Sibling Design Team Embraces Family Legacy, Carves New Path
October 23, 2015
Third-generation diamond merchant Samir Bhansali had plenty of success in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles over two and a half decades of business there.
But when the Mumbai-born businessman leaned into his desire for creative expression and launched an upscale jewelry line − La Reina by Bhansali − it was more than his own career that took an inspired turn: his son, Tej and daughter, Anar, found their places in the industry, too.
Tej Bhansali, an economics graduate of the University of Southern California (USC), and Anar Bhansali, also a USC student (and a budding fashion designer with internship experience at Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani), watched their father’s career evolution with great interest.
As Anar Bhansali’s USC graduation drew closer, the business administration and Spanish major started rethinking her plans for fashion design and started dreaming of a business that she and her brother could run together.
“In my senior year of college, I came up with the basic concept behind the company,” she says. “I shared my vision and ideas with Tej, and he loved them. On the night before my graduation from USC, we sat in my empty apartment overlooking the downtown Los Angeles skyline and literally drew up a business plan on a gigantic roll of white paper.”
The vision that they detailed that night – designing pieces of “wearable luxury” for women around the world – also included “establishing a culture of philanthropy and giving,” she says. They’d name their company Bhansali, paying homage both to the family’s industry heritage, and to their parents, whose support and consultation would make their dream possible.
Though the two grew up around the diamond industry, their first order of business was heading to GIA’s Carlsbad campus. Tej Bhansali, wanting to complement his father’s diamond experience with colored stone knowledge, earned his Graduate Gemologist diploma, and Anar Bhansali earned her Graduate Diamonds diploma. Both graduated in 2013.
“I felt very comfortable there,” Tej Bhansali says. “It was exciting to meet people who shared the same passion. We were proud of calling ourselves GGs – ‘gem geeks.’ And it was a way to learn something new and bring that to the table.”
Anar Bhansali, who remembers seeing GIA Diamond Grading Reports on her father’s desk as a child, was captivated by her growing knowledge about the world of diamonds – beyond what she’d seen growing up.
“I’d never thought so deeply about the history and science behind diamonds, or the industry,” she says. “It was new to me.”
The siblings, each armed with fresh knowledge and a burgeoning industry network of friends, traveled extensively for the next year, setting up the supply chain for their company and opening a manufacturing facility in Bangkok. Returning to Los Angeles, they set up a studio in Beverly Hills, where Bhansali is designed – and where they can regularly trade ideas and insights with their father.
Their designs include lines like “One,” featuring “simple, sophisticated” jewelry that’s intended to be the “little black dress” of accessories, and “Hope,” which is named for the designers’ mother, whose name, Asha, means “hope” in Hindi. The "Hope" line is a tribute to women with “strong character and soft hearts,” featuring diamond clusters inlaid into pearls.
Anar Bhansali, the head designer, also manages most daily operations. As co-founder and CEO, Tej Bhansali oversees the factory in Thailand, and helps ensure that operations are running smoothly.
“Tej and I share similar vision and values, but our strengths and skills are opposite,” says Anar Bhansali of the team’s partnership. “It’s the best partnership, and very complementary.”
The brother and sister share a commitment to giving back, too, and made it an important component of their business plan.
“Philanthropy is the soul of our company,” says Anar Bhansali. “As a family, we all feel the importance of giving back to the world that has given us our life and well-being.”
Tej will soon move to India with another of his ventures, helping develop affordable, eco-friendly housing, schools, hospitals and public restrooms for people in lower income groups. Anar says that in a few years, they also hope to establish their own nonprofit. It will focus on empowering women in need, educating children, raising awareness of climate change and promoting social entrepreneurship.
They’re big goals, but the Bhansalis have learned from example that it’s good to evolve and that embracing individual talents and passions helps their business and dreams thrive.
“Everyone has those individual merits and talents,” she says. “Express yourself – don’t be afraid to be different.”
Jaime Kautsky, a contributing writer, is a GIA Diamonds Graduate and GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional and was an associate editor of The Loupe magazine.
