From Jaipur, with love

Article - CHRON.

When Biby Dykema entered the architecture industry in 1979, she stood out in boardroom meetings in more ways than one. The first female architect in Corpus Christi and one of only two women who earned an architecture degree in her class at the University of Texas at Austin, she made waves in a male-dominated industry.

Her personal style was as brazen as her ambition.

A longtime collector of fine jewelry, who is not afraid to mix vibrant colors, patterns and fabrics, Dykema has a memorable sense of style. Her new Modern Moghul line of fine jewelry is an extension of that whimsy.

"A lot of my pieces are architectural and geometric," says Dykema, who splits her time between Austin and Corpus Christi and co-owns an architecture firm with her husband, overseeing mainly commercial projects. Her jewelry design and architecture careers have "parallels that are kind of striking."

Dykema began traveling frequently to India five years ago to research what would become Modern Moghul. Half that time was spent forming a relationship with the family of male craftsmen in Jaipur who now handmake her line. With an eye for quality, stonework and craftsmanship, she experimented with the designs for years, often via video conference. "People in India are very proud of their workmanship," she says. "It's a lot like construction and going to a job site."

A result of working with one private studio rather than several manufacturers and vendors, the fine jewelry is priced well below the industry standard. Prices range from $400 to $16,000.

Dykema says her customers are worldly, with a love for travel, like herself. "Ninety percent of it is bought by women for themselves, which surprised me."

One new fall collection is made entirely of diamonds and rubies, some of which are "the size of cough drops," Dykema jokes. Another collection, made of opals, emeralds and rose buds, was inspired by nature (insects, branches, animals) and the hiking Dykema does at her vacation home in Michigan.

Dykema expects she will devote more and more time to her passion project as the brand grows. "It takes my design skills in a different direction that is really fulfilling for me," she says. "This is kind of a spinoff. And it is a lot of fun."

Modern Moghul pieces are available at Kuhl-Linscomb, 2424 W. Alabama, where Dykema will host a trunk show Oct. 19-20; modernmoghul.com.