Interview: Arun Bohra Arunashi

Meet the Jeweler who’s breaking old traditions into innovative outlandish jewelry that could certainly be classified as works of art.
It’s not an everyday occurrence that I get to sit down for a private viewing of museum quality fine jewelry, but today is special. After walking down the halls of a high-rise in Beverly Hills, Diana Marks from LAbyDiana.com and I, walk into the Arunashi showroom. Through a few secure doors we’re greeted by the charming Jeweler of Arunashi – Arun Bohra. He ushers us into a private viewing room where we are given access into the luxury world of Arunashi.

After a few minutes of chatting with the affable Bohra about his colorful and dazzling design aesthetic, a stunning tanzanite pendant surrounded by turquoise, white coral and diamonds emerges; like all his pieces the back side is finished to perfection equally to the front. At this point Diana and I have our eyes wide open but Bohra can sense our hesitation – “Go ahead pick it up, put it on, it’s very sturdy” he laughs. So of course we do but now we don’t want to take it off.

Bohra comes from a rich history of jewelers. Born in Jaipur, India, Bohra was brought into the family jewelry business that has thrived since 1841. His forefathers were commissioned to make pieces for the Royal families of the various states and Kingdoms throughout India. One would naturally think with that kind of heritage, there’s no surprise that he’s a jeweler. But this was not the case as he explained “of course my family had an expectation that I would continue in the family business as a jeweler, but I wanted nothing to do with it.” After spending years in Japan, where he met his wife, Bohra eventually warmed up to the idea of being an eight generation jeweler. But in order to break through traditional boundaries he had to set himself apart, quite literally. In 2004 he moved to Los Angeles and with the combination of both his and his wife’s first names, Arunashi was born. The outstanding artistry combined with craftsmanship of the jewelry swiftly gained celebrity attention, media recognition as well as several prestigious awards.

Meanwhile, several trays have been presented with mesmerizing jewelry each one more opulent then the last. Diana has found a pair of Paraiba earrings that’s she’s taken a liking to. For a cool $565 000 not only is this one of Bohra most favorite but one of the most expensive pieces. His eyes light up as he goes on to explain why – “The Paraiba gemstone a radiant turquoise swimming-pool-blue type of tourmaline containing copper, was recently discovered in 1986 and is one of the rarest gemstones in the world.” To add to its rarity, Pariaba’s are generally found quite small, making these Arunashi earrings even more desirable.

Bohra spends countless hours in his shop in India alongside three assistants and mechanical designers coming up with one exquisite bespoke piece. Only to never be repeated again. Bohra is not interested in fast fashion or even fashion itself. He’s interested in creating jewelry that is truly a wearable masterpiece for his clients, most of whom become collectors.

As Diana trys on a boldly-hued blue ring surrounded by sparkling diamonds in blackened gold, I realize Bohra’s work is creatively intelligent. He employs innovative techniques such as settings in carbon fiber and titanium, setting diamonds under stones, engineering moveable jewelry and heating metals to varying temperatures to create colored metal. One of my favorite Arunashi pieces is a ring composed of a flexible metal allowing me to bend it and transform it to any shape. These are the details that set Arunashi apart.

The spirit of mythology is present in Arunashi’s latest 40 piece collection. Each piece evokes a different story stitching together fragments of Bohra’s personal philosophies and twist on mythology. Amongst a garden of colorful mermaids, butterflies, dragonflies and flowers, he shows us a pair of earrings where a deep blue colored metal snake is about to bite a ruby apple explaining its story to us of Adam & Eve.

It’s not only Bohra’s designs that express freedom, boldness and adventure but also describes the women who wear his pieces. As he explains “his client is a smart, independent, expressive and strong woman”. His jewelry is a testament of our times – confident successful women who have “made it” in their own right and making the decision to purchase themselves.

When asked about what Bohra sees as the future of Arunashi he spoke of the opening of a retail store – which would afford us all to see the full spectrum of his masterpieces.

Thank you Arun for this sneak peak into your exquisite world, we look forward to the growth and future of Arunashi. For more information on Arunashi please click on this link – Arunashi. To purchase Arunashi pieces please click on this link – Marissa Collections.