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span class="caption" style="width: 398px;">Courtesy of Rinaldy Arviano YunardiWith his midas touch, he wonderfully transforms crystals, diamonds, gemstones and semi-precious stones into dramatic yet extravagant jewelry to die for.

With a big smile, celebrated jewelry designer Rinaldy Arviano Yunardi opened the doors of his new boutique in South Jakarta.

Inside, sparkling and fascinating jewelry, from chokers, earrings and bangles to bridal crowns were tastefully arranged alongside home decor accessories, such as angel wing-themed mirrors and a crystal chandelier.

“Please come in. Welcome to my new store,” he said.

Ask fashion buffs about the most renowned jewelry designer in the country’s fashion scene and Rinaldy’s name might have the first mention.

Each and every year, prominent local fashion designers in town line up to ask the man, who has been in the business for around 15 years, to create classy yet sophisticated jewelry to adorn their couture designs during their fashion parades.

Born in the North Sumatra capital of Medan on Dec. 13, 1970, Rinaldy once knew nothing about fashion or craftsmanship. He even had no idea what he wanted to be when he was older.

“I was the kind of man who never thought of having dreams,” he says frankly.

After graduating from high school, he decided to work at a tire manufacturer in Jakarta, and then he met late bridal gown designer Kim Tong, who later brought him to work as a marketer for jewelry sales. The job marked his first encounter with the jewelry industry, which allowed him to get in touch with Indonesian fashion designers like Didi Budiardjo and Sebastian Gunawan.

“But during that time, I dealt with jewelry sales only. I knew nothing about production.”

He lasted for a year at the job before moving to his brother’s electrical company, where he handled administration.

“My mom repeatedly told me to study electricity so I could help my brother in his company, but I felt like that was not what I wanted to do in my life. I did not like school anyway,” Rinaldy says.

One day, during lunch break, he tried to make a decoration using some leftover material at the company; and voilà, he created a simple bridal tiara.

The invention encouraged him to keep on experimenting by using other materials like crystals, and he started to offer his creations to the aforementioned designers, who surprisingly welcomed his designs.

It turned out that his craftsmanship skills came from his parents. His mother used to teach children to make flowers out of crepe paper, and his father made children’s school bags.

After spending only six months working with his brother, Rinaldy switched to the creative industry, finally knowing what he really wanted to do.

First specializing in wedding tiaras, he was challenged by his fellow designers to create jewelry for fashion – something more vibrant and colorful.

He took up the challenge, and made a breakthrough — he was able to prove that he could design something unique, quirky and funky.

“I could not draw sketches at first. I could only draw landscapes, like mountains with paddy fields and skies. But I have always tried to learn by myself and use my imagination,” he admits.

Rinaldy is closely associated with elegant chokers with intricate and structural designs and is known for his out-of-the-box and cutting edge ideas.

“Why did I choose to design chokers? I started in the industry — making jewelry for Didi and Sebastian, popular for their couture designs. So I had to create something that went along well with those outfits.”

“In my opinion, chokers carry the image of something expensive and glamorous,” he adds.

In 2000, he had his chance to hold his first ever solo show, followed with another show two years later in which he used Indonesian gemstones combined with Swarovski crystals before taking part in the 2008 Bazaar Concerto fashion event.

His designs have long been adored by a number of local celebrities, including singer Titi DJ, who wore his creations in two concerts, singer/actress Agnes Monica, singer/songwriter Melly Goeslaw, singer Memes, and singer Denada Tambunan.

His new boutique boasts many of his glittering second line collection called R.A.Y, which is aimed more at ready-to-wear occasions.

“I reduced the use of diamonds and crystals for my second line products and used more beads instead. However, I tried to maintain the glamorous style in my collection,” Rinaldy says.

He avoids mass producing his designs to retain their exclusivity.

“I want to give special treatment to my clientele. I, for instance, only make three designs out of a certain material or create a design in three different colors.”

“This limited edition concept spurred me to keep on creating and experimenting. Because I’m the type of person who tends to get bored easily so I want to make gradual changes.”

If you have your own picture of a pretty choker in your mind, you can go to Rinaldy and he will translate your imagination into his very own design.

As for the materials, he admits he mostly uses imported products, saying that it was hard to find certified materials in Indonesia.

“Indonesia is rich in gemstones and precious stones, which are found in many places across the country. The thing is the gemstones here tend to be big, oval and are not well processed,” Rinaldy explains.

“It would be better if the gemstones were creatively carved into more attractive shapes with pretty details.

Rinaldy highlights the lack of qualified human resources, who have the arts sense, and technology as the main problems in the gemstones development.

“We cannot blame the craftsmen because the machines [for craving the stones] are expensive and they might not afford it,” he says.

“They might not have much time either to trim the gemstones because they want to get easy money as soon as possible to support their lives. The government should do something about it.”

Having strongly established his name in the jewelry business, in 2009 Rinaldy began to spread his wings as a producer of home decor accessories — creating fancy lightings like desk lamps and chandeliers.

His new venture started out when a newlywed couple came to his house, saw a lavish lamp, which was his hand-made creation, and asked to buy it.

“I refused, saying that it was my private collection and that it was not for sale. But I offered to design a lamp for them,” said Rinaldy, who also ended up making a mirror for the couple.

That moment marked his first step in the home decor business.

“After being in the jewelry industry for 15 years, I thought why not make home decor like lamps and mirrors, which is still in the same line as Rinaldy?

“This is something that is not far from the things that I have done for years.”

He later described the challenges he faced in creating home decor items, noting that he was now dealing with larger spaces, which meant he had to work for longer on his creations and apply different techniques.

The way Rinaldy treats home decor accessories is similar to the way he designs jewelry — he uses eye-catching details and ornaments, and plays with various materials, such as colored feathers, raffias, metals, crystals and glasses.

“So far, people only know chandeliers made of crystals. For me a lamp is not just something to light your home,” he says. “I want to make it into a pretty and extravagant object. If the light goes out, it will still look beautiful and  be art.”

Apart from his success in beautifying women with his finest jewelry, Rinaldy still has unfulfilled hopes and dreams.

One of them is staging another solo parade to showcase his latest collection. In the long term, he also plans to have a building where he can display his masterpieces.

“The solo parade should be next year, but I think that’s impossible to do since I have to provide jewelries for some fellow designers who plan to hold solo fashion shows. So, probably the show will be in 2013.

“It’s important for me to stage my own show because it displays my true soul. If I work with fashion designers, the collection does not reflect my character.”

Rinaldy A. Yunardi Accessories and Lighting:
Jl. Gunawarman 30, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta
Phone: +62 21 72792291