds who considers his sister’s pride as his biggest reward. %%

But, the ultimate award comes two decades after Vaidya commenced his career. He has finally achieved what until now has been a dream—The Rose Salon. His thoughts have revolved around this for years, but it is only now that these thoughts have been translated into a reality that is stunning. The Rose Salon is the definitive setting for experiencing the magic of jewellery. It is the result of painstaking attention to detail, from the foyer, to the colour scheme, to the actual works of art that are displayed in their natural setting. It is a tribute to the beauty of gemstones and exquisite jewellery; a sincere tribute that comes from the hands and mind of an expert, Vaidya that engulfs all five senses of a human-- smell, sight, feel, taste and sound. With lounge music, rose aromas, exquisite jewellery to feel and delectable teas and coffees from around the world, Rose Salon is truly an experience extraordinaire. %% Sharing one of his darkest creative periods of his life, Vaidya tells a heart-touching story. “There was a phase in my life where I had a creative block for one and half years. I could not design anything new, at least nothing that I loved. Then one day a very old patron of ours came to the store, had one look at the pieces and left me a message, ‘Biren, I do not see you in Rose any more.’, I had a sleepless night but my creative block was broken with that simple message. After, a few days I got a call from Elle Décor to take part in an interior design competition that I declined but the editor convinced me somehow. That made me delve into my creative self even further and I created ‘7 Wonders’ – a unique concept that uses jewellery for everyday features of interiors. It was highly acknowledged and I cherish it to this day.” For a man who considers creativity and jewellery designing as an inseparable part of his life, the creative block would most definitely be disturbing but that did not deter his confidence and he kept moving forward creating one exquisite jewellery piece after another and setting a benchmark in the jewellery segment of India. %% “That is also my suggestion to aspiring designers, believe in yourselves, have faith and follow your passion. Having a clear understanding of the customer’s brief and his pocket size is also very important. If you can not grasp the attention of the client in first five minutes, you may as well consider him to be lost from your store,” he signs off. %%