This Designer Turns Her Precious Memories Into Stunning Jewellery Collections
From inherited treasures to travel-inspired designs, Henna Anil Thadani creates and collects jewellery that is rooted in memory, sentiment and quiet permanence.
By Brandon Chia - published
The most collectable jewellery doesn’t have to be flashy. It’s the necklace we reach for instinctively before walking out the door, or the rings we fidget with all day. Value doesn’t just lie in its beauty, but in how it makes us feel. Henna Anil Thadani, founder of Del Rio Jewels, knows this distinction well.
Henna Thadani wears a mix of fine jewellery from brands like Cartier with her own creations.
“A necklace with my sons’ names in Hindi became something I felt I needed to have on me at all times. It carries both my language and what I hold most precious. That’s when jewellery stopped feeling decorative and became something protective—almost like a second skin,” says Thadani, who sees jewellery as a kind of armour.
That philosophy runs through her personal collection, where the pieces that endure are tied to family and identity. Among her most treasured possessions is a champagne diamond ring passed down from her grandmother to Thadani’s mother, and then to her on her eighteenth birthday.
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Thadani’s most precious pieces featuring diamonds and emeralds, as well as a custom necklace with the names of her three sons in Hindi and an heirloom ring from her grandmother (in the purple box).
“My grandmother was deeply special to me. So to wear something that her father, who was also a jeweller in the 1950s, gave her feels less like owning jewellery and more like holding a living memory. It defines my collection in many ways—pieces that are not just beautiful, but deeply rooted in story,” says Thadani.
Then there is a two-tone Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, gifted by her husband after the birth of their third son. “It was such a meaningful gesture—an epic push present, but also a way to console me for never being able to have a daughter,” explains Thadani.
Together, these storied pieces reveal a style shaped by the interplay of past and present. Thadani is drawn to heirlooms as much as the contemporary, travel-inspired pieces she designs for her own brand.
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Thadani’s personal creations atop her sketchbook, which showcases early readers of custom gem cuts that will be used for future collections.
“The Margherita earrings from the Italy Collection were inspired by my time in Napoli, eating endless pizzas at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele. The slices were so large they never folded neatly—just softly at the corners—and that imperfect, organic shape became the starting point for the design,” says Thadani. That dialogue continues in Istanbul, where her designs take final shape in the hands of artisans, each piece gaining depth, texture and a sense of heritage.
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“For me, it’s about human touch and time. Pieces aren’t rushed—they’re adjusted, refined,” says Thadani. “It’s the small, almost invisible decisions made by people with years of skill that elevate a piece. True craftsmanship has nuance, and you can feel it when you wear it.”
Art Direction: Alice Chua
Photography: Isabelle Seah
Makeup and Hair: Grego using Charlotte Tilbury and Revlon Professional