While some are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, Vihari Sheth-Poddar’s utensil is of the diamond pave variety. The mother-of-three is a fourth-generation jeweller and the woman behind Vihari Jewels, the brand with an experiential store at Paragon.
However, if you’re expecting a personality that will fit right in with the rest of the Bling Empire cast, you’d be sorely disappointed (although she does count Kane Lim as a dear friend).
Within minutes of our conversation, it is apparent that she is as grounded as they get – an attribute she credits to her 60-year-old father, Rajesh Sheth, who founded the diamond manufacturer, House of Gems.
“My father is one of the biggest mentors I have in my life,” the 37-year-old told CNA Women. “He came from nothing. He had to drop out of school at age 15 and start working to feed the whole family – his parents, four siblings and himself.”
A HERITAGE IN GEMS
Poddar’s grandfather, the son of a domestic diamond trader, was a private auctioneer who dealt in Mughal antiques and jewellery. But tragedy struck in the late 1970s when her grandmother became paralysed after a stroke.
Unable to afford a nurse, and with her grandfather having to care extensively for his wife, Poddar’s father assumed responsibility for the family as the eldest son. He became a sweeper and chai boy for his uncle, who was a prominent diamond manufacturer in India then.
Vihari Jewels founder Vihari Sheth-Poddar as child, with her grandparents. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
He rose from a humble sweeper to a trusted diamond broker who travelled the world. He then headed to Singapore with nothing but a S$2,000 loan from his father and the contacts he made while working for his uncle.
“He stayed at Serangoon Road, in one of those hostels with tiny rooms and a communal toilet,” she said.
A "CRAZY" EDUCATION: LESSONS WITH HER DAD
Only after two years did Poddar’s father buy his first apartment along Selegie Road before bringing her mother and herself (then, just a six-month-old baby) over from Mumbai. That was in 1986, the year that he founded House of Gems.
“I remember when I was about 12, we went to Serangoon Road because someone wanted to buy something from him. (After the sale), he took me on a bus with S$5 million in those S$10,000 notes. It was so scary!” she recounted.
“He told me never to look like you have money when you have money, and we went straight to DBS to bank it in. After that, all he said was: ‘Now I can take you all on a nice vacation’.
“He gave me a crazy education that my school couldn’t give me. But (it’s incidents like these that) define you as a person; it makes you who you are today.”
Vihari Jewels founder Vihari Sheth-Poddar with her father, House of Gems founder Rajesh Sheth. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
Other life lessons occurred when she travelled with her father to trade shows across the globe, which she did extensively during school breaks. “Sometimes I would ask myself: 'What am I doing here?' I didn’t realise then that he was exposing me to whatever he had access to at that point in his life.
“I learnt how to negotiate, bargain and never be embarrassed by rejection just from seeing him at work. He taught me business, but these are life lessons as well.”
SELLING HER FIRST PIECE OF JEWELLERY AT 15
Poddar lost no time putting those lessons to work. At 15, her mother moved her brother and her to the Singapore American School because of how badly her brother fared at PSLE.
“It was hard for me because I was so Singaporean, and here I was, moving to an American school. How do you connect (at that age)? I had no friends,” she said.
However, that fateful change in circumstances saw her selling her first piece of jewellery that same year.
When she learnt that her English teacher was looking for a diamond engagement ring from a designer jewellery store, Poddar promised her a better deal. The following week, the teacher and her fiance visited her father’s office, saw the bespoke diamond ring Poddar had designed for her and bought it on the spot.
It was a S$20,000 ring from which she received her first commission of S$2,000. It didn’t take long for word to spread, and soon Poddar found herself selling jewellery to several of her teachers.
A ROAD PAVED WITH GOLD
Thus, began a journey that would see her attending the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for two and a half years to learn everything about the business, despite being offered “two to three” university scholarships.
“I rejected them because I already knew what I wanted to do. That’s why I chose GIA because it’s very practical.”
Vihari Jewels founder Vihari Sheth-Poddar started her business with a S$100,000 loan from her father, which she repaid in full. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
Still, it wasn’t until her first attendance at the Tatler Ball that she started to realise the possibilities. “It was my first invite, and I was so underdressed and shabby.
