A day in the life of SETHI COUTURE

Jewelry designers Pratima and Prerna S ethi make every minute count in a typical work day. Here is what we learned about their creative process, inspiration and influences. It was so much fun!

by michelle orman

Founded in 2009, the sister-run brand Sethi Couture launched with a series of unexpected colors of diamond bands — champagne, pink, green, yellow and black and quickly evolved into a collection of classic and contemporary stacking bands that can be worn together in endless ways.

Growing up in California and raised by parents who are purveyors of rare and unusual diamonds, Pratima and Prerna draw on the Sethi family’s heritage in the industry, while also maintaining a forward-thinking mindset in their approach to business. The sisters credit a combination of their many childhood trips to

Prerna Sethi:

5:45 A.M.: I rise early these days to the coo of our new little addition, Pia. She’s now 5 months old (sleeping through the night, thankfully!) and the morning begins with her breakfast and my cup of tea. Chai with ginger, black pepper, and milk has been my morning ritual since I was young. It’s that cup of comfort I look forward to every morning before getting ready and out the door!

7:30 A.M.: Today I’m heading to the San Francisco flower mart and meeting with Olya from our marketing team.

We are planning an event and ever since our favorite irreplaceable florist, Eryn, moved to Bend, Oregon, we’ve been picking our own

India, their ancestral homeland, in addition to California’s naturespired motifs, for influencing their designs.| florals. So we are doing some floral research, but I secretly will use any excuse to peruse the flower mart. It’s overwhelming but so refreshing seeing all the blooms. We ended up staying too long and had to rush out to our next meeting.

With jam-packed work schedules — overseeing a multibrand gallery in Los Altos, California, multiple custom projects, a new marketing campaign and in-store events — juggled with busy family lives, which include Prerna’s newborn, Pia, we were fortunate to catch up with the dynamic duo who allowed us to shadow them on a typical day. They even shared the mouthwatering Sweet Potato Tacos recipe Pratima whipped up for dinner that night. Check it out at the end of the story.

9:00 A.M.: We head across town to see our jeweler. We have a few custom proects that I need to review the progress on and finalize the details before heading down to Los Altos to the gallery. We’ve been working on getting the height right on a star ruby cabochon ring with diamond briolettes hanging from the bezel. It has to have the right height so the diamonds hang perfectly when worn. We’ve done a few waxes and are finally able to approve the new design. The original design we hand-sketched before creating a CAD to review with the client. We are happy with how far it’s come.

11:00 A.M.: Most mornings Pratima and I do an early 8 A.M. meeting before our team gets in over another cup of tea. It’s our sister thing! Today we are running late and get a cup of Moroccan tea from our neighbor at Café Nur. We are planning schedules for production and travel.

12:30 P.M.: We decide to take a walk to finish up our meeting and go to our normal spot, Mikado Sushi, but the wait is long and so we skip it to get a quick bite from State Street Market. It’s the newest market in town inspired by foodies and they have the best pani puri stand from Ettan. The walk back is beautiful this time of year.

Pratima Sethi:

2:30 P.M.: It’s Pratima taking over now! After lunch, I have very little time to select diamonds for our P.S. Charm multicolor diamond charms. We have to send them out for production today to make it in time for the special order! I’m leaving work early today for Amelie’s Girls Leadership board meeting and then dropping off

Sweet Potato Tacos

Sweet Potato

1 large sweet potato baked – brush with olive oil, poke several holes in it using a fork, wrap in foil and bake for 25 min at 400 degrees

Leave the skin on as it is the most nutritious part

Season with salt and pepper

Dice into cubes

Black Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sautee 1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped

Add fine sea salt, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, teaspoon sambar powder (an Indian mixture of spices typically used in South Indian dishes)

Add 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

Add cup water

Stir in freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Simmer until some water evaporates

Use a fork or masher to smooth out the beans

Amelie [Pratima’s daughter] to club volleyball practice. So I have very little time to get the last few projects of the day completed. This month has been hectic with trunk shows too, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

After I pass these off to Connie, our production manager, we meet back with our team to finish up our Lookbook. We’ll be looking at keeping some placeholders for the photography of the new pieces we are adding to our campaign. And we have to plan the next photoshoot with product and model shots. Last season we styled the product with spices to give some unexpected warmth to the set. We loved using cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne, and cardamom for some texture and color against the black diamonds.

4:00 P.M: I’m headed out to Colorado this weekend for a trunk show and have to merchandise the pieces for our Bring Your Own Bands Stacking Party.

6:00 P.M.: Back at home prepping dinner while my husband, Amaury, picks up Amelie and Star from practice. Can’t wait to wind down and relax in the evening. That’s it for now!

Avocado-Pepita Dip

2 avocados, pitted

1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro (mostly leaves, some small stems are okay)

1 cup pepitas

1 small jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped, or teaspoon red pepper flakes (go easy if sensitive to spice)

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 medium lime) or

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons water teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Blend all together

Everything Else

8 to 10 small corn tortillas

Crumbled feta or shredded

Mexican cheese

Sour cream

Chop half a Lettuce head

Dice 2-3 Tomatoes