The belief that you find treasure in the most prodigious places fits perfectly for these artists who ventured on a different aisle to bring to you the finest and most exclusive jewellery made with things that are beyond your spectrum of imagination. For the common eye what ends at gold, silver, diamond and platinum, is where these creators showcase the chimera of their magic. Organic and sustainable jewellery is an upcoming fashion trend which is here to stay till infinity thanks to people who love experimenting with the changing trends.
DNA tales
A walk down the alcazar of imagination and imagine jewellery being made out of “breast milk”. If your eyes have already popped out by now, meet Preety Maggo, an eye specialist cum jewellery designer, whose passion and mission gave birth to Magic of Memories DNA jewellery. Talk about having an “eye” for things and Preety Maggo fits the bill perfectly.
Elucidating her mission that eventually turned into a passion she said, “The whole idea behind embarking on this journey and setting up this business was to normalise the concept of “Breastfeeding”. A new mother already undergoes humongous societal pressure and breastfeeding is one of them. My intention was to change this point of view in my own unique way and being a medical student this was the first idea that crossed my mind. Breastfeeding is an eternal bond between a mother and her child, it is more of a journey from the time baby is in the mother’s womb to infinity. And there is no other greater joy than being able to seal this moments in a memory forever.”
DNA jewellery | Pic courtesy: Magic of Memories
Making ritzy jewellery, especially one in which breast milk and hair or nails are involved, is quite a tedious procedure. Finding the perfect balance of mathematics and science is not everyone’s cup of tea. From using the right kind of skin friendly materials to maintaining the component of the substance everything works in a full circle. “My topmost priority is to use the best quality resin and FDA approved raw materials. Since it is a lifetime memory I ensure that the end product is toxin-free and organic,” says Preety.
Converting your passion into a profession has its own little peregrination. From convincing and explaining people that such kind of jewellery can actually be designed to creating masterpieces, handling the social media to catering to clientèle single-handed takes a lot of patience.
Exemplifying the journey of this cliquish fusion of science and art Preety said, “I prominently work on making jewellery out of breast milk where in clients send me the milk and according to their design requirements I create neck pieces, rings, bracelets and so on. Apart from that, when we say DNA jewellery, I also make jewellery out of nails and hair strands too. I started off by sharing this idea with my husband and who was amazed at the whole concept and lent his full support to it. I began making sample pieces for my family members and eventually with word of mouth people loved the concept and started approaching me. To add to the web of opportunities, social media handles came to my rescue in the form of mom-groups and art pages who appreciated my work and spread the word too.”
Flower power
What started off as a college graduation project eventually turned into a successful business venture for Amrita Giriraj of Alankaara India. Going by her slug line which says fossilized jewellery and keepsakes with real botanicals collected ethically from around the world made with an intent to make a positive impact on people, Amrita and her team are definitely here to change the world.
Sharing the fable behind Alankaara she said, “Some years back the concept of seashell ornaments was quite trendy. For everyone who visited Kanyakumari would definitely return with finery made with seashells, whether that be engraving your name on the shell or making rings or tiny shells or keychains and so on. It was the livelihood of the localities and all that changed the day the coast was hit by tsunami. Of all the things that the disaster took with itself, the livelihood of these people was the prime most. It was after this, that the idea struck and gradually started building it up.”
Fossilized flower jewellery | pic: Instagram/Alankaara India
Folk art and the artisans are gradually diminishing in the world thanks to fast fashion and easy availability of resources. And then come people like Amrita, who not just build business, but also give excellent exposure to artisans. Amrita dreams of gradually opening up nouveau avenues in the field of home decor by designing pieces made of of botanical fossils.
Sharing her journey she said, “Flowers have a universal language and they bledn perfectly with each and every personality. The jewellery is organically made with leaves and flowers that dry up and fall on the ground. The entire jewellery is created keeping in mind the changing trends and likes of the people. Women artists have a knack of their craft and are extremely good with their craft. Certain petals and flowers are very delicate and hence need to be handled with care but the women do it so finely.”
Sustainable ornaments
Sustainable living has been gaining momentum and became a buzzword during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. So why not add sustainable jewellery to this list too. Common interest for experimenting with jewellery and attending jewellery exhibitions became the trigger point for siblings Nikita Shinde and Siddhi Shegle, who specialise in making jewellery out of sustainable clay.
Sharing their insight on this new kind of experimentation they said, “Initially, we started this page only to exhibit our creations as we had no idea how would people respond. But to our surprise, the response was overwhelming. This led us to the decision to turn our hobby into business. As our traditional artificial jewellery is made up of metal and stones, they tend to wear out with time and become useless even if we take good care of it. So we wanted to create something unique that would retain its beauty for longer period. Moreover, it does not cause any harm to the environment and its inexpensive.”
Biodegradable jewellery | Pic: Instagram/stealnshine
People are oblivious to such creations and find it hard that one can make such kind of jewellery. Biodegradable jewellery is the future of sustainability and might also pave way for being an additional element to the concept of minimalism. In that case people cannot just flaunt what they like but also can also save planet earth.
Every business needs a thorough inspiration like a booster dose. Sharing their dosage of inspiration they said, “So far we're getting amazing response from our clients. They love what they receive, that's what inspires us to get going. And we are glad that people are finally welcoming the concept of clay jewellery.”
A welcome change
One fascinating thing about this new age jewellery is it has no age or gender limitation. Anyone who loves a little glimmer in their day today life would definitely fall in love with it at first sight. Sustainable jewellery is still in its nascent stages, but this trend is catching up widely with all the generations. With artists like these making a difference to the way people look at the concept of trinkets, the time is not far when this treasure would soon rock the international markets.
