Gehna (Featured Shop)

Today’s post is all about letting yourself be allured by the sheen of gold and enticed by the sparkle of a diamond. Jewelry is perceived as a mirror of a woman's persona,  her moods and style mantra. Delving further, we can appreciate it as also being an aide-mémoire of the moments in her life. More often than not, shopping for these exquisite pieces is swayed by the celebration of a special occasion or event - ones wedding day, an anniversary, a birthday or a gift from a loved one. And then there are those priceless inherited family heirloom treasures too. After endorsing the Indian Jewelry Project, I am enthused to leave behind a legacy of my own. I was personally looking for a store that would offer unique custom made jewelry. That's when I discovered “Gehna”. 

Tucked away on the meandering roads of Chennai (India), a charming private bungalow is the perfect setting to showcase the exquisite collection offered by Gehna. The owner and visionary of Gehna, Sunith Samdaria, brings with him more than 20 years of experience in the jewelry industry. Tapping into a niche segment, Gehna offers dedicated jewelry customization services, the first of its kind in Chennai (India). Customization being the USP of Gehna, it also promises to deliver this service without having to pay for the high price tag it comes with. With some discerning patrons who are not fascinated with the run-of-the-mill designs, Gehna provides them an opportunity to create unique statement pieces marked by their distinct personality and style. 

Sunith takes pride in his supportive crew at Gehna. Consisting of accomplished designers like Tara Premsingh (alumni of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gujarat) and his team of skilled craftsmen, Gehna helps "transform jewelry dreams into reality". A connoisseur of fine things, Sunith personally overlooks into each and every piece that is created at Gehna thus assuring the finest craftsmanship and quality.

Creating a welcoming and hospitable atmosphere, a personal one-on-one with the designer is arranged to better understand the client's needs. The process also allows for customer involvement at every stage. This gives us an insight into the success and mushrooming client base that Gehna has been able to amass in a short time span.

Sunith’s passion for what he does is reflected when he says ,”Within each gem burns a fire nothing can extinguish. It is this fire that seeks us out and draws us to enhance its beauty and convert it into expressions of individuality and style. Perhaps this is why jewelry is created to endure, through the changing fashions, to be passed on from generation to generation, a legacy of unmatched beauty.”

I do hope I've given you’ll enough eye candy to last you for the rest of the week. Drop in to check out more of the intricately crafted pieces that Gehna has to offer as their collection ranges from the traditionally Indian to designs with a hint of contemporary appeal.

I’m going to be away for a week attending to my books and exams but promise to be back before the love is in the air for Valentine's Day. 

You’ll take care and while I’m away if you’ll haven’t had a chance to look through my previous posts, may I suggest you make a cuppa for yourself and settle down in your nook to catch up on the TECD library of posts;) 

Images: Courtesy Gehna

Indian Jewelry Project

The "INDIAN JEWELRY PROJECT" (IJP), an endeavor by Puja Bhargava (the creative mind behind Lai Jewelry) to build a visual archive of Indian heirloom/period jewelry. Tracing the inner and outer journey of the rich history associated with Indian jewelry, IJP aspires to highlight our cultural heritage, celebrate the fine craftsmanship that India is revered for, soak in the patchwork quilt of stories associated with these treasured pieces, serve as a fountain of inspiration that you can draw from and a comprehensive log that you can refer to for pure eye candy.

Via

When I received a mail from Puja, introducing the IJP, I was stirred to know more about it.This is what Puja has to say about how the project came into being , "Ever since I discovered the "Indian Memory Project", I've been toying with the idea of starting its jewelry equivalent the "Indian Jewelry Project" & what better time than the new year to start a new project! Inspired by the "Indian Memory Project", the IJP (Indian Jewelry Project) aims to be a crowd-sourced visual history of Indian jewelry through the personal archives of families. What that means is that we will all contribute pictures (with emphasis on the jewelry worn there in) from our family albums to compile what we hope, with time, can become a big enough source of reference as well as plain eye candy as to what kind & how jewelry used to be worn in days gone by."

Via

A few guidelines from Puja that helps us understand how we can contribute to this project :

"Your contribution can be an old picture with your grandmother/ mother/ a relative wearing a striking piece of jewelry along with a little narrative about who they are, significance of the jewelry piece worn (if any), current status of that piece of jewelry (i.e handed down or melted/sold or unknown etc.). 

Any photograph submitted should feature a jewelry piece where the piece itself or the context or the way it has been worn has something meaningful & historic to convey. Only photographs taken before 1980 may be submitted.....anything later than that is too recent! 

