With over a decade of experience in the industry, Chaitanya V Cotha has been instrumental in steering the group toward innovation while preserving its heritage
Chaitanya V Cotha serves as the Executive Director of C. Krishniah Chetty Group, one of India’s most iconic names in retail luxury goods and jewellery. As a torchbearer of a six-generation legacy, Cotha combines deep-rooted tradition with a forward-thinking approach to redefine luxury retail.
With over a decade of experience in the industry, Cotha has been instrumental in steering the group toward innovation while preserving its heritage. He plays a pivotal role in strategic planning, brand expansion, and integrating modern technology into the business, ensuring the company stays at the forefront of the global luxury jewellery market.
An alumnus of the prestigious Gemological Institute of America, Cotha possesses unparalleled expertise in gems, diamonds, and fine jewellery. His academic foundation is complemented by hands-on experience in managing a diverse portfolio of high-value retail offerings and fostering long-standing client relationships.
Under his leadership, the group has embraced sustainable practices and enhanced customer experiences through customised services and cutting-edge retail solutions. Cotha’s vision extends beyond business growth, focusing on upholding the brand’s ethos of quality, craftsmanship, and trust.
A thought leader and innovator, Cotha continues to elevate the C. Krishniah Chetty Group’s legacy, ensuring it remains synonymous with excellence in luxury jewellery.
1. You represent the sixth generation of one of India’s oldest jewellery houses. Could you tell us about your journey with the C. Krishniah Chetty Group and how your leadership has evolved over the years?
My journey has been about reimagining what an established brand can become in a modern world. I began by learning every detail from design and manufacturing to client relationships because credibility must be earned, not inherited.
Over the years, my focus has shifted from operational learning to long-term transformation. We’ve integrated data-driven systems, accelerated design timelines, and launched new-age verticals like crash.club by CKC, designed to speak to today’s buyers.
Leadership, for me, is about evolution, building structures that make the business more agile, transparent, and future-ready.
2. What inspires your vision as Executive Director, especially when it comes to merging a 155-year-old legacy with new-age innovations like lab-grown diamonds?
I’m inspired by the challenge of balancing tradition with transformation. We’ve always been known for trust and quality; my goal is to translate those values into a digital, data-led world.
Lab-grown diamonds represent scientific precision and make us push the boundaries of traditional jewellery, two ideas that define the future of luxury. They allow creativity without compromise, giving clients new ways to own fine jewellery with purpose and pride.
To me, it’s about ensuring that the values behind it continue to stay relevant.
3. crash.club recently made headlines for selling India’s largest lab-grown diamond a 21.82-carat Round Brilliant. How significant is this achievement for the brand and the Indian jewellery industry?
It’s a breakthrough that demonstrates India’s ability to deliver precision engineering in jewellery.
A 21.82-carat Round Brilliant demands perfection in temperature control, symmetry, and polish. Achieving this shows that we’re not just participating in global standards, we’re setting them.
It’s a proud moment for Indian innovation and for every craftsman, engineer, and designer who contributed to making it happen.
4. This marks the second time crash.club has broken its own record, following the sale of a 20.06-carat Emerald Cut diamond in 2024. What do these back-to-back milestones signify for your team and your clientele?
These milestones prove that excellence is a process, not an accident.
The Emerald Cut tested our clarity standards, and the Round Brilliant challenged our symmetry and precision. Achieving both back-to-back shows that we’ve built a repeatable, data-led system for perfection.
For our clients, it means confidence that every piece they buy from crash.club reflects the same level of craftsmanship and control that goes into these record-setting stones.
5. You’ve described “The Legacy Duo” as a symbol of technology, trust, and heritage converging. Could you elaborate on the philosophy behind this statement?
“The Legacy Duo” represents what we stand for: progress built on principle.
Technology drives precision and consistency. Trust ensures transparency at every stage, from certification to after-sales. And heritage is the cultural discipline that keeps us grounded in ethics while we innovate.
It’s not about nostalgia; it’s about continuity. The two stones the 20.06-carat Emerald Cut and the 21.82-carat Round Brilliant, symbolise how technology and timeless values can coexist beautifully.
6. How is crash.club redefining perceptions of lab-grown diamonds among luxury buyers who traditionally valued mined diamonds?
We’re shifting the focus from “how” a diamond is created to “why” it is chosen.
Luxury buyers today care about authenticity, traceability, and design integrity. At crash.club, we combine high craftsmanship with full transparency, allowing clients to experience the beauty, performance, and responsibility that modern luxury represents.
7. Beyond craftsmanship, crash.club also emphasizes sustainability and social responsibility. Can you share more about your commitment to wildlife conservation and how it aligns with your definition of ‘luxury with purpose’?
For us, true luxury isn’t defined only by aesthetics; it’s defined by its ability to uplift, inspire, and give back.
Our commitment to wildlife conservation, particularly rhino protection, comes from a place of personal conviction. The rhino represents strength, resilience, and balance —qualities that resonate deeply with me and crash.club’s philosophy.
Through our partnership with WWF, we’ve created a long-term initiative to protect and preserve these magnificent animals, while integrating sustainability. To us, fine jewellery should reflect both beauty and balance, proving that progress and purpose can coexist gracefully, and that luxury has a responsibility to the world that inspires it.
8. Looking ahead, what’s next for crash.club and the C. Krishniah Chetty Group as you continue shaping the future of fine jewellery in India and beyond?
We’re entering a decade of transformation.
For crash.club, the focus is on technology-led customisation, stronger digital ecosystems, and scaling sustainable fine jewellery globally.
For C. Krishniah Chetty, it’s about unifying the experience blending our deep technical expertise with modern client engagement tools, ensuring that every touchpoint reflects integrity and innovation.
Our goal is simple: to make Indian luxury globally admired not just for its beauty, but for its intellect and responsibility.
