Meet Jyotsna “Joey” Singh: The Story Behind the Manjusha Jewels Luna Collection
Every jewelry collection begins with an idea.
Sometimes that idea comes from a gemstone. Sometimes it comes from history, art, nature, or a memory.
For Manjusha Jewels designer Jyotsna “Joey” Singh, the inspiration behind her contemporary Luna Collection came from an unexpected combination of ancient jewelry traditions, dark metallic tones, modern design, and a lifelong fascination with the Moon.
After spending many years building a successful corporate career, Joey eventually chose to follow her passion for jewelry design.
That decision allowed her to bring together influences that had been part of her life for years—including her Indian heritage, family history, art, nature, and her connection to traditional jewelry.
We sat down with Joey to learn more about the ideas behind Luna, why she decided to move away from her usual gemstone-focused designs, and the personal meaning behind the collection’s name.
From Corporate Life to Jewelry Design
Joey’s journey into jewelry design wasn’t an overnight decision.
Her appreciation for jewelry developed much earlier through her family and cultural background.
As the granddaughter of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, Joey grew up aware of a remarkable royal jewelry legacy. The extraordinary pieces associated with her family helped develop her appreciation for craftsmanship, design, and gemstones.
Over time, those influences became part of her own creative language.
Her work has evolved through several different stages, from traditional Indian wedding jewelry and elaborate gemstone designs to the cleaner, more contemporary pieces that eventually became the Luna Collection.
A Collection Built Around Metal
One of the biggest departures in the Luna Collection is its emphasis on metal.
Rather than making gemstones the primary focus, Joey wanted the material itself to become the star.
Gold, silver, and rhodium come together in different combinations, creating a palette that ranges from warm and luminous to dark and dramatic.
Joey describes the darker rhodium tones as having a blackened or aged appearance.
The contrast between these finishes gives the collection a distinctly contemporary character.
Why Move Away From Gemstones?
After years of designing with gemstones, Joey wanted to explore something different.
Gemstones had played an important role throughout her career, but she felt ready to simplify.
Instead of relying on colorful stones to create visual interest, she began experimenting with metal, shape, proportion, texture, and bold lines.
The result was a collection that feels more restrained while still having a strong visual presence.
For Joey, simplicity became a design statement.
Inspiration From Ancient Jewelry
Although Luna is a contemporary collection, its inspiration reaches far into the past.
Joey recalls seeing an old piece of jewelry that reminded her of ancient Turkish designs.
The jewelry had a dark, aged appearance and featured intricate decorative elements.
That encounter sparked an idea.
What if the visual richness of historical jewelry could be interpreted through a much cleaner, modern aesthetic?
Looking Back to Move Forward
Traditional jewelry from India and surrounding regions often celebrates detail.
The more intricate the craftsmanship, the more visual richness a piece can contain.
Joey took that historical appreciation for ornamentation and translated it into something quieter.
Rather than recreating an antique piece, she extracted certain elements—the darker metal palette, strong forms, and sense of age—and gave them a contemporary interpretation.
That balance became one of the defining ideas behind Luna.
Black, Silver and Gold
Color in jewelry doesn’t always have to come from gemstones.
Metal can create its own visual language.
The Luna Collection explores combinations of blackened rhodium, silver, and gold.
Some designs use contrasting metals separately, while others bring different tones together.
The result is a collection that can feel bold without being excessively ornate.
A Different Kind of Elegance
Joey wanted the new pieces to have an understated quality.
Rather than immediately revealing every detail, the designs invite a closer look.
The dark metallic tones create depth.
Gold introduces warmth.
Silver provides brightness and contrast.
Together, these materials create a modern interpretation of classic jewelry aesthetics.
Creating Luna During an Unusual Year
The development of the collection also happened during a challenging period.
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the creative process and affected the ability to develop and produce new pieces.
As a result, the initial Luna Collection remained intentionally limited.
Approximately 25 designs were created, with only a small number of pieces produced for each design.
Rather than viewing the limited production as a setback, it became part of the collection’s early story.
The First Response to the Collection
The new designs were introduced at the Holiday Gift Collective pop-up in Lafayette, California.
The response gave Joey an encouraging indication that customers were interested in the shift toward metal-focused jewelry.
The collection also revealed how differently people responded to combinations such as black and silver.
While individual gold, silver, and darker-metal pieces were easier for customers to immediately understand, combining black and silver created something less familiar.
