Sapna Khandelwal - Founder - Re-Do Jewellery
Not every business starts with big dreams or plans. Sometimes, there is no valuation, investor decks or viral campaigns. Just a moment that leaves you unsettled. A moment that lingers in your conscience and simply refuses to let you look away.
Jewellery Architect Sapna Khandelwal’s story began this way too. Over the years, she watched family after family walk into her jewellery store asking to melt down their ancestral jewellery. Gold or silver that carried generations of memory, emotion, and artistry melted to be replaced with something “sleek” and “modern”. It didn’t sit right with her. Something about it felt like watching history dissolve, erasing a part of who we are.
Don’t melt the past. Reimagine & Redesign it — that’s how legacy lives on.
She wasn’t trying to build a business. What she wanted was to protect those memories, those stories, and the brilliance of the Indian craftsmanship. That desire grew into RE-DO Jewellery, a studio where old jewellery is given new life. But even that is an oversimplification, because what’s happening inside RE-DO is a revival
of craft. In a world that’s always chasing the next new thing, Sapna chose to protect what came before. And in doing so, she created something timeless.
We meet many people every day. But once in a while, you meet someone who leaves a lasting impression simply by how they are, and Sapna Khandelwal is one of them. A glamorous woman and a true head-turner in her beautifully draped sarees, striking jewellery, and signature big bindi, her presence is unmistakable. But beyond the visual charm lies something far deeper. Intelligence and a quiet confidence. A stillness in the way she carries herself. What truly stays with you is how grounded she is. But the calm she carries today is built upon the moments that were anything but.
Back in 1994, long before RE-DO ever existed, her parental home in Mumbai was broken into by six armed men. Over fifteen house guests were still home that day after a pooja the previous night. Suddenly, they — along with her immediate family and six-year-old son — were held at gunpoint. In that moment of unimaginable terror, some unknown shakti within her awakened. She stood between the danger and her family, fighting back barehanded. Soon her father joined her, and somehow, by what she still calls “divine grace”, they all survived.
Sapna was applauded for her bravery, but deep within, she was shattered. In those dark and uncertain days, she turned inward, seeking solace in the timeless wisdom of the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. The teachings of her Gurus, who explained the shastras in a simple and practical way, became her anchor and transformed her. They gave her a lifelong mission: to live and lead by Sanatan Dharma, with integrity and inner strength.
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life. Dream of it, live on it. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, and every part of your body be full of that idea.” — Swami Vivekananda. That philosophy stayed with her. It grew with her. And years later, when she found herself watching clients walk into her jewellery store, requesting ancestral pieces to be melted down into “modern” designs, something shifted again. That was when she knew her true calling. RE-DO wasn’t created just to redesign jewellery but to preserve everything to do with Bhartiyata, the values behind them, the karigar’s legacy, the client’s emotion, and the stories our elders wore with pride.
Business runs in Sapna Khandelwal’s blood. She comes from a family where her father, despite holding fabulous jobs in Mumbai, Nairobi & London, had an entrepreneurial streak. He was always experimenting with new ventures alongside his work — a trait that quietly shaped her thinking from a young age.
But it wasn’t just business acumen that influenced her. Sapna was equally inspired by her glamorous and spirited mother — always draped in lovely sarees, adorned with stylish jewellery, and a bold bindi. Despite not completing school or knowing English, her mother taught herself the language by asking Sapna and her brother to speak with her, testing her own usage with grace and determination. That fearless hunger to grow — without shame or apology — became one of Sapna’s earliest lessons in resilience.
Naturally, as a little girl, she was mesmerised by her mother’s jewellery — the clinking bangles, the heirloom kundan, the beautiful necklaces and the grace of tradition wrapped in six yards of elegance. These images left a lasting imprint, quietly seeding Sapna’s lifelong love for traditional craft and design.
Then came the year 1985, and everything changed. At just 19, while in second-year college, studying microbiology at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai, Sapna got married into a large and affluent joint family in Delhi. Four generations, 25 people under one roof with a single kitchen, and a completely different world full of tradition, values, and community living which shaped her deeply.
That same year, her father made a bold leap. He left engineering behind and entered the world of gemstones and diamond trading in London, eventually setting up a diamond cutting and polishing unit in Mumbai. Sapna would spend hours beside the karigars, watching rough stones transform into brilliance. She didn’t know it then, but the seeds of her future were being sown. “In most homes, diamonds come after babies,” she says with a laugh. “In mine, they came together and taught me how to juggle sparkle and sleepless nights.”
Though her father and brother would eventually guide her into diamond wholesale and trading, jewellery was a legacy she chose to build for herself. She started small, with a boutique supplying sarees and blouses across Delhi. But her inner voice always pointed to something more meaningful. With quiet encouragement from her husband and the unwavering support of her mother-in-law—who lovingly managed the large joint family home—Sapna was free to spread her wings. Alongside her father and brother, she launched Bond Street Jewellers in Khan Market, New Delhi. Balancing motherhood and tradition, Sapna formally trained in diamond grading and design at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). But founding RE-DO JEWELLERY was different. It gave her the chance to bring together everything she valued: tradition, ethics, and creativity.
