Showing posts with label earrings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earrings. Show all posts

Monday, June 13, 2011

i still want my hula hoop

Ever heard this song from the animated film Alvin and the Chipmunks? I went crazy when I heard it first.. specially on this line. 
CN 43 - inspired by Vajra




CN 79 - texture and layering inspired by fish scales

CN 44




Hoops...... classy and crazy! You can find all sorts. I suddenly noticed that I too have made a lot of hoops over the years. 


CN 25

CR 67

CR 33 - with carved turquoise flowers




The good part about them... is that they are so versatile! They can be clubbed on any outfit... be it Indian or otherwise.




CN 100 + CN 101



CN 100 + CN 105



CR 32 + CN 102





 ...and they suit all face cuts!


CN 159

CN 133 - with blue chalcedony


CY 20




The most lo-hass piece in a jewellery box!




CN 155 - carved in turquoise with carnelians


How many hoops do you have?



Friday, June 3, 2011

mere paas 'maa' hai... tere paas 'key' hai...?!

Maa (mom) to theek hai... the question is whether to 'key' or not to 'key'...




maa hoop




An incident that happened in 2007-08 inspired me to make this design. the story goes like... 


In 2007-08 season of cricket, Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh was accused of abusing Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds. Wonder why was calling 'monkey' termed as a racial abuse... just because Symonds is from mixed race maybe?!


Coming back to the monkey business.... I mean the story behind the 'monkey calling'. Only Indians knew this one. These two got into a verbal brawl. And Harbhajan being the hot headed punjabi munda, must have said 'teri maa ki...' Which loosely means 'your mum's...' and nothing further. Its a way of teasing or say partially abusing. And all Symonds understood and held onto was 'maa-key', which eventually made sense as 'monkey' to him.  Indian news channels were flooded with this revelation and amusing piece for days.


And this is how came the 'ki' to the 'maa'...




maa + key


One night some friends were partying at my old house. Two of them (one sporty and one experimental) saw these two pairs of earrings (maa-key) that had arrived the same evening. They loved it and picked them up right then and to spice things up further, both kept gold for one ear and silver for the other. 




maa-key earrings


The above is the sporty ones pairs' current picture, here maa is gold and the other is silver. 


Anyone else with a funny story behind a piece of jewellery?



Wednesday, May 25, 2011

lemon-esque-ish

Come summers and all things cool appeal. Somehow lemons are close to me more than ever! And chartreuse is fast becoming my favourite. One of the new pieces that has just arrived has a gorgeous-gorgeous green stone...


CR 89


Love how the simple link and the beautiful green (not enhanced digitally) make the piece look so stylish. By the way the ends are now secured by a similar green satin ribbon.


Thinking of lemons....... one song surely spring to my mind... the ever classic Lemon Tree. Also, a few weeks back I was introduced to Lemon Jelly..an old Brit electronic duo who have made some amazing music!


CN 32


This one is an old design. I got bored of the last piece I made of this one. So to add a twist, instead of the drops below I suspended a peridot chain (also green!) from the jumpring of one earring and ended it at the other. And voila! a chain cum a pair of earrings was ready. Looked tangilicious...


Have a flavourful and zesty week!



Thursday, May 19, 2011

new stuff

My new collection is almost ready... and getting ready as per my hearts content and satisfaction this time! Shall write and reveal more about it very soon.


CR 86


I have been enjoying a lot lately ...funning and friending. An old design of mine in a new look just arrived and is all black.. I fell for it completely! During the blackening process, some random marks appeared on it. And thats what excited me the most! (visible on the left side of the image) These silverish marks add so much character and individuality... just love them! 


Also, a crazy-fun friend of mine had come to stay with us for the last weekend. She introduced me to this very infectious french song... I love Dance


See if you get infected...

Saturday, May 14, 2011

look who has come...

... a romantic!




This gorgeous girl goes by the name Divya. She is not only beautiful but also very talented! Armed with an experience of about 7 years in design, this lass has not created less then wonders in the name of jewellery. I asked her to do the honor of inaugurating my guest bloggers list because I simply adore here style and language. This is what she wrote...


I am Divya, an accessory designer by profession with a die-hard romantic essence and the lines that follow, reflect a bit of both. I find romance everywhere… in literature, in music, in food and add it in every piece of jewellery I create. I am curious to know who will wear it, excited to see the gleam in her eyes and the sheer joy of owning something that makes her feel beautiful.


Every girl has a favorite piece of jewellery which she treasures, for me its an ordinary tiny diamond ring that I wear on my most important finger. We women are romantics! Even those who claim they are not ;)

When Dipika asked me to write a little something for her blog, I thought of sharing two beautiful stories, where the feeling behind the jewellery became of more importance than the jewellery itself. And its for all those guys out there to know that it is not the ‘material’ that we care about, it is the thought that counts so much more…



Story 1:

This one is about a bourgeois couple in love for last 25 odd yrs. A classic case of a guy completely smitten by his lady love, who wants to emote every expression of love that exists, neutralized by a woman who is introvert and shy and her best expression of love towards him lies in a beautiful smile and by the way she stands besides him. The man changed by the undiluted love of a woman who accepted his flaws in the same vein as his affection. He transformed, from the loud ignorant man who enjoyed a drink too often with his friends, to a man who valued his family…his lovely wife and children.

Her unflinching support through the difficult times when success eluded him, made him realize that perhaps love is not just about making yourself heard, perhaps stronger when unsaid. So after some difficult times had passed and he regained what had set him back, he wanted to do something special for her.

