Learnt so many more techniques since the leaf project using paste type clay. So far the wire/filigree work has been the most enjoyable project. I still don’t have any images of those, but I do have something even more exciting to share. We made a Syringed band yesterday and I was so kicked! It looks divine …and so organic !
I refrained myself from adding too many add on’s over those syringed noodles 
. Loved the final look. Don’t you? Stay tuned for more!
Silver Band / Syringed Ring
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We learnt using silver clay paste on day 2 – used it to make a silver leaf and it was the most satisfying process. I settled on a Bougainvillea leaf .
It was a fun thing to do but rather tedious, for one needed to keep drying and re-coating the leaf with coates of silver paste to achieve a minimum of 1 mm thickness before firing the piece. Took us a good 4 hours to get through the entire deal.
Leaves with prominent veins. I went on a rampage at our park
The first coat - the most important coat
Drying in the oven (this is after the 4th coat)
Ready after about 10 coats and post firing. Not yet polished. But oh so pretty I wish I I had a Maple leaf!
So, ain’t it incredible? I want to find a Maple leaf as soon as possible and make one for myself. Also, big firm leaves, work better, since they don’t burn off and aren’t too brittle. We also learnt the Syringe method. But that’s for the next post.
Until next post, then!
True to what I promised, to many of you, here’s my first post on day 1 of my course. It was an exciting day and I ended up making a ring and two pendants using Silver Art Clay.
What is Silver Art Clay?
In very simple words, Silver Art Clay is just like play dough, comprising of silver, water and organic binders. Just like play dough, you play around with this clay, make your desired piece of art, dry it, refine it and then fire it over stove, in a kiln, or use a butane torch at a desired temperature to get 99.9 percent pure silver. To say the least, its like magic. Who but the Japanese should come up with something so fabulous and magical technology?
The most intriguing side to the process is the fact that you end up with the purest form of silver available. Unlike Sterling silver, Which is 92.5 percent silver (other metals being copper, Titanium etc.), the silver you get after firing Art Clay is 99.9 percent pure. And what’s more, it’s non toxic!
Some images I managed to take with my iPhone. Working with clay can be rather messy, so these are the least I could get for you. Once I finish with the course, I’ll try and put together a set of finished products for you to see.
For now, take a peak at these and be amazed and impressed at how much the world has advanced in the art of jewelry making!
The Magic Clay
Unfinished Clay Ring
Firing on Stove
My table at the studio
The JDMIS, Singapore, Jade room.
The still unfinished ring (polishing, refining, gem setting yet to be done)
So far seems promising. Looking forward to the next class which will teach us Syringe methods. Excited!
Hello Mumbaikars! You might just want to stop by Bandra to check out Silver Streak’s Christmas collection, that comprise of exquisite Marcasite pieces. Know more about the store in my feature on Silver Streak in Vogue India blogs.
Few glimpses from their promising Marcasite Christmas Collection:
Think not any further, head straight to Bandra!
It is so ironical that I should post this news on Silveratti after so long! This space deserved to announce the news first, and I honestly do not have an explanation as to why it happened otherwise . So, better late than never.
I have finally taken the first step to realise my dream. I recently launched a little online shop of Silver Jewellery, called Nine By Thirty. The name comes as a surprise to many who thought I’d call my venture Silveratti, after this blog. But Nine By Thirty had a deeper emotional connect. It is my house number and it was in this quaint little house with a lemon tree that I conceptualized and actualized my little dream. Nine By Thirty is right now just a page on Facebook. But we do have larger plans, but we are waiting it out to see how things pan out in the coming months. What do you think of the logo? It was made by 22 Feet, a digital agency based out of Bengaluru, India. The motif you see is actually ‘A’ in Oriya, which is my mother tongue. My name is Aparna (now you know ), so the A.
Nine By Thirty stocks 2 lines of silver jewellery – ‘Moi’ – Handmade collection by Aparna (me) and ‘Motley Street’ – Handpicked pieces from my travels. Here are a few pieces from Nine By Thirty’s ‘Moi’ collection :
Silver flower pendant with Bloodstone Nuggets and Agate
Lava beads with Sterling Silver rose
Blue Kaynite with brushed silver
Czech bead and sterling silver danglers
Green Turquoise with brushed silver
My handmade collection currently consists mostly of semi precious stones and silver. I source most of my stuff locally and from Bali. I won’t say much- you got to hop over to the page and see for yourself and tell me what you think!
