“I’m a traveller. I’m an explorer,” says Alice Cicolini, her voice as considered as her compositions. “So, I think that’s why stories of people like Alexandra David-Néel appeal to me. But it’s also why I think I run a business and design jewellery that speaks to women who buy for themselves,” says the British designer, who runs an eponymous jewellery label, while speaking exclusively to Robb Report India.
This fashion historian-turned-designer first arrived in India in her twenties and found herself drawn to the sensorial overload (“the sounds, the smells—everything was sensory”). That early enchantment never faded. Over the past decade, she has worked with master enamellers in Jaipur to preserve ancient Meenakari techniques. Her work reveres Indian craftsmanship without imitating it, bridging centuries of artistry with a modern woman’s sense of self.
Zoya x Alice Cicolini Collaboration
Her most recent work—a collaboration with Zoya, the fine jewellery maison from India—feels like the culmination of that journey. The 19-piece capsule draws inspiration from the layered geometry of Lhasa’s architecture, reinterprets Indian forms like the jhumka and bali, and introduces a colour palette few would associate with precious jewellery: sage, rose, and dew. For the known maximalist, it’s a study on minimalism and restraint, without skimping on heirloom brilliance.
At the heart of this collection is the story of David-Néel, the first Western woman to enter Lhasa. The early 20th-century French explorer’s voyage—equal parts external and internal—became a fitting metaphor for the kind of femininity Cicolini sought to honour.
“She travelled up the eastern coast of India and eventually arrived in Lhasa, Tibet, becoming the first woman to enter the Dalai Lama’s palace,” Cicolini recounts. “That’s extraordinary. It’s a testament to her integrity, her depth of research, and her passion for the culture she immersed herself in. [The journey was] unheard of at the time, and deeply inspiring to me.”
“She wandered, questioned, and immersed. There’s integrity in that,” the inspired creator continues. Perhaps that is why Cicolini’s works don’t feel decorative for the sake of adornment. Purpose and meaning shine through every inch of her craft’s final making.
“Jewellery design on paper is only about 20 per cent of the journey,” she explains. “The real design process is in the decisions you make along the way—how the piece feels on the body, how it moves, how it wears.”
This empathy for form has made her an industry outlier. Her pieces are bold, but not weighty. She describes one such pair of long drop earrings from the Zoya capsule: “They’re soft, but not obvious. I wore them for eight hours straight!”
Her signature dots, resonant chevrons, and intricate enamelling techniques find expression in every piece. Further, each piece in the collection is set with uncut diamonds and finished in satin-soft 18k gold. But this time, they were infused with a new palette—sage green, rose, and dew—layered with floral motifs like cherry blossom, chosen for its symbolism. “We chose the cherry blossom motif intentionally. It symbolises spring—renewal, new beginnings,” Cicolini says.
Creating Wearable Art
The attention to aesthetic wearability was not incidental. “At Zoya, we often say the jewellery has to be ‘wearable art,’” says Revathi Kant, the Chief Design Officer of Zoya’s parent company, Titan. “It must sit beautifully but also feel effortless. That’s where the technical expertise comes in—how do you bring these complex, layered forms to life without compromising comfort?” says Kant while speaking to Robb Report India.
Yet for all its polish, the journey wasn’t fast. “The journey [to create the collection] took five years—partly because COVID-19 interrupted the timeline. But the design process never stopped,” says Kant. “We did a lot of experimentation, especially with enamel… It took time to get the right shade of gold, to get the enamel just right.”
Perhaps what makes this collaboration truly compelling is how it resists fashion cycles and trend-based thinking. “We’re not chasing trends; we’re setting a design-led journey,” says Cicolini.
As the limited-edition collection makes its way into the world, the partnership stands as a model for what modern luxury could mean: collaborative, contemplative, craft-driven, and conscious. “This collaboration,” Cicolini says, “is not delicate for the sake of delicacy. It’s bold. People sometimes expect my work to lean toward the miniature or the intricate. Yes, the fine detail is there, but what makes the work impactful is the balance: it’s layered, detailed, yet unapologetically bold. There's scale and intention. And to me, that reflects real femininity.”
Through her career, Alice Cicolini has designed for museums, collectors, and galleries. She has been exhibited at the V&A, Sotheby’s, and Somerset House. Yet it is the idea of jewellery as personal myth-making that continues to move her most. “We forget that these aren’t just ornaments. They’re heirlooms of emotion. Every woman holds both—power and nuance, strength and softness. This collection in collaboration with Zoya honours that duality.”
Zoya and Alice Cicolini's limited-edition capsule will be available by private appointment at select Zoya boutiques.