That unfamiliarity was part of what made the collection distinctive.
The Joy of Seeing an Idea Become Real
For any designer, there is a special moment when a sketch becomes a physical object.
For Joey, that was one of the most exciting parts of creating Luna.
The samples exceeded her expectations.
Seeing the actual finishes, proportions, and metal combinations allowed her to experience the collection in a way that sketches simply couldn’t provide.
It was proof that the original idea could work beyond the drawing board.
Why the Name “Luna”?
Eventually, the collection needed a name that captured its personality.
Joey chose Luna.
The connection was immediate.
The darker metallic colors reminded her of the Moon and its changing appearance in the night sky.
But the name also had a much more personal connection.
A Name Connected to Moonlight
Joey’s given name, Jyotsna, has Hindi origins and means moonlight.
That made the lunar connection feel almost inevitable.
Her fascination with the Moon also comes from its beauty, energy, and the stories and traditions surrounding it in Indian culture.
The Moon has long been an important image in Indian literature, art, mythology, and everyday life.
For Joey, Luna brought all of those influences together.
The Moon as a Source of Inspiration
The Moon has an unusual quality.
It can appear bright and luminous, yet it is surrounded by darkness.
Its shape changes constantly, but its presence remains familiar.
Those contrasts fit naturally with the Luna Collection.
The designs combine light and dark metals.
They balance bold shapes with understated elegance.
And they bring an ancient sense of history into a modern setting.
Jewelry Inspired by Light and Shadow
Rather than directly depicting the Moon, Joey translated its qualities into the collection.
Dark surfaces suggest the night sky.
Silver and gold provide flashes of light.
Strong lines echo the graphic quality of a lunar silhouette.
The result is jewelry that references the Moon without attempting to literally reproduce it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Who is Jyotsna “Joey” Singh?
Jyotsna “Joey” Singh is the designer behind Manjusha Jewels. Her creative work is influenced by Indian culture, family heritage, nature, art, historical jewelry, and gemstones.
Q2: What is the Luna Collection?
The Luna Collection is a contemporary jewelry collection by Manjusha Jewels that focuses heavily on metal rather than traditional gemstone-centered designs.
Q3: What metals are used in the Luna Collection?
The collection explores combinations of gold, silver, and rhodium, including darker rhodium finishes that create a blackened appearance.
Q4: What inspired the Luna Collection?
The collection draws from ancient jewelry influences, particularly dark metallic historical designs, while interpreting those ideas through a contemporary aesthetic. The Moon was another major source of inspiration.
Q5: Why is the collection called Luna?
“Luna” means Moon and reflects the collection’s visual connection to moonlight, darkness, and metallic tones. Joey’s own name, Jyotsna, also means “moonlight” in Hindi.
Q6: Is the Luna Collection based on traditional Indian jewelry?
The collection is not a direct reproduction of traditional Indian jewelry. Instead, it draws inspiration from historical jewelry traditions and combines those influences with contemporary forms.
Q7: Why did Joey focus on metal instead of gemstones?
After many years of creating gemstone jewelry, Joey wanted to explore a different design direction. She chose to emphasize metal, shape, texture, and contrasting finishes.
Q8: Is Luna a limited collection?
The original launch of the collection was intentionally limited, with approximately 25 designs and only a small number of pieces produced for each design.
Conclusion: Where History Meets Modern Design
The Luna Collection represents an important chapter in Joey Singh’s evolution as a jewelry designer.
It moves away from the colorful gemstone designs she had created for years and explores a quieter language built around metal, contrast, shape, and texture.
Yet the collection is still deeply connected to her past.
Ancient jewelry provided inspiration.
Indian culture provided context.
Her family history provided perspective.
And the Moon provided the final piece of the story.
Perhaps that’s what makes Luna particularly meaningful.
It isn’t simply a contemporary jewelry collection.
It is a meeting point between past and present, darkness and light, simplicity and detail.
And at the center of it all is a designer whose own name means moonlight.
Disclaimer
This article is a rewritten editorial presentation of the designer’s published interview and is intended for general informational purposes. Statements attributed to Jyotsna “Joey” Singh reflect the creative perspective and design story associated with the Luna Collection. Collection details, materials, availability, production quantities, and designs may change over time. Historical and cultural references are presented as general background and may have varying interpretations.
For more information about precious metals and jewelry craftsmanship, explore the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
With warmth,
The Manjusha Jewels Family