I started the other way around. Put the final products in the 1st post, trials in the 2nd and the ones I love the most... explorations and experiments... for this one!
As soon as I got my brief, I reached Amrapali's export factory called 'Rajiv Arora'. Later they opened up another factory right besides the export one and its called 'Amrapali'. This one is for the local market's production. But nothing beats the charm of 'Rajiv Arora' factory!
Although I had worked briefly with silver and other metals before then, at the institute, this was completely new! There were 3 girls in the design department. They kept on telling me things... possibilities and the impossibles. The first thing thrown at me was... You cant make complete ball of silver! It may burst... so you have to puncture it and the go about your work. Now that was a challenge for me... and the result was the piece in the picture above. Holes were made later and stones were set into it. But there was an 'un-holed' ball 1st!
Next statement was... You can never set stones before the soldering! It always has to be after. This one required some thinking and some bit of researching about properties of various stones. The result was a jaali ball with a stone inside it (picture above).
As I started playing with stones and silver, I was told... To set 2mm stones (in flush setting) the silver sheet has to be of at least 21-22 gauge. No less will do. The tone of 2 gurls in particular was challenging in an unfathomable way or so I thought. For the rest of it I'll say, I always have been the questioning kinds. I feel very strongly that... every-bloody-problem has a loophole! I explored stamping around the same time. And the result (answer) was 23 gauge silver sheet with 2mm stones in flush setting (with stamps behind the stones)... This idea is brilliantly relevant today! thanks to the soaring silver prices. Its 51.50/- INR per gram as I type.
My first brush with stamping (picture above). They dint poke me after that or maybe I was too excited about newness around to notice. I felt like a little girl (with a sweet tooth... that I really have!) left alone in a candy store...
Tried to make the above piece look as if the stone was tearing up on to the surface. Failed miserably at that! But I created this crushed foil like texture with my own hands and soldered it on to another thin flat sheet for strength. So no casting or repousse was employed.
Fished out this stone during a market visit that time. Freaked out at the brightness of pink. Many of these were made by me... not all the way to the end but a lot of processes. I fell in love with these pieces so much that I offered them to keep my remuneration and let me take these pieces back. They took it. And a 'Happy Ending' it was...
As soon as I got my brief, I reached Amrapali's export factory called 'Rajiv Arora'. Later they opened up another factory right besides the export one and its called 'Amrapali'. This one is for the local market's production. But nothing beats the charm of 'Rajiv Arora' factory!
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| the 'un-holed' ball |
Although I had worked briefly with silver and other metals before then, at the institute, this was completely new! There were 3 girls in the design department. They kept on telling me things... possibilities and the impossibles. The first thing thrown at me was... You cant make complete ball of silver! It may burst... so you have to puncture it and the go about your work. Now that was a challenge for me... and the result was the piece in the picture above. Holes were made later and stones were set into it. But there was an 'un-holed' ball 1st!
 |
| the jaali ball |
Next statement was... You can never set stones before the soldering! It always has to be after. This one required some thinking and some bit of researching about properties of various stones. The result was a jaali ball with a stone inside it (picture above).
 |
| golf-ish ball |
As I started playing with stones and silver, I was told... To set 2mm stones (in flush setting) the silver sheet has to be of at least 21-22 gauge. No less will do. The tone of 2 gurls in particular was challenging in an unfathomable way or so I thought. For the rest of it I'll say, I always have been the questioning kinds. I feel very strongly that... every-bloody-problem has a loophole! I explored stamping around the same time. And the result (answer) was 23 gauge silver sheet with 2mm stones in flush setting (with stamps behind the stones)... This idea is brilliantly relevant today! thanks to the soaring silver prices. Its 51.50/- INR per gram as I type.
 |
| silver coin with copper stamps (and the black marks) |
My first brush with stamping (picture above). They dint poke me after that or maybe I was too excited about newness around to notice. I felt like a little girl (with a sweet tooth... that I really have!) left alone in a candy store...
Tried to make the above piece look as if the stone was tearing up on to the surface. Failed miserably at that! But I created this crushed foil like texture with my own hands and soldered it on to another thin flat sheet for strength. So no casting or repousse was employed.
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| pendant - settings etc. |
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| double sided pendant - exploring curves |
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| ring - gold plated copper inlayed (not really)/ tricked in to silver |
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| double finger ring |
Fished out this stone during a market visit that time. Freaked out at the brightness of pink. Many of these were made by me... not all the way to the end but a lot of processes. I fell in love with these pieces so much that I offered them to keep my remuneration and let me take these pieces back. They took it. And a 'Happy Ending' it was...