“As a fresh 20-year-old, I didn’t even know who Oscar de la Renta was. When I found out, I thought if these people can afford S$30,000 gowns, then surely they can buy jewellery, right? I knew there was a market and wondered: How do we penetrate that?”
Her answer was to ship herself to Florence, Italy, for a year and a half to learn the finer craft of goldsmithing.
“PEOPLE DON’T SEE THE BATTLES I HAVE TO FACE”
“People think I am spoiled and that I’ve lived off my dad. They don’t know that I borrowed S$100,000 from him for my business at age 20 and repaid him every single cent – interest-free, of course. I’ve taken nothing from him since,” she said.
“I am very thankful for him, but everything (to do with my business) is me. People don’t see the battles that I’ve faced. It hasn’t been easy. All I can do is hold my ground and keep going.”
Vihari Jewels founder Vihari Sheth-Poddar married husband Abhishek Poddar in 2011 and moved to Mumbai, India for a few years. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
In 2011, Poddar married Abhishek Poddar, the 37-year-old founder of menswear e-commerce site Mr Square, and third-generation scion of Siyaram Silk Mills (one of India’s top fabric manufacturers).
She relocated to Mumbai, India, at his family’s wishes, and for the next three years, shuffled back and forth between the two countries to tend to her Singapore-based clients and business.
She discovered she was pregnant with her first child, daughter Kiara who turned nine years old in July. Despite the cloistered life of extreme luxury offered in Mumbai (her husband comes from a prominent family in India), Poddar realised that it was not what she wanted for her daughter.
Vihari and Abhishek with their children (from left), son Dhrissh, youngest child Veera and eldest daughter Kiara. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
“When I was pregnant, I was like: 'This is it. I’m going back to Singapore because I don’t want my kid living like this'. I told my husband, I’m sorry, but I’m out. If you want to come (back with me), then come. If not, then okay. I just wanted (my daughter) to grow up like I did with the world, not isolated like in Mumbai.”
So she relocated back to Singapore and for the next four years, it was her husband who moved back and forth. When Poddar became pregnant with their second child (their son Dhrissh, who is six this year), he decided to call Singapore home.
HOME TO CALL ONE’S OWN
Ask her what her greatest challenge has been, and she’ll cite the opening of her Paragon store in November 2021 – amidst a pandemic and just six months after the birth of her third child, Veera.
She explained: “The store is just like a baby. When you don’t give it time, it falls sick. It has been a life-changing decision, and it was the toughest for me. Again, the timing could have been better, but you just have to brave up and keep going.”
Prior to this, Vihari Jewels was operating out of a small Ngee Ann City office, catering to a select few in the know. Then, the opportunity at Paragon came.
“Paragon approached my father, and he said to me: ‘It’s a good deal, let’s take it’. He’s a go-getter; he would have gone ahead either way,” she recounted.
The viewing gallery at Vihari Jewels in Paragon, where rare gemstones are on display. (Photo: Vihari Jewels)
“But this store has given my brand the elevation it needs. When people come in, they see the store’s aesthetics and my jewellery, and are impressed. My pieces got the recognition that they’ve never gotten before.”
MEANING OF LIFE
Glittering store aside, Poddar has also started channelling her efforts into other projects – thanks, once again, to her father’s influence. “His motto in life: The more you give, the more you will receive blessings. And that’s where I am today.
“Selling jewellery is transactional, and as I grow older, I find myself wanting to do something that has more meaning. I want to do something that will leave something good of me behind.”
“I want to be able to give back,” says Poddar – the proceeds from one of her collections, Bold, go towards helping women in need. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
Consequently, for the past two years, Poddar has donated 10 per cent of her total revenue for May to organisations like Pregnancy Singapore and HCSA Dayspring SPIN, and she plans to work with Hatch+ soon – “small, meaningful organisations” that help pregnant women and mothers.
“After my third child, with the pandemic and the store, I had (postnatal depression) for about a year. I know I was able to go through it in luxury. What about mothers who don’t have the same luxury?”
Her latest collection, Bold, was launched in May for the same purpose. Crafted by women artisans, it features jewellery “for women, by women”, with proceeds going towards helping women who need it. “What is money but another vacation for me and my kids? I want to be able to give back.”
So what is next for the jeweller?
“I have some decisions to make when the lease runs out next November,” she said. “But I’m not fixated on anything because things are always changing. Maybe this is just a stage of life that I have to see, and until then, I will make the best of it.”
