Glittering like a galaxy
Glittering with 17, 524 diamonds and 113 natural blue sapphires set in 14-karat gold, the āSrinikaā timepiece created by Renani Jewels of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India holds the current Guinness World Record holder for embodying the most diamonds set on a watch. (It achieved this distinction in late December, 2022.) Weighing in at 373.030 grams with 54.70 carats of natural, hand-cut diamonds, the Srinika sparkles with 1,666 more diamonds than those in the timepiece produced by the previous record holder, Hong Kongās Aaron Shum Jewelry Ltd. In accordance with the Guinness World Record organizationās guidelines, Renani provided documentation that all diamonds in āSrinikaā were sourced from producers certified by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), which prevents so-called “conflict” diamonds from entering the mainstream market.
While the design of this spectacular timepiece is alive with abstracted botanical elements and geometric angles, āSrinikaā is inspired by some of Indian mythologyās most benevolent and beloved gods and goddesses. Srinika is an ancient Indian word that means the lotus flower that blooms in the heart of Lord Vishnu. Srinika also refers to the goddess Lakshmi, who is an exalted goddess of good fortune. The Hindu god of Preservation, Vishnu is a greatly beloved and respected life force who manifests in various incarnations to provide salvation for humanity.
As Renani Jewels founder and CEO Harshit Bansal relates on the Guinness World Records website, he and his team āworked really hard for months and this watch was created with so much passionā¦One should always seek new challenges in life.ā The gem trade lab International Gemological Institute (IGI) met the āSrinikaā challenge by studying it under a microscope and certifying that the watch contains 17, 512 natural diamonds with a total estimated weight of 53.98 carats in E-F color and VVS-VS clarity, 12 treated black diamonds totaling 0.03 carat, plus a 0.72 carat natural diamond solitaire of D color and VVS clarity. IGI has previously certified other Guinness World Record holding diamond-encrusted jewels.
IGI has a history of certifying Guinness World Record-holding diamond jewelry. In July 2022, for instance, IGI certified that the āAmiā ring by Indiaās SWA Diamonds contained 24,679 diamonds. Shaped like the multi-layered oyster mushroom, which has long been esteemed worldwide as a health-enhancing, anti-aging food. āAmiā means immortality in Sanskrit, and from 2020 to 2022, Bansalās floral design āThe Ring of Prosperityā, which contained 12,000 diamonds, held the Guinness World Record for most diamonds set in a ring.
The time, artistic labor, technical finesse and patience required to conceptualize the āSrinikaā watch is impressive and perhaps obsessive. First, the initial design had to be digitally drawn, re-drawn and drawn again. After the timepiece design with 17, 512 natural white diamonds, 12 treated black diamonds and 113 sapphires was finalized, Renani Jewels recreated it in 3D as a computer-aided-design (CAD), then printed it and poured gold into the 3D mold. Having sourced 17, 512 diamonds that embody the same color, size, shape and clarity, Renani gave them to diamond setters who painstakingly placed them onto the 14-karat gold watch, which underwent five different rounds of polishing before being deemed ready for IGIās scrutiny.
Jewelers like Renani, SWA Diamonds and Aaron Shum belong to a special league of Indian high concept businesses. Indeed, few possess the vision, resources, master artisans, time or patience to design and fabricate pieces that create such jewels with such impressive, if short-lived, diamond distinctions. As Bansal told the Guinness World Records website, āI look forward to new technologies that we can merge with traditional methods of jewelry making. I believe that this technology will make the impossible, possible.ā Who knows what the future of diamond-encrusted jewelry holds? In the meantime, the āSrinikaā and similarly diamond-encrusted watches and jewels have catalyzed a super-elite, high jewelry sub-genre thatās certified by IGI, publicized by the Guinness World Records organization, and contributing scintillating chapters to the narrative of jewelry history.