It was a hasty decision to go to India in 2010, I was struck with more urgency around my jewellery and all I really knew was Jaipur in Rajasthan was where a lot of the worlds’ gemstones were cut, polished & jewellery was produced. So with only a few weeks of planning, Mum & I flew to Jaipur. Arriving it was overwhelming; a sea of Indian faces as intrigued by you as you by them. Setting aside intensely confronting cultural differences, we made a lot of friends with the beautiful, talented and open-spirited people of Jaipur.
We had travelled the backstreets, met artisans with an array of skills passed down through as many as 6 generations & witnessed gemstones nonchalantly plucked from old beaten safes in quantities that blew my mind. It was magical.It wasn’t until leaving India, settling back into Sydney life that I realized that my vibe had struck a cord with Ravi; an honest, hardworking, eager son in a family who had been jewellery merchants.
Ravi & I kept in contact until going back in 2014 to set up the studio with Ravi at the helm, I was so grateful to see the same old faces in the same old places around town as 4 years earlier.
My open-hearted quest found a tribe of creative experts who are invested in producing quality, hand crafted jewellery bringing years of love & expertise to Swimming in Stones. I see smiling faces in photos everyday through the stages of production & I’m grateful to be transported momentarily to beautiful Jaipur.
I found this image online last year, please excuse me whoever owns it, but it’s fabulous! Working with my tribe of artisans in India makes me feel like dancing. And I love to dance!
1 comment
Great post.
Unfortunately on this occasion I am going to fall into #2 and pay you a sincere compliment! Keep up the good work!
http://www.uniquejewellersjaipur.com/