And before I leave, I got to assure you one thing- Silveratti will continue to bring to you the best stories from around the world, on Silver.
So long, then!
Hi folks, been busy with lots. So leaving you with some of my recent blog posts on Vogue India.
Click on the screenshots to take you to the post.
1. Style Check on Facebook : Fun and quirky jewellery related pages you should ‘like’ on FB
2. In search of the unusual : Featuring two lovely designers, Dakshayini Gowda of Sanchali and Purvi Sanghvi
4. Store Watch – Silver Streak : My fave jewellery store in Bandra
5. Go Boho with KarmaSuthra : Featured Designer – Divya Thomas
6. Designed to Allure : Samantha Wills
Catch you soon !
This post is a rather lengthy one. For I have chosen not to edit or re-write what the person featured here today wrote about herself and her venture-simply because it makes for an awesome read in itself . Besides, it is difficult to write about someone so accomplished. One fears of not doing enough justice to the said person’s achievements. So, like most lazy writers do, I’ll let the person do all the talking. Meet Rila Banerjee and read in her words about her venture, ”Bees Knees’, a line of quirky and colourful jewellery hand crafted by her.
Rila on her profession and a profitable hobby
Allow me to introduce myself – my name is Rila Banerjee and I am not a famous designer. However, I am a fairly well-known musician by profession (www.myspace.com/rilabanerjee). Having been a part of Kolkata’s creative scenario for many years, I have been designing chunky, semi-precious jewellery (necklaces/chokers and earrings) for myself to highlight my stage performances. Friends and acquaintances have often admired my creations and have enquired about their availability. They have never been commercially available.
A couple of months ago, my hobby turned profitable. I crafted 35 pieces and retailed them online to friends – just for fun. They were sold out within the week! The enthusiasm generated from this fun effort propelled me to consider converting this exercise into a viable business proposition.
It involved a fair amount of travel which I was more than happy in indulge in. With South East Asia covered, my dark continent-based sister helped source the most amazing semi-precious gems. A crash course in gemology followed. Suppliers in place, I was now ready to embark upon this quirky, technicoloured trip.
Necklace with Brown Aventurine Turquoise, 2-tone Czech Beads, Tibetan Silver
On why and how she chose the name ‘Bee’s Knees’ and the logo design
I spent an entire afternoon pouring over the dictionary and the thesaurus – zilch. Bee’s Knees just happened – honestly. No market research. Just loved the sound and it fitted my profile brilliantly. A self-confessed Adobe junkie, the logo took all of 15 minutes to design.
Necklace with Rose Quartz, Pink Heliotrope Pearls, Rainbow Obsidian, Tibetan Silver
On the materials she uses and where they are sourced from
All the materials are sourced personally from my travels to African countries, Australia, South East Asia and the US. I work purely with semi-precious stones – jade, coral, jasper, onyx, turquoise, pearls, amethyst, aventurine, aquamarine, bloodstone, Peridot, carnelian, magnesite, obsidian, agate among a whole host of possibilities. However, to keep prices in check, I prefer to work with Tibetan silver – it’s cheaper and extremely versatile.
Bee’s Knees directly imports an incredible line of hand-picked precious, semi-precious beads and freshwater pearls to add extra zing to its whimsical creations.
On where to find Bee’s Knees accessories and her experiences with stocking the same boutiques
Unfortunately, I do not have a ‘designer’ degree/background. I have never even been remotely associated with fashion (which, in hindsight, is a great thing, because I carry no baggage). I have approached a couple of premier stores in India. Few have welcomed me, most are skeptical!
Darshan Shah of Weaver’s Studio (Kolkata) took one look at my creations and ordered my first consignment. Prana Lifestyle (Kolkata) also retail my designs. Oorja (Hyderabad) placed their orders on the phone, and Ffolio (Bangalore) is in the bag. I also have a steady clientele in Lagos, Nigeria where my jewellery is available.
We are taking baby steps. I am presently in the process of firming up outlets in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. Ideally, I would prefer a maximum of 2 outlets per city to stock my creations, primarily because:
1. The designs remain exclusive
2. As all the jewellery is personally designed and crafted by me, it is not possible to mass produce at this stage.
On the uniqueness of Bee’s Knees and some humour
I never repeat a design. There is only one of each design available. It also serves a personal challenge. On a humorous note, if an item does not sell, it finds its way into my jewellery box– that’s because I never design something that I wouldn’t wear myself!