If you have an heirloom piece of jewelry that you would like to share with others but don't have an old picture of someone wearing it, please feel free to take a shot & share that too with it's story.....that would also be a great way to document our jewelry heritage!"

Submission of relevant image(s) from sources like the magazines and the web is also accepted under  a separate category. Puja has made a start to this, by compiling an album of antique Indian jewelry here on her Facebook and here on Pinterest.

To kick start the project and bring a personal dimension to it,  we have a few photographs accompanied by anecdotes sent in by Puja and her Lai Facebook members. 

Puja shares a very personal picture with us...........she looks stunning on her wedding day adorned in gorgeous heirloom pieces that have been handed down for generations in the family.

And with Puja validating that a key-bunch does qualify as quasi-jewelry and a personal statement piece, here's my story:

The entire process has impelled me to retrieve and  prod for the precious stories and pieces that surround my family. It's an undertaking that's going to take it's due course. But the ramifications of these are going to be well worth the effort.

The Indian Jewelry Project's success is highly dependent on the combined effort of  those who value their past and those who want to give to their future. Do consider contributing to IJP personally and please share the link with those you think might be able to contribute to this collective memoir that celebrates our jewelry heritage, that has it's  roots in a 5000 year old tradition......... 

Please forward your precious stories and pictures to Puja Bhargava right here or mail her at  puja.bhargava(at)gmail(dot)com.

And if you're looking to start a legacy of your own and would like to know where to look for traditional Indian jewelry........I've got you covered. So stay tuned for a captivating post coming up next week.. But in the meantime I've got more in store for you this week:)

                                                                                ~ Sruthi                   

Images: Collage 1, Collage 2
Other Images: Via, Images are the property of Puja Bhargava. Please do not use without prior written permission.  

Last image - Mine. Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright. Please do not use without prior written permission. 

                             

Caprilicious Jewellery (Featured Shop)

Clasp my love around your neck,
Wear my heart on your finger.
My soul will be your pendant:
I live to adorn you -
You're the precious one'.
~ Grey Livingston, Genuine Adoration.

To me "Jewellry" is an extension of a woman's femininity and personality. Today's woman, adorns herself with jewellry to match her moods, to make a statement and to grace her inherent beauty. Caprilicious Jewellry, corroborates this very effort of the women to look classy, modern and themselves all at the same time.One look at what this store has to offer and you know exactly what I mean. Each piece of jewellry is handmade and an art in itself. If you are a jewellry lover like me, go ahead and feast your eyes.

Neena Shilvock is the creative mind behind the jewellry line "Caprilicious Jewellry". When Neena reached out to me, I was awe struck by the originality and the intricacy of each and every design that Neena so diligently creates. Wondering how the name Caprilicious Jewellry came together -Neena beautifully sums up the essence of the brand saying "I design for the woman who likes to be noticed - stylish, individual,confident, with a sense of humor and a zest for life - Delicious jewellry for the Capricious woman - Caprilicious! " Her jewellry is traditional with a modern twist so matter what mood your in, it would look great with a silk sari or a little black dress. 

Based in Warwickshire (UK), Neena is an obstetrician and gynaecologist by profession. Neena goes on to say "I have a day job, that is very responsible and demanding, and sometimes quite hard work - however, I felt the need for some 'MAGIC' in my life - and I went out looking for it. I wonder whether I just loved
jewellery enough to want to make the magic - or I wanted to learn the magic to be able to create the jewellery - but this is how it all went ballistic." So after a couple of classes learning the nuances of the jewellry making, she was completely hooked. 

I love how Neena draws inspiration from the Blue Himalayan poppy, windows of the Alhambra palace, tribal jewelry from Mali, Libya and Senegal, fireflies, waves, butterflies, leaves and all that nature has to offer. Do check out her wonderful blog, where she shares more on her design process, inspirations and experiments. 

Every piece that Neena has to offer is different. The versatility of the collection is admirable. But one close look at them and you can tell, the common factor binding them together is the Neena element in them. The convergence of  wire, together with different gems and metals only makes for one of a kind statement piece. She also undertakes custom orders and is more than willing to work with you should you opt for it. 

Neena's desire to create magic has definitely evolved into one of the most versatile jewellry lines for the woman of substance. Neena ships internationally,  so go ahead and get a piece of these magnificent treasures from Caprilicious Jewellry's cache for yourself. For more on Caprilicious Jewellry - here is the link .

Images : Courtesy Caprilicious Jewellry