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...
However, if you’re expecting a personality that will fit right in with the rest of the Bling Empire cast, you’d be sorely disappointed (although she does count Kane Lim as a dear friend).
Within minutes of our conversation, it is apparent that she is as grounded as they get – an attribute she credits to her 60-year-old father, Rajesh Sheth, who founded the diamond manufacturer, House of Gems.
“My father is one of the biggest mentors I have in my life,” the 37-year-old told CNA Women. “He came from nothing. He had to drop out of school at age 15 and start working to feed the whole family – his parents, four siblings and himself.”
Related:
A HERITAGE IN GEMS
Poddar’s grandfather, the son of a domestic diamond trader, was a private auctioneer who dealt in Mughal antiques and jewellery. But tragedy struck in the late 1970s when her grandmother became paralysed after a stroke.
Unable to afford a nurse, and with her grandfather having to care extensively for his wife, Poddar’s father assumed responsibility for the family as the eldest son. He became a sweeper and chai boy for his uncle, who was a prominent diamond manufacturer in India then.
Vihari Jewels founder Vihari Sheth-Poddar as child, with her grandparents. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
He rose from a humble sweeper to a trusted diamond broker who travelled the world. He then headed to Singapore with nothing but a S$2,000 loan from his father and the contacts he made while working for his uncle.
“He stayed at Serangoon Road, in one of those hostels with tiny rooms and a communal toilet,” she said.
A "CRAZY" EDUCATION: LESSONS WITH HER DAD
Only after two years did Poddar’s father buy his first apartment along Selegie Road before bringing her mother and herself (then, just a six-month-old baby) over from Mumbai. That was in 1986, the year that he founded House of Gems.
“I remember when I was about 12, we went to Serangoon Road because someone wanted to buy something from him. (After the sale), he took me on a bus with S$5 million in those S$10,000 notes. It was so scary!” she recounted.
“He told me never to look like you have money when you have money, and we went straight to DBS to bank it in. After that, all he said was: ‘Now I can take you all on a nice vacation’.
“He gave me a crazy education that my school couldn’t give me. But (it’s incidents like these that) define you as a person; it makes you who you are today.”
Vihari Jewels founder Vihari Sheth-Poddar with her father, House of Gems founder Rajesh Sheth. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
Other life lessons occurred when she travelled with her father to trade shows across the globe, which she did extensively during school breaks. “Sometimes I would ask myself: 'What am I doing here?' I didn’t realise then that he was exposing me to whatever he had access to at that point in his life.
“I learnt how to negotiate, bargain and never be embarrassed by rejection just from seeing him at work. He taught me business, but these are life lessons as well.”
SELLING HER FIRST PIECE OF JEWELLERY AT 15
Poddar lost no time putting those lessons to work. At 15, her mother moved her brother and her to the Singapore American School because of how badly her brother fared at PSLE.
“It was hard for me because I was so Singaporean, and here I was, moving to an American school. How do you connect (at that age)? I had no friends,” she said.
However, that fateful change in circumstances saw her selling her first piece of jewellery that same year.
When she learnt that her English teacher was looking for a diamond engagement ring from a designer jewellery store, Poddar promised her a better deal. The following week, the teacher and her fiance visited her father’s office, saw the bespoke diamond ring Poddar had designed for her and bought it on the spot.
It was a S$20,000 ring from which she received her first commission of S$2,000. It didn’t take long for word to spread, and soon Poddar found herself selling jewellery to several of her teachers.
A ROAD PAVED WITH GOLD
Thus, began a journey that would see her attending the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for two and a half years to learn everything about the business, despite being offered “two to three” university scholarships.
“I rejected them because I already knew what I wanted to do. That’s why I chose GIA because it’s very practical.”
Vihari Jewels founder Vihari Sheth-Poddar started her business with a S$100,000 loan from her father, which she repaid in full. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
Still, it wasn’t until her first attendance at the Tatler Ball that she started to realise the possibilities. “It was my first invite, and I was so underdressed and shabby.
“As a fresh 20-year-old, I didn’t even know who Oscar de la Renta was. When I found out, I thought if these people can afford S$30,000 gowns, then surely they can buy jewellery, right? I knew there was a market and wondered: How do we penetrate that?”
