from Zanzibar, 1905 - to Dubai, today
Who are we
1905 marks the year our great-grandfather, Kalyanji Kotedia, opened his first shop in Zanzibar. A silversmith by craft and conviction, he became a jeweller and eventually a curator of rare curios, known for creating work that was personal, precise, and built to endure.
His son, Shivshanker Kotedia, carried the legacy forward. In the 1950s, he was commissioned by the people of Pemba to craft a dhow entirely in 22-karat gold, a gift for a visiting British royal. That story, and the dhow itself, lives on in our monogram.
My father, Vijay Kotedia, continued the family tradition with quiet integrity, instilling in me the values of restraint, respect for material, and the belief that true luxury is personal.
We don’t see jewellery as trend or ornament. For us, it’s memory made visible, a way of working rooted in intimacy, intention, and time.
Today, we are private jewellers based in Dubai. But our legacy spans continents, generations, and a way of creating that remains deliberately unhurried.
Why I started 1905 Jewels
I’m a fourth-generation jeweller, but this isn’t about inheritance. It’s about intent. 1905 Jewels is my way of continuing a legacy - not just my family’s, but of a way of making that’s: personal, deliberate and unhurried.
Every piece we make holds memory, instinct, and permanence. That’s what I was raised with. That’s what I pass on.
- Amar Kotedia
What we make
We create jewellery that doesn’t follow categories, only instinct and intent. We make bespoke pieces in quiet collaboration with clients, deeply personal. One-of-One pieces are different, created solely from our own vision, not commissioned, made once and never again. Then there’s a space for our collections born from intuition, not trend. Some pieces stay.
1905 Jewels is a private jeweller, committed to creating work that speaks quietly but holds meaning.
We believe jewellery is more than ornament, it’s personal history, emotion, and instinct made visible. Whether bespoke or not, every piece we make carries our legacy, our codes and our care.
We offer a range of work: from classic diamond rings to contemporary gemstone designs; from one-of-a-kind commissioned pieces to internally driven collections. Our aesthetic is eclectic but intentional, always rooted in our DNA.
For clients seeking something truly their own, we offer bespoke services through Private, a slow, collaborative process built around trust. For others, we offer personalization of existing designs, or access to one-of-one pieces crafted solely from our vision.
Jewellery takes time.
As it should.
And we’re here to guide you through it, from first thought to final handover.