Animals, birds, marine life, shells and foliage inspire the jewellery designs of Keya Agarwal Badhalia. Through KEYA by Adbhut, the young designer explores how traditional Indian craftsmanship can be adapted to contemporary forms. Based in Jaipur, a city known for its gemstones and jewellery-making traditions, she draws on techniques passed down through generations of artisans. Her debut collections, Under the Ocean and Into the Forest, take inspiration from marine life and the natural world.
“Each piece brings together my vision, the artisan’s inherited knowledge and the individuality of gemstones to create jewellery that sits between adornment, art and collectible objects,” says Keya, jewellery designer, researcher and founder of KEYA by Adbhut, in conversation with The Global Indian.
Keya studied finance through the World Bachelor in Business programme, completing degrees at the University of Southern California in the US, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Bocconi University in Milan. Her international education exposed her to different business environments and approaches to luxury and consumer behaviour. Having grown up in a family of jewellers, she combines this perspective with her familiarity with gemstones and traditional craftsmanship, while exploring a contemporary approach to jewellery design.
View this post on Instagram
Jewellery inspired by nature
KEYA by Adbhut’s two interconnected collections draw on different aspects of the natural world. Under the Ocean explores marine life, shells and fluid forms, drawing attention to the unfamiliar beauty beneath the water’s surface. Into the Forest takes inspiration from wildlife, foliage and the untamed character of nature.
The collections reflect Keya’s interest in finding design possibilities in forms and details that might otherwise go unnoticed. Rather than treating nature simply as a decorative motif, she uses it as a starting point for exploring shape, proportion and visual expression.
This approach is central to the brand’s identity. Keya wants to develop jewellery that has an individual character, with the design and craftsmanship contributing to its appeal beyond the gemstones or materials used.
The collections also establish the creative direction she hopes to develop over time, with each theme offering scope for further exploration.
Traditional techniques, contemporary forms
At the heart of the brand is an attempt to bring India’s traditional jewellery-making expertise into a contemporary design context.
Keya works with techniques such as Jadau, Partash, Meenakari, Gulabi Meena and Utarai, which have been developed and passed down through generations of Rajasthani artisans. These methods offer a foundation for her designs, while sculptural forms, unusual proportions and references to the natural world provide a different visual vocabulary.
“Traditional Indian craftsmanship is an artistic vocabulary that can be continuously reinterpreted rather than something that needs to remain confined to a particular aesthetic,” she says.
The process requires close collaboration with artisans in Jaipur. Translating an idea into a finished jewel involves understanding what each technique can achieve, where its limitations lie and how the design can be adapted without losing its original intent.
For Keya, craftsmanship is therefore not merely a production process. It is an integral part of the design itself. The pieces are limited and individually numbered, and their reverses are hand-painted, adding another layer of detail to the finished jewellery.
This combination of traditional techniques and contemporary design forms the basis of KEYA by Adbhut’s positioning. Rather than simply reproducing familiar styles, the label seeks to interpret Indian craftsmanship through its own artistic language.
A family legacy in jewellery
Keya’s familiarity with the industry began long before she established her label. Born in Jaipur, she grew up in a family that has been connected to the jewellery trade for generations. Her grandfather, Mohan Badhalia, founded Adbhut Jewels, which was later developed by her parents, Pankaj and Bela Badhalia.
Her father has been closely involved in sourcing rare and precious natural stones, while her mother has played an important role in jewellery design and development.
“Growing up in a jewellery family gave me an understanding of the industry that is difficult to acquire from a textbook,” says Keya. “I was exposed very early to gemstones, sourcing, manufacturing, craftsmanship and the business behind a finished piece of jewellery.”
This background gave her an early understanding of the processes involved in bringing a jewel to market, from identifying gemstones to working with artisans and developing a finished design.
However, she also wanted to understand the industry beyond the practical knowledge acquired through family experience. “I was curious about why certain gemstones are considered valuable, how provenance and rarity influence perception, and what makes a piece meaningful beyond its material value.”
