Spotlight on the Jewelry brand "Mrinmayee" (Featured Brand)

Today, we bring to you the jewelry label Mrinmayee! Based in Dublin, Ireland, the pieces created at Mrinmayee are the lovely collaboration of human ingenuity, elegance of Sterling and Thai Karen Hill Tribe Silver and the iridescent sheen of semi-precious stones. The ethnic-contemporary pieces are centered on the design philosophy of simplicity and effortless style. Hand cut, hammered, polished, and strung together with love, the artist and creator at Mrinmayee is Subhadra Lakshmanan. A Mechanical and Materials Engineer by education, the lady grew up admiring her paternal grandmother's style aesthetics and has since been inspired to curate jewelry "for strong, individualistic, beautiful at heart people like her" shares Subhadra. When she is not in her home studio creating delightful pieces of jewelry, you can find her drumming her fingers to the beat of instrumental music, enjoying a performance of classical dance, catching up on the latest movies or reading her favorite authors, Jhumpa Lahiri and Jeffrey Archer. Subhadra also enjoys dabbling in oil painting. I had a chance to sit down with this lovely lady and talk to her about her foray into the world of jewelry design and her creative journey so far. 

Blue Flash Moonstones, Blue Glass Beads and Thai Karen Hill Tribe Silver come together to create this stunning statement piece from Mrinmayee's latest collection "Boodein"!

TECD: Hello and welcome to TECD Subhadra . Let’s start by asking you what does Mrinmayee mean?

Subhadra : “First of all a huge thanks to Sruthi for making me a part of this super talented group of featured artists on her wonderful blog. It is indeed an honor to be introduced to her lovely readers and have my work showcased on this amazing platform. I’m super delighted and very humbled to say the least. 

Mrinmayee means “made of earth”; it’s another name of Goddess Durga who is formed from the mud of the earth. It is synonymous with the elements of my jewelry – silver and semi-precious stones that are mined from the earth’s core and hence the name Mrinmayee.”

Add a touch of boho-chic to your attire with these elegantly designed beauties! 

TECD: Tell us about your foray into the world of jewelry design? 

Subhadra : “At the expense of sounding very clichéd, I must say it was totally unplanned and by chance. I was once discussing custom jewelry designs with my friend (who used to curate jewelry for her brand at the time) and decided to sketch some for her. When she saw what I had churned out she suggested that I start my own line. At the time I totally brushed aside her idea. But I must say I couldn’t resist the temptation and started my self-learning journey of jewelry making, taking the seed she had planted in my head. Soon after I needed some thank you gifts for my little one’s Montessori teachers. I decided to give it a personal touch and made simple jewelry gifts for them. This progressed on to making jewelry as gifts for my husband’s colleagues and friends. That’s when I realized how much I loved doing it and that’s where my real passion lied. With the persuasion, encouragement and motivation from immediate family and friends I decided to create my very own brand!”

A sneak peek of the Ambika Collection, to be released soon!

TECD: What according to you is the USP of Mrinmayee?

Subhadra: “In principle I do not sell curated jewelry. I think it is an easy way out for a truly creative person. Every piece I have in my store has been put together by me according to my design aesthetics using high quality, genuine handcrafted elements. I also believe that Mrinmayee pieces are very versatile – a necklace I create can be worn as both an everyday item as well as a statement accessory to a dinner date, a concert or any other outing.”

TECD: Please take us through your creative process?

Subhadra: “Earlier I would source elements as and when I saw them and then sit down to derive designs using those elements. That was quite challenging and fun. Since the last collection, I have started enjoying sketching out my designs in detail and then sourcing materials as required. I sketch everything from stones and silver that’ll be used, colors and shapes to the lengths. In either case I always follow the principle of not having more than 10 pieces per collection and I never make more than one piece of a single design except rarely. Each piece is one-of-a-kind. Once that is in place it’s a bit of a waiting period while the materials arrive during which time I plan my photo-shoots. I always like to finish making all the pieces before proceeding to take pictures. I find this part of the whole creative process the most stressful and most time-consuming because this is what the whole world is going to see; so it needs to be every bit perfect. The photo-shoots are followed by lots of sorting and editing and many hours at the computer getting my collection social media and buyer ready. Once I’ve given this a satisfactory green signal, I launch the collection to my lovely audience." 

TECD: I've noticed that each and every collection at Mrinmayee has a symbolic meaning. Share with us about your latest collection Boodein?

Subhadra : “I had a chance to live and work in Seattle for 2 years. I absolutely love that city; always wanted to live there longer and miss it a lot. When we moved to Ireland, I realized how similar it was in its vibe, its warmth, its natural beauty, and above all its rainy season. I loved the rains in Seattle and I love them here in Ireland. The gentle raindrops remind me of tiny jewels waiting to caress the ground and beautify it with their sparkle.

Inspired by the raindrops of nature translated into little teardrop gemstones- BOONDEIN took shape.  These pieces are slightly more festive than my usual style of creation but for those who dig ethnic-contemporary, boho-chic, non-traditional jewelry these pieces are a must-have!”

Some of my favorites from the Boodein collection!

TECD: How would you describe your ideal Mrinmayee woman? 

Subhadra : “She’s the one who believes in personal style and does not conform to societal stereotypes; one who doesn’t shy away from adorning herself for work, a movie outing, a wedding or a simple get-together with friends, with equal enthusiasm. She’s one who considers adornment and accessorizing as part of her being.”

Should you wish to add a slice of tribal touch to your style, these pieces are perfect!

TECD: What has been your most memorable experience in your creative journey?

Subhadra : “I must say it was when I made my first ever sale. It felt like the biggest achievement! A triumph that someone other than me likes, believes in and appreciates my work." 

TECD: What would you say is the success mantra for a small business owner? 

Subhadra : “Ha,Ha! that’s one thing I’m still figuring out and trying to get a grasp on. I’m still very new to the field and each day is an on-going learning journey for me. But I think few things that’ll definitely help anyone excel are individuality, sincerity, genuine appreciation for another’s work/talent and commitment to excellent customer service without sacrificing your self-respect.”

Elegant earrings in an array of colors!

TECD: Future plans for Mrinmayee?

Subhadra : “I have quite a few lined up but those that I definitely want to achieve in the near future are :

~ Would love to incorporate a bracelet and anklet range into my collections. 

~ Become a certified silversmith; nothing is more satisfying than being able to create every element of your creation on your own, 

~ Do exclusive collections celebrating my most favorite tribal artists of the world – The Rabari, The Berber, The Thai Karen and The Bedouin, 

~Transition to my own personal website.”

These versatile pieces style well with traditional Indian and western outfits. Mrinmayee patrons range in the age group of 15 to all the way upto 65, so there is something for everyone. Mrinmayee's "Boondein collection, is exclusively available at Avishya (FYI :Avishya is a Chennai based online platform that ships worldwide and accepts all major forms of payments). Mrinmayee also retails via their shop at Etsy. (For the convenience of the customer, they also have the option to shop via bank transfer.) Incase of Custom orders and product inquiries email Subhadra directly at yoursmrinmayee@gmail.com. (Mrinmayee ships worldwide.) For latest product updates and launch of their Ambika collection stay connected via their FB page and Insta account.

Thank you so much Subhadra for taking the time to chat with us and share your creative journey. We wish you all the very best! 

(Image Credit: Mrinmayee)