More Than Jewellery: How Dishi Somani is Crafting Confidence With Dishis Jewels
📝InterviewsDishis Jewels, founded by Dishi Somani, blends handcrafted artistry with bold statement designs. In this interview, she shares her journey of building a D2C jewellery brand, the challenges of being a woman founder, and lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The Indian fashion jewellery market is booming, valued at USD 3.1 billion in 2024 and projected to reach USD 5.7 billion by 2030. In this growing D2C segment, Dishis Jewels, founded by Dishi Somani, blends handcrafted artistry with bold, statement designs. This interview references International Women’s Day while sharing her journey as a woman founder and how her brand empowers modern Indian women.
From Passion to Purpose: The Birth of Dishis Jewels
StartupTalky: Dishi Somani, what was the moment you decided to turn your passion for jewellery into Dishis Jewels, and what did those early days of building the brand actually look like?
Dishi Somani: Jewelry has never been just an accessory for me; it has been a story. The turning point came when I started designing pieces for myself and friends, and people would ask me where they could buy them. It was that validation that made me feel like there was a space for statement pieces that were bold and wearable.
When I started Dishis Designer Jewellery, there was nothing glamorous about it. I did everything myself, from sourcing raw materials to working with karigars, packing orders from home, and even answering customer emails myself. It has been a lot of trial and error, and I am sure that is what has given us the base on which we stand today.
Balancing Handcrafted Artistry with Scalability
StartupTalky: Dishis is built on handcrafted, statement jewellery made accessible to modern Indian women. How do you balance the artisan quality of handcrafted work with the scale needed to reach a wider audience?
Dishi Somani: The personal touch of handmade jewellery is that it bears the creator's imprint. Therefore, the question is how to increase the scale of this personal touch without losing the soul of the creator. In other words, how do we increase the scale of this personal touch of the creator without losing the soul of the creator?
For me, increasing the scale of the creator's personal touch doesn't mean compromising on the speed of creation. Rather, it means creating systems that support the creator's artistry.
Building Emotional Connections Over Transactions
StartupTalky: Fashion jewellery is a highly competitive segment with constant pressure on price and trend cycles. What has been Dishis Jewels’ strategy for building brand loyalty rather than just chasing transactions?
Dishi Somani: Trends may attract the customer, but the emotional connection is what retains the customer. Our strategy has been to concentrate on signature aesthetics, bold, statement pieces that reflect confidence, rather than replicating fast-moving trends from the runway.
Customer Experience is a priority for us, and we focus on thoughtful packaging, timely communication, and quality consistency. Many of our customers come back because we are associated with special occasions, weddings, festivals, and milestones in their lives. Once a brand is part of a customer’s memory, loyalty is a given.
Unique Challenges as a Woman Founder
StartupTalky: As a woman founder in the fashion and jewellery space, what unique challenges have you faced that your male counterparts in the industry likely haven’t encountered?
Dishi Somani: The difficulty that I have faced is being underestimated in a negotiation or a conversation about manufacturing. In the beginning, there have been a few situations where people have seen me as a “creative face” and not a decision-maker.
The other issue is the unwritten burden women face when trying to run a business that is also demanding. However, I feel that being a woman in a jewellery business is actually an advantage for me. I design for women because I understand how jewellery makes women feel: powerful and expressive.
Emotion-Driven Design Philosophy
StartupTalky: How do you approach design, is it trend-led, customer-led, or something else, and how do you know when a piece is ready for the market?
Dishi Somani: My design philosophy is emotion-driven before it’s trend-driven. I ask myself, does it make a statement when you wear it? Does it elevate an ordinary outfit into something else?
Customer response has been key to what works for us. We listen to what works in terms of silhouette and finish. I personally wear each piece before launch to check how comfortable it is, how it balances in terms of weight, and how versatile it is for styling. It’s ready to be made if it excites me repeatedly, not just once, and if it feels like it fits with our aesthetic of bold elegance.
The Gap Between Artistry and Entrepreneurship
StartupTalky: What has scaling a D2C jewellery brand taught you about the gap between making great products and building a great business?
Dishi Somani: While making beautiful pieces of jewellery is one part of it, scaling has also taught me that logistics, inventory management, marketing strategies, and financial discipline are all important.
There’s a big difference between being artistic and being entrepreneurial. You may have incredible designs, but without proper fulfillment strategies, customer service strategies, and digital presence strategies, scaling may be inconsistent.
Building a business is all about being structured as much as it’s about being creative.
Advice for Aspiring Women Creatives
StartupTalky: What would you tell a young woman who has a creative passion and wants to turn it into a business but isn’t sure how to start?
Dishi Somani: So, start small but start serious. Test it out on a small number of things and then refine it continually. You don’t have to make a huge investment to start something; you just have to make it clear, consistent, and courageous.
The most important thing is not to seek validation. If your passion has a purpose or an emotion associated with it, then there is a space for it. It is going to be a hard journey, but creating something of your own is very empowering. Creativity can receive a huge boost if combined with discipline and confidence.
Sakshi Jadhav