India.. Dreaming on the motherland today.. So I thought I would post some of the jewelry from my work/study trips there.
The first set of jewelry is all designed by me and made by myself, my longtime teacher Kumar and a few of his friends. We make all of these pieces completely by hand and by eye. The traditional Indian way. It is one of my dreams in life to help keep the dying art of Indian goldsmithing alive. The goldsmiths in India are in high demand, but they are looked at as skilled laborers and are paid a small wage for their work. I work and study with two independent goldsmiths, one in the palms groves of Kerala and one in Mysore, a city in the South of India. We work together to make these beautiful pieces and the with the purchase of one of these pieces, you help support these two very hard working, but very underpaid families in India…
Beautiful handmade star ruby ring set in 20k gold and hand engraved on the back size 8 $830 contact me if you are interested in purchasing this ring or would like more information on it.
simple hammered bands and simple hammered bands with rough cut diamonds sizes 5-8 prices $150-$200 contact me (info in the right side bar) if you are interested in purchasing or would like more information on these rings.
working with Balan in the coconut groves of Kerala, is my favorite part of the year each year. We sit on his veranda and painstakingly make gold chains from scratch using a fire with a blow pipe torch and rudimentary tools. Our beautiful handmade chains are for sale
In this photo you can see the handmade chain, each 1X1.5mm link is soldered using a blowpipe torch. in order to do this the goldsmith must know how to circular breath.
Each chain is $775. for more information and more photos please email me. ps.. the pendant is already sold…
Samia Shalabi is a Seattle based artist & designer, yogi and traveler who has roots in the Middle-East, was raised in the middle-west and is drawn to India. She has a degree in geology, has traveled all over the world with a backpack, and believes in following her dreams. Samia does yoga most mornings, enjoys walks around Seattle, loves to laugh, and daydreams about where to travel next. She is working on a movie shoot in France.
