overview
Aukera is a Bengaluru‑born lab‑grown diamond brand created to rethink who diamonds are for and how they are experienced. When I joined the project at Restore Design, Aukera existed only as a vision shared by the founders Lisa and Kumar: no name, no identity, no store format—just a clear ambition to build a more sustainable and contemporary alternative to traditional diamond jewellery.
Over roughly nine months, I worked alongside the founders as design strategist, helping turn that vision into a complete service: brand positioning, visual identity, early e‑commerce presence and, most importantly, a flagship store format designed from day one to scale across multiple cities.
challange
The diamond market is historically tied to engagement and marriage rituals, supported by a very traditional visual language. Lab‑grown diamonds were emerging as a sustainable alternative, but awareness was low and often distorted: many customers questioned whether they were “real”, how they were made, and if they could be trusted.
The challenge was not just to launch a new brand, Aukera wanted to break that pattern and speak first to the empowered woman buying a diamond for herself, while also educating the market about lab‑grown technology and building a format that could scale quickly across cities and price tiers. This was a bold stance in the evolving Indian context.
my role
As lead design strategist on the project I:
Led market research, customer journeys and service blueprints to identify opportunity spaces.
Co‑led the creation of the visual identity and brand system.
Designed the structure and experience of the first store, segmenting flows by price tier and customer needs.
Ensured consistency across packaging, campaigns, website and retail.
Supported fundraising with design‑driven pitch decks and visual storytelling for investors.
Approach
Service design & positioning
The initial phase combined competitor analysis, workshops with the founders and mapping of customer beliefs (tradition, value perception, concerns about origin). From this, we defined Aukera’s positioning. Visual and verbal language intentionally avoided heavy “bridal” tropes, focusing instead on autonomy, light and transparency.
Brand system & visual language
Working closely with the Brand designer, Interior designers and the Web Designer, I co‑created a visual identity that could live both online and in a variety of physical spaces.
Store format & spatial UX
I approached the flagship store as a physical interface, working closely with the Lead Architect, curating overall look and feel and experiences zones of the store, dividing them for tier prices and customer target. Each zone had clear goals (spark curiosity, build understanding, support decisions) and transitions designed to be replicable in future stores of different sizes.
Outcome
By combining a clear positioning, a scalable brand system and a documented store format, Aukera moved quickly from idea to market:
Brand launched in roughly three months from the first strategic work.
First physical store opened within six months of the initial concept.
Store format successfully replicated, reaching 13 locations across Bengaluru, Delhi and other key cities within the first two years.
Strong commercial traction and investor interest, with an initial round followed by a 15M USD investment led by Peak XV Partners in 2025.
An approximate valuation of 72M USD, positioning Aukera as one of India’s fastest‑growing lab‑grown diamond brands.
Many of these outcomes were enabled by designing from the start a coherent, scalable experience—from service blueprint to store surface.
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