On a usual Sunday evening, after their cup of chai together, he took her out to the bazaar, where they usually went to have her favourite panipuri. As he parked his scooter, he took her by surprise by taking her to a jeweller’s store. Her gold kadas (thick/wide bangles) were ready. He handed them over to her saying, ‘I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me, for all those sacrifices you have made silently. You sold off your gold kadas so that I could pay off my debts, that day was very painful for me. I had resolved then, that the day I had enough, I would buy them back for you’. A teardrop was shimmering on the sides of her eyes, when she heard this, which meant – I will love you forever. She was too shy to say it. He understood... and said ‘I love you too.

Those kadas are still my moms most precious gift.



Story 2:

It was their 50th wedding anniversary. They had a huge gathering at their royal mansion in a posh locality in the city of Mumbai. He had made it big after all these years and she stood by him from rags to riches, strong, supportive and confident in him. She looked beautiful, he thought, even though years had wrinkled her face but her eyes still had the same glint when they had first met. Maybe it was her soul that rendered the radiance. He looked at her and then at the mansion, and thanked god for all that he had achieved, material and spiritual.

After cutting the anniversary cake, he took her inside and showed her two boxes. She opened the first box. A note in it read - ‘You were with me when I could give you just this’. The box had a ‘fake diamonds’ necklace made with ordinary metal that he had gifted her on their first anniversary. It was all he could afford to buy then. He handed her the second box. It had the same necklace, but this one had real diamonds set in gold. And the note read - ‘You have been a wonderful companion. And have been my support in the years I was struggling. Without you I wouldn’t have been what I am. This is a small token of my love and thanks’. She knew she could afford all the diamonds in the world at that time. Yet what made that diamond strand extra precious to her was the thought and love behind it. She looked at him with the same twinkle in her eyes – just like the diamonds he had just gifted her… and smiled.

And yes, this is a true story too… of one of my clients’. I designed and made that diamond necklace for his wife and in the process got to know his plan and her reaction to it.

I believe every one of us has a story to tell, about the most prized jewellery piece that is ever so close to our heart. So when you are back home, ask your friend, mom, grandma.. which is that piece of jewellery that is closest to her heart? More often then not, her most cherished piece would be the one for a reason that is beyond its material cost or physical beauty.





-Divya Batra.

A few things about her...


CN 28 the Coyote design Divya adores


This aquarian loves reading Gulzar and Harivanshrai Bachchan. Her favourite song is 'aapki aankhon mein kuch' from the hindi movie Ghar. Apart from being a very sweet singer she secretly yearns to play the guitar like a pro while singing. She admires CN 32, CN 74 and CN 76 and CN 28 from the Coyote designs (75% jaali designs by the way!). Prefers movies over clothes and food over flowers! A tub of Bavarian chocolate ice cream is her idea of indulgence. And her favourite word is bosa... which means a light kiss!

Muah!

Monday, March 28, 2011

and you are invited...

I participate with my designs in many luxury fairs, charity shows and bazaars. I invite my friends and clients with my special-made-for-the-show invites. Some of them turn out gorgeous!


Thought you would like a dekho...



















I love last three... (collage of actual pieces).



Monday, August 30, 2010

Off the hook..... and posts

CN 4


How many of you dislike the hooks attached on top of every possible earring made by man? Dont they look morbid? I think they do. There are two options... hooks (u-shaped wires) or a post (the straight stem like tiny rod with a screw). These days even gold posts come with snap fit screws, so no threading and twisting is required. Dropping and searching time still does not get saved!




CN84


CN26

CN 14



There was a time I dint design or make silver jewellery. I bought. But my heart was set against them. It looked to me as though these hooks and posts were mass produced and put on top/behind every earring made on Earth!


CN 107

CN 12



CY 10



Posts were especially a pain! Have funny nose squirming memories. Every morning I had to walk half a kilometer to get to my school bus. I was perpetually running late. So I would shove my tiny earrings (with post and snap fit screws!), my rings and my watch in my skirt pocket and run out of the house. Tried to put on every thing before boarding the bus. AND.... almost every other day, I use to drop my earrings' screw! I searched mud each time with the bus right ahead and many exasperated heads hanging out! Bothersome yaadein!



CN42




CY 28




CR 28


So when I started designing I decided to try and do off with these hooks or posts in as many designs as possible. I extended the design in such a way that the hooks would be incorporated in it and the piece could simple be slipped on.



CN 50

CN3


CR 4



I would not say they all look sad. Sometimes they best compliment a design too. But I felt deprived that time. I have never liked compromising! And for my wardrobe or home...... never ever!


CN17


Made a few in the beginning and dint stop.

CR 20


 Incline towards them still...


Thursday, August 5, 2010

Jaalis

traditional jaali - CN 37


traditional jaali - CN 72



Yesterday I was conversing with a friend how, after a point in life, one acquires certain tastes and respect for certain items... could be a tanga painting, a muga silk scarf, rosewood furniture, vintage wine, etc. They become collectors items. One understands and starts appreciating its silent features viz. demanding process, small human errors and flaws that add character, hard work and time gone into the making each piece, more than the visible ones like beauty, artistry, finesse and value.


contemporary jaali - CG 12





contemporary jaali - CN 141


Jaali (lattice) jewellery to me is one such collectible. If I had to explain I'd say, the pattern that remains after bits are cut out of the sheet, is called jaali. The more intricate the better. Contemporary jaalis are quite fascinating too.


traditional jaali - CN 36


traditional jaali - CN 74


contemporary jaali pendant

The last image is of a pendant. One of my student days' design.
Cant explain the lust I feel for jaalis!


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