Ambika Thandavan – Jury Video – JDADA 2019

JD Annual Design Awards is around the corner, the JEDIIIANS have just done with their External Jury. Ambika Thandavan, Head Jewellery Designer at Ganjam studio who was part of the Jury panel for Jewellery Department shares her experience about the collection.

Brief About the Theme

This year’s theme is Curator. We’re inspiring and guiding the design aspirants to become expert, obsessive and articulate curators of ideas you care about. The traditional definition of a curator is someone who takes care of a museum collection. The modern definition of a curator is someone who cares for something enough to study it, collect it, improve on it significantly and communicate it interestingly before an audience. A modern-day curator is a bridge between the idea he is passionate about and an audience eager to know more about the idea. He or she lives and breathes the cause. And the cause isn’t limited to the professional sphere. They actively live the philosophy. It enters all walks of life. That’s why they get the most creative, innovative and resonant ideas.

About Ambika Thandavan

Head Jewellery Designer at Gangam Studio with an inherent passion towards Design and Innovation

Qualified in Accessory Design with a specialisation in jewellery from NIFT Gandhinagar, Ambika also holds a Masters in Design Management from Birmingham City University in the UK.

With over a decade of work experience in the fine jewellery industry in India, Hong Kong, Dubai and UK through full-time roles that include heading and mentoring design teams as well as design projects catering to diverse consumer aesthetics, she believes that design is beyond creative expression- it is a thought process that can bring about change, both functional and aesthetic.

The conceptualisation, design and development of themed jewellery collections and high-value bespoke pieces using diamonds and gemstones are of special interest to her. Ambika has also participated in several design contests and won awards, including the President’sTrophy for her design of a cuff titled ‘Duet’ in the International Division of the IPDC 2018-19, an annual pearl jjewellery design contest conducted by the Cultured Pearl Association of America. She currently heads the Design Studio of Ganjam, a renowned fine jewellery brand in Bangalore, India. 

Thank you ms Ambika for being a part of our external jury member.