Initially, convincing clients not to melt their ancestral jewellery was a challenge in itself. She had to slowly shift mindsets and help people see the emotional and cultural value in what they already owned. “Every difficulty refined my vision. Every ‘no’ became a new challenge, a new offering,”
says Sapna.
One such offering stands out: for a client’s 50th anniversary, RE-DO crafted a single necklace using 26 individual pieces of jewellery gifted over the years, each one holding personal sentiment. Without melting a single jewel, her team created what the client called “A Necklace of Memories”. Tears flowed. For Sapna, that was the reward.
“We don’t just work with gold. We work with what’s eternal: memory, emotion, and dharma.” Today, at RE-DO Jewellery, she doesn’t just design. She listens, she revives, she restores. “My role as a Jewellery Architect is to honour what was, embrace what is, and build what can be.”
At RE-DO, every design begins with a deep sense of respect for the heritage. Sapna describes the brand’s style as “quietly regal”. Rooted in Vedic geometry, temple motifs, and traditional forms, the jewellery is reimagined
to suit modern life.
Sapna recalls a client who brought in an old ring, unaware of an inscription inside, her grandfather’s name and wedding date from 1932. “Each piece is a story between past and present, not just of beauty, but of belonging,” she says.
What makes RE-DO Jewellery stand apart is its deep respect for stories. The studio’s work revolves around a clear philosophy: don’t melt the past, reimagine it; honour the story behind the sparkle; and let ethics be the real luxury. RE-DO stands for Revival, Respect, and Righteousness.
Repairing treasured pieces with care — that’s our craft and calling.
That means reviving heirlooms, Indian karigari, and forgotten crafts, respecting emotion, heritage and sustainable luxury, and righteousness in business where dharma guides every decision.
Each piece brought in by a client is treated with care, both emotionally and materially. Rooted in Sanatan values but modern in its thinking, RE-DO offers clients a fresh and meaningful way to see their own jewellery. The studio’s ethical process ensures clients never overpay or undervalue what they already own.
The brand works with gold, diamond, polki, kundan, and silver, but as Sapna often says, their true raw materials are integrity and intention.
Heirloom Redesign: Preserving and transforming traditional gold, diamond, polki, kundan, and diamond pieces
Repair & Cleaning: Fixing broken jewellery with finesse. Rhodium polishing tarnished jewellery.
Customisation: Co-designing with the client, according to their preferences
Kundan Collection: Limited-edition, in-house crafted pieces
Station Necklaces: Stylish, travel-friendly luxury
Solitaire Extensions: Elegant, affordable detachable addons for your solitaires
Jewellery Examination: From legacy understanding to redesign planning
RE-DO treats every piece of jewellery as a story waiting to be told again. At RE-DO, no piece is ever ‘waste’. The studio carefully redesigns heirlooms to keep their soul intact while making them wearable and relevant today.
A broken bangle becomes the base for a statement ring. An outgrown necklace is thoughtfully transformed into elegant earrings. Missing stones are carefully reset, and designs are refined for everyday wear. With deep respect for both the craftsmanship and emotion of the original piece, Sapna helps clients reconnect with their heritage.
Sapna juggles many roles: mother, grandmother, entrepreneur, revivalist, community leader and a powerful voice reviving Bhartiya Sanskriti.
Her journey is marked by several key milestones and recognitions:
Founder of ‘Carat Plus’ (1998)
Founder of ‘RE-DO JEWELLERY’ (2008)
Creator of the ‘India Saree Challenge’, a Facebook group with over 25,000 members worldwide to motivate women to drape our saree heritage (2015)
Author of the self-help motivational Amazon bestseller, ‘Unleash the Shakti Within’ (2019)
Co-founder of ‘Devditi Foundation’, focusing on cultural revival and women empowerment (2015)
Creator of the ‘Vedic Footprints’ YouTube channel, where she has conducted over 450 sessions on the Valmiki Ramayana and Mahabharata (2020)
Author of more than 100 articles, including poems
National Chairperson for Reviving Traditions at the ‘All Ladies League’
Life Member of ‘Ficci Ladies Organisation’
These achievements reflect her commitment to tradition, culture, and empowerment, alongside her work in luxury jewellery.
Sapna draws her strength and inspiration from multiple sources. Her gurus, her parents, and the ancient wisdom of Bharat’s shastras serve as her guiding compass. She also finds immense power in her joint family of ten, where four generations have lived together under one roof, sharing not just a kitchen, but values, responsibilities, and deep bonds.
From being a young bride living with her in-laws to becoming the matriarch of a vibrant multigenerational household, Sapna’s journey has been defined by quiet strength and unwavering responsibility. She lovingly raised not only her own son and daughter but also her brother-in-law’s two young children—a son and a daughter—after the untimely passing of their mother 25 years ago. Together, the joint family nurtured all four children into confident, compassionate adults. Today, the two daughters are happily married with children of their own, while the two sons and their wives live with Sapna, her husband, and his elder brother—now raising four little grandchildren under one joyful roof.
