Why I Started Style of Meraki

In 2003, my husband started a coloured gemstone business, supplying stones to jewellery factories. When I began working alongside him, I knew very little about gemstones. I had so much to learn.

Slowly, I started understanding the stones, asking questions and noticing their colours and differences. What began as helping with the business became a personal interest. The more I learned, the more I wanted to work with them.

The idea for Style of Meraki came when I saw a friend buying expensive artificial jewellery. I kept thinking about it afterwards. If we could create jewellery with natural gemstones at a similar price, why weren’t more women being offered that choice?

I wanted to fill that gap. I wanted women to be able to choose something real and beautiful without feeling it was beyond their budget.

That thought became Style of Meraki.

But believing in an idea yourself and getting others to believe in it are two very different things. At first, it was difficult. People were familiar with artificial jewellery, and introducing something different took time. I had to explain what I was making and why I felt it was worth considering.

I worked on designs that gave natural gemstones the precious look I knew they deserved. I wanted women to love how a piece looked first, and then feel happy knowing what they were wearing.

My first exhibitions were at home. From there, I began exhibiting at different places across Mumbai. Gradually, people started accepting the jewellery. They liked the designs, and seeing them choose my pieces gave me the courage to keep going.

Then came another challenge: taking the business online.

I was never a technical person. Instagram, posting, promoting products, and building a website were all unfamiliar to me. But I could see that there were people I would never meet through exhibitions alone.

So I learned. Little by little, I started posting our jewellery, understanding Instagram, and putting effort into the website. It took patience, and there was a lot I had to figure out along the way.

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By God’s grace, those efforts have brought Style of Meraki recognition beyond what I could reach in person. Today, our jewellery goes to customers across India and abroad. It still makes me happy to think that something I have created can reach a woman living so far away.

For a long time, I carried much of this work myself. Today, I have a team working with me. We are taking part in exhibitions across India, including the South, while continuing to grow online.

When I look back, I remember how little I knew when I first began. I remember the effort it took to introduce the jewellery, and then the effort of learning an entirely new way of doing business.

What makes it worthwhile is seeing women happy wearing our pieces. That feeling has stayed with me through every stage.

If you visit our website, you will see the jewellery we have worked so hard to create. Behind it is a simple wish that started years ago: to make natural gemstone jewellery something more women could afford, enjoy, and make their own.

– Written by Sapnna Chordia, founder of Style of Meraki, whose journey with gemstones began in 2003 and evolved into a passion for creating meaningful, accessible jewellery. With a focus on natural gemstones, beauty, and purpose, Sapnna creates pieces that reflect individuality, intention, and the energy of the stones.