Her answer was to ship herself to Florence, Italy, for a year and a half to learn the finer craft of goldsmithing.
“PEOPLE DON’T SEE THE BATTLES I HAVE TO FACE”
“People think I am spoiled and that I’ve lived off my dad. They don’t know that I borrowed S$100,000 from him for my business at age 20 and repaid him every single cent – interest-free, of course. I’ve taken nothing from him since,” she said.
“I am very thankful for him, but everything (to do with my business) is me. People don’t see the battles that I’ve faced. It hasn’t been easy. All I can do is hold my ground and keep going.”
Vihari Jewels founder Vihari Sheth-Poddar married husband Abhishek Poddar in 2011 and moved to Mumbai, India for a few years. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
In 2011, Poddar married Abhishek Poddar, the 37-year-old founder of menswear e-commerce site Mr Square, and third-generation scion of Siyaram Silk Mills (one of India’s top fabric manufacturers).
She relocated to Mumbai, India, at his family’s wishes, and for the next three years, shuffled back and forth between the two countries to tend to her Singapore-based clients and business.
She discovered she was pregnant with her first child, daughter Kiara who turned nine years old in July. Despite the cloistered life of extreme luxury offered in Mumbai (her husband comes from a prominent family in India), Poddar realised that it was not what she wanted for her daughter.
Vihari and Abhishek with their children (from left), son Dhrissh, youngest child Veera and eldest daughter Kiara. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
“When I was pregnant, I was like: 'This is it. I’m going back to Singapore because I don’t want my kid living like this'. I told my husband, I’m sorry, but I’m out. If you want to come (back with me), then come. If not, then okay. I just wanted (my daughter) to grow up like I did with the world, not isolated like in Mumbai.”
So she relocated back to Singapore and for the next four years, it was her husband who moved back and forth. When Poddar became pregnant with their second child (their son Dhrissh, who is six this year), he decided to call Singapore home.
Related:
HOME TO CALL ONE’S OWN
Ask her what her greatest challenge has been, and she’ll cite the opening of her Paragon store in November 2021 – amidst a pandemic and just six months after the birth of her third child, Veera.
She explained: “The store is just like a baby. When you don’t give it time, it falls sick. It has been a life-changing decision, and it was the toughest for me. Again, the timing could have been better, but you just have to brave up and keep going.”
Prior to this, Vihari Jewels was operating out of a small Ngee Ann City office, catering to a select few in the know. Then, the opportunity at Paragon came.
“Paragon approached my father, and he said to me: ‘It’s a good deal, let’s take it’. He’s a go-getter; he would have gone ahead either way,” she recounted.
The viewing gallery at Vihari Jewels in Paragon, where rare gemstones are on display. (Photo: Vihari Jewels)
“But this store has given my brand the elevation it needs. When people come in, they see the store’s aesthetics and my jewellery, and are impressed. My pieces got the recognition that they’ve never gotten before.”
MEANING OF LIFE
Glittering store aside, Poddar has also started channelling her efforts into other projects – thanks, once again, to her father’s influence. “His motto in life: The more you give, the more you will receive blessings. And that’s where I am today.
“Selling jewellery is transactional, and as I grow older, I find myself wanting to do something that has more meaning. I want to do something that will leave something good of me behind.”
“I want to be able to give back,” says Poddar – the proceeds from one of her collections, Bold, go towards helping women in need. (Photo: Vihari Sheth-Poddar)
Consequently, for the past two years, Poddar has donated 10 per cent of her total revenue for May to organisations like Pregnancy Singapore and HCSA Dayspring SPIN, and she plans to work with Hatch+ soon – “small, meaningful organisations” that help pregnant women and mothers.
“After my third child, with the pandemic and the store, I had (postnatal depression) for about a year. I know I was able to go through it in luxury. What about mothers who don’t have the same luxury?”
Her latest collection, Bold, was launched in May for the same purpose. Crafted by women artisans, it features jewellery “for women, by women”, with proceeds going towards helping women who need it. “What is money but another vacation for me and my kids? I want to be able to give back.”
So what is next for the jeweller?
“I have some decisions to make when the lease runs out next November,” she said. “But I’m not fixated on anything because things are always changing. Maybe this is just a stage of life that I have to see, and until then, I will make the best of it.”
Read about other female entrepreneurs:
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...