As she puts it, “Leadership begins at home, where humility, wisdom, and responsibility are practised, not preached in everyday living.” Her home stands as a living embodiment of that philosophy—rooted in love, resilience, and seamless leadership flowing gracefully across generations. She often quotes the Bhagavad Gita:
Jewellery Customisation isn’t just a trend — it’s our timeless tradition
“Whatever a great person does, others follow. Whatever standard they set, the world pursues”.
Sapna says, “If one wishes to become a true role model, one must walk the talk—living with integrity, not merely preaching values, but embodying them in every action.”
As the world of jewellery continues to evolve, RE-DO remains focused
on the future.
Sapna believes the next phase of jewellery will be deeply personal and deeply conscious. “We’re entering a time where tradition and technology will go hand in hand,” she says. Jewellery will carry blockchain-certified provenance to digital heirloom cards and personalised family story integration. Imagine a bangle embedded with a QR code that reveals your family’s legacy, a photo archive or handwritten notes. Another key shift is what Sapna calls spiritual fine jewellery for inner alignment. “We’ll see more custom consultations offering spiritually aligned designs based on Vedic astrology and intention setting.”
The idea of circular luxury is also gaining ground. Instead of buying new, clients are repurposing what they already have, rearchitecting old jewellery into timeless, wearable heirlooms.
RE-DO is already preparing for this future. Its upcoming Virtual Design Lab will serve NRI clients across the globe with bespoke redesigns, video consultations, CAD previews, and international shipping. The Legacy Locker will bring digital storytelling to every piece, complete with QR codes and written narratives.
Workshops for the next generation are also on the way, focused on conscious entrepreneurship, business ethics, and traditional crafts. And through collaborations with forgotten artisan clusters, from Rajasthan’s meenakars to Bengal’s filigree karigars, RE-DO hopes to preserve rare techniques while creating sustainable livelihoods. “In five years”, Sapna says, “I see RE-DO as India’s most trusted legacy revival studio, a destination for conscious luxury, cultural confidence, and ethical elegance.”
Sapna’s advice to emerging entrepreneurs in luxury is simple and heartfelt:
“You don’t need a fancy degree. I never finished college but kept learning daily. If I could walk this path, despite trauma, early marriage, and not finishing formal education, so can you.”
One lesson Sapna wishes she’d learnt sooner? “Less is more.” Early in her journey, she overwhelmed clients with options. Today, like an architect, she offers one or two powerful directions rooted in clarity, story, and style. “True mastery”, she says, “is knowing what not to do.” She encourages others to focus on their craft and skills, choosing wisely because “they shape your life”. According to her, letting dharma guide decisions is key. “You don’t have to choose between family and ambition. Blend both. And most importantly, trust is your real currency while doing business.”
Sapna often speaks about kartavya (duty) over entitlement. She believes that true empowerment comes not from demanding rights but from fulfilling one’s responsibilities toward family, society, and nation.
“Honour the roots, nurture the future — that is your sacred duty to your ancestors & Bharat.”
As the Founder-CEO of RE-DO JEWELLERY, Sapna does much more than run a business; she runs a movement. A movement rooted in values that go far beyond aesthetics:
Sustainability: “Why mine more gold when so much lies unused in our own homes?” she asks. RE-DO promotes conscious consumption, redefining luxury through reuse.
Sentiment over Speed: In an age of fast fashion and disposable designs, Sapna slows down the process to honour the emotional weight jewellery carries.
Affordability with Meaning: By transforming existing pieces, clients avoid spending lakhs on new jewellery while gaining something far more valuable: a connection to their legacy.
“Jewellery has memory. When you redesign it, you’re not just changing form. You’re releasing energy. You’re honouring history,” she shares. This philosophy has its roots in Sapna’s deep grounding in Indian wisdom, particularly the Bhagavad Gita. Her mantra echoes its teachings: “Yogah karmasu kaushalam” — “Yoga is excellence in action.” This pursuit of excellence, whether in design, duty, or daily life, has been her north star.
“People today endlessly complain about money, unhappiness, bad relationships, or life not going their way,” she says. “My mantra is simple: NO COMPLAINTS. Instead, get up, work, and do something constructive to overcome your problems. Focus on solutions. Live with a smile, with enthusiasm, and with a deep sense of gratitude.”
She believes in contributing to the well-being of others—being a giver, bringing a smile, helping in whichever way she can, and reviving whatever she can.
“I’m just a medium,” she says humbly. “Certain initiatives and services are meant to flow through me to bring glory to our rashtra Bharat and to benefit others.”
“This attitude permeates not just her business but her life.
“In our times, everyone’s obsessed with their rights. But rights come only when you’ve fulfilled your duties,” she says, echoing Swami Vivekananda: “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.”
Her vision is firmly rooted in legacy, but her gaze is future-forward. From innovating solitaire extension pieces to fine silver station necklaces, reimagining bridal sets for Gen Z brides, Sapna blends tradition with trend effortlessly.“Every woman deserves to feel proud of her past and excited for her future,” Sapna says. And that’s exactly what RE-DO helps them do, one jewel at a time.
After all, when a piece is RE-Done, it’s not just jewellery that shines. It’s you.
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