It’s also a good feeling to know that you’re the only one in the world to own and wear a particular ornament.
On how she perceives Bee’s Knees to be
Whimsical, with a dollop of irreverence. A quirky colour palette, yet understated. Bee’s Knees limited edition ornaments comprise one-of-a-kind (rarely, two-of-a-kind) designs, conceptualised and hand crafted by Rila Banerjee. For an array of limited edition, quirky, kitsch frippery to adorn you, look no further.
On who should wear Bee’s Knees
My creations make for great party wear – they’re unconventional, quirky and unusual – that’s what my clients agree upon. A merchandiser commented, “Hey, this is for the intellectual Bengali”. I agree. It’s for the intellectual Bengali, Malayali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marwari, Kannadiga, Tamilian etc. etc. etc. …..It is designs I’ve been searching for all these years – should’ve done something about it ages ago.
On where to get Bee’s Knees Online
On FB – Bee’s Knees by Rila Banerjee (Click to go to the page)
Loved Bee’s Knees? Inspired? Want to know more? Then I suggest you first play her groovy numbers on loop (Muddled up me and Butterfly are personal favourites), open the official Bee’s Knees fan page, and spend a lovely Friday afternoon looking at some drool-worthy jewellery and get inspired.
I have been looking at a lot of contemporary silver jewellery designer’s work, online. They usually are clean, edgy designs with no fuss. I love these designs. They are artistic , bold in a subtle way and appeal to my senses. One such designer I came across was Sydney based Marta Niegowska, who runs ‘Bilingual’. The online store gets its name from designing unisex pieces of jewellery.
What I fell in love with on her site, were the rings. What’s best about some of these rings are that they can be interchangeably worn as a neck piece too. Fun!
I particularly like Marta’s contemporary wedding rings. They are beautiful and sleek! A fresh deviation for an Indian like me, who is so bored of looking at ostentatious Diamond and Gold rings. Ugh.
Bilingual offers a custom design service for wedding bands, which involves working together to share ideas so that they can create rings that make a strong statement about your relationship! How exciting and unique, do you think is that! How much thought did you give to your wedding ring, really?
Oh, and they are soon going to celebrate their 5th birthday and a ‘Christmas in July’ sale is on, until…erm, tomorrow ! You still have time.
Wishing Marta the very best with Bilingual !
To know more about Marta and see more of her fabulous designs and her inspirations, do visit her online store.
I did a little interview on Australian born jewellery designer Samantha Wills in Vogue India reader’s blog. But that didn’t satiate my need to share more of her pieces here.
Samantha Wills (SW) is purely for the fashion-conscious folks. Wear SW to feel like one of the many celebrities sporting the brand. I rather like SW, despite being a person, whose likes in jewellery has always tilted towards ethnic and traditional silver jewellery. I think there is a little something for every one in SW. Big-chunky, layered, delicate, simple, quirky, chic and very very hip! The long multilayered necklaces and chandelier earrings are big in Australia.
What’s it like in India?
I love the use of different metals in SW’s collections. I tried to define what SW’s overall brand stood for, but I think they say it best – “A MIX OF BOHEMIAN GLAMOUR, ROCK CHIC EDGE & NYC STYLE” !
And the very best part about her jewellery- they come in this wooden box!
Check them out yourself at Samantha Wills‘ online store.
Remember the Silversmithing course in Sydney Art School, I told you all about? So I went ahead and took the beginner’s class, where they teach you to make a ring.
Little did I know when I signed up for this, that I’d come back home so awestruck by the entire process. No wonder artists look so content in their self-made world. I’m still buzzing by the awesomeness of it all!
So, Liz , the teacher, is this petite South African lady, who has immense patience and helps her students to create magic. I am yet to meet another person who is so lavish with praises. I am not going to talk more about her, for I want to do an exclusive on her. An artist of her calibre deserves more and not just a ‘by the way’ mention on this blog. For the ones looking for more information, I’d say you must take these classes because of her. Her style and method of teaching is fun, educative and inclusive. Moreover the studio has a wonderful vibe about it , with easels in the main room, little sculptures and paintings made half way through, and the aroma of coffee from the kitchen not to mention all the hammering ! 
I must add that I have renewed respect for all independent artists and hand-crafted jewellery! I can now fully well imagine the hard work that goes into making a piece from scratch.
So here are select few pictures from the tryst with my favourite metal! I promise you a lot more in the coming months. Have fun!
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