Coomi "Whatever" Question Mark Pendant Set in 20 Karat Gold

To Coomi founder Coomi Bhasin, jewelry is a part of you. It’s not something you simply put on to complement an evening dress or casual day wear — jewelry is an integral part of who you are, omnipresent and completely essential. Bhasin’s designs represent a marriage of her rich cultural heritage and a fascination with archaeology and spirituality.

Bhasin’s history with jewelry goes back to her youth, during which she created her own designs as a hobby (she would eventually go on to study art history and textile design). After immigrating from India to the U.S. in 1977, she worked with her husband Hari to establish a successful construction company with the intent of passing it down to her son, Sahil. In 2002, however, members from the New York nonprofit Asia Society saw some of the accessories she made in her leisure time and commissioned her to create a collection that could be sold as part of a fundraiser. After her success with Asia Society, Sahil pushed her to pursue jewelry-making full-time, and together they have never looked back. Neiman Marcus became the company's first retailer.

“I do the fun part — design and production and travel. Sahil does everything else,” jokes Coomi Bhasin. 

Always endeavoring to push the envelope when it comes to creating contemporary jewelry designs, the family-owned Coomi combines the new with the old. In her Antiquity collection, Bhasin uses authentic artifacts such as arrowheads, ancient Roman coins and carved labradorite to create pendants, cocktail rings and other pieces. Elsewhere, as often as she is working with rose-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds in the creation of Coomi’s alluring luxury ornaments, Bhasin remains deeply connected to nature and the world around her and features the Tagua nut as an ethical substitution for ivory in the brand's offerings.

In 2004, just two years after operating Coomi on a full-time basis, Bhasin won the Diamond Promotion Service’s collaborative award with JCK magazine. Two years later she was named a rising star in fine jewelry by the Fashion Group International organization and was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2012. 

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Coomi earrings, necklaces and rings.