While the earlier generation built its expertise around gemstones, sourcing and the jewellery trade, Keya is bringing a research-led approach and a contemporary design perspective to that foundation. She studied at Jayshree Periwal International School in Jaipur before pursuing higher education abroad.
An international perspective on luxury
Living and studying across the US, Hong Kong and Italy exposed her to different cultures, business environments and approaches to luxury and consumer behaviour. The experience also encouraged her to examine familiar questions from multiple perspectives.“It was an incredibly formative experience as I was able to study in three very different environments,” she says.
Her finance education gave her a framework for understanding an industry in which value is influenced by more than appearance alone. “Jewellery is often discussed purely in terms of beauty, but there are fascinating questions around value, rarity, provenance, supply and demand, consumer psychology and perception,” she says.
These considerations inform her understanding of the jewellery market and complement her interest in design. For her, the appeal of a jewel can extend beyond its materials to encompass its history, craftsmanship and the meaning attached to it.
Research beyond the finished jewel
Keya’s interest in the factors that shape value in luxury jewellery led to her research and book, Luxury Uncut, which examines aspects of luxury jewellery, including the influence of gemstone colour and quality.
The project also highlighted how difficult it can be for consumers to access detailed information about the products they buy. “There is so much knowledge around gemstones, treatments, sourcing and craftsmanship that can make people more informed and engaged with what they are buying,” she says.
Her research and design work address different aspects of the same industry. While research helps her examine the forces that influence value and perception, design allows her to explore how gemstones and craftsmanship can be interpreted creatively.
This combination of commercial understanding and artistic curiosity informs her approach to KEYA by Adbhut. It also reflects her interest in jewellery as a product shaped by material, technique, design and cultural context.
View this post on Instagram
From gemstones to the finished jewel
Travel has been another source of insight into the jewellery industry. Keya has accompanied her parents to jewellery exhibitions and travelled with them to places associated with gemstones. A visit to sapphire mines in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka, was particularly formative.
“Seeing gemstones in their natural environment, rather than only as finished jewellery, made me curious about everything that happens before a stone becomes part of a jewel,” she says. The experience gave her another perspective on the journey from a natural stone to a finished piece. It also reinforced her interest in understanding the processes and knowledge behind jewellery, rather than focusing exclusively on its final appearance.
Her personal preferences reflect this interest in gemstones. She is drawn to coloured stones, particularly pieces with a strong point of view or an interesting story.
“I particularly enjoy sapphires, even though Indians are so superstitious about them. Somehow, I have always been drawn to them,” she says. Growing up around jewellery made her familiar with its materials and technical aspects from an early age. Over time, however, her attention has shifted increasingly towards the character of an individual piece and the qualities that make it distinctive.
Building a distinct brand identity
With KEYA by Adbhut, Keya wants to build a body of work that brings together jewellery, contemporary art and Indian craftsmanship.
“There is so much depth within India’s craft traditions, and I see enormous potential in exploring them through contemporary forms and ideas,” she says. Her ambition is to develop the label gradually rather than constantly chase newness, allowing its visual identity and design language to evolve over time.
She also plans to expand the worlds introduced through Under the Ocean and Into the Forest, while eventually exploring new themes and narratives. Beyond designing jewellery, she intends to continue writing and researching the industry, particularly the relationships between gemstones, value, craftsmanship and the cultural histories attached to objects.
Travel, art and architecture remain important sources of inspiration. Whether visiting museums, exploring unfamiliar places or observing nature, she looks for experiences that can influence the way she thinks creatively.
For Keya, the long-term task is to build on the jewellery knowledge and craftsmanship inherited from her family while developing a recognisable identity of her own. Through KEYA by Adbhut, she is exploring how Jaipur’s artisanal traditions can find expression in contemporary jewellery without losing the knowledge and skill that underpin them.
- Follow Keya Agarwal Badhalia and KEYA by Adbhut on Instagram