July 1st, 2011
Blue Amulet
All ancient cultures refer to gems and crystals as sacred gifts from Mother Earth. Amulets and talisman are worn and displayed in strategic places to seek protection, abundance, enhance spiritual qualities, for after life, to seek love …
Given how deeply I feel about stones and the impact of their energy fields, I want to indicate the significance of some of my pieces. This will be the first of many such attempts. It first came from Intuition and then the study. Now with more study it will be a fair combination of both.
Citrine will dissipate negative energy, promotes inner calm. Creates balance of yin yang, stimulates the crown chakra and creates the perfect space to bring in lapis. Lapis is the stone of protection and spirituality. It is used to attain enlightenment and increase psychic abilities. It should be worn at the throat. Both promote inner calm and provide a platform to aid in inner enquiry.
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June 6th, 2011
From the time I started designing Jewelry, it has been a very clear intent of mine to take it to Brazil. I was not sure what to expect showing gems in a Land of Gems. Brazil hosts some of the largest reserves of Tourmaline, Emeralds, Citrine, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Rock Crystal and several others. It seemed an audacious dream to enter into this realm with my few pieces of Jewelry. However with the help of a friend I had the opportunity to show some of its beautiful women what I had made for them. Within 2 hours it had gone and they wanted more! Jadau, earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces. I will be back next year…
Drop of the Amazon
A Rose in Ice
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May 21st, 2011
Naniji (my grandmother) was exceedingly beautiful and came from a little hill town called Delat in Himachal. At a young age she was married to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh and had two daughters Elsie (my mother) and Angela (her younger sister). The English names were given by the English Governess’s who could not pronounce the Indian names of the children. And there were a lot – 52 siblings, a pack of cards my mother would tell me…..
My granddaughter Aanya turned 6 months the other day and I wanted to give her something I had made for her. I turned the ruby and diamond Machali (nose ring in the center of the nose) that my grandmother is wearing into a pendant and strung it with rubies emeralds and pearls and gifted it to Aanya. One day she will know that it belonged to her great great grand mother….
Nani
Nani Elsie Angela
Aanya
Aanya and necklace
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April 27th, 2011
The Golconda diamond mines are located in south central India in what today is the state of Hyderabad. This region was the first known source for rough diamonds from approxiamtely the 4th century B.C. until 1730 when diamonds were discovered in Brazil.
Over centuries of time, the term “Golconda” became associated with high quality diamonds until the meaning of the term evolved. Today the term is often misused for diamonds with incredible transparency, clarity, and “whiteness” found only in rare type-IIa natural diamonds, that are free from nitrogen that typically causes the yellow tint in diamonds.
Real Golconda diamonds are extremely rare and likely to be seen only in museums, collections, or at Sotheby or Christie’s auctions.
The Most Famous of the Golconda Diamonds
For centuries, Golconda diamonds were considered India’s most prized diamonds, thanks to their incredible transparency, whiteness and purity, which sets them apart from other diamonds. The most famous is probably the legendary Kohinoor, a 186-carat stone which now forms a part of the Crown jewels.
The biggest known Golconda diamond is the Regent, weighing more than 410 carats when discovered in the 18th century. The Regent was sold to the regent of France by the English prime minister (hence the name), and adorned the hat of Marie Antoinette and later the hilt of Napoleon’s own sword. It is currently displayed at the Louvre. And there is the Blue hope, which is ‘only’ a 44-carat stone, but is believed to carry a curse, since many of its owners died. Today it resides in the Smithsonian museum in Washington..
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April 22nd, 2011
It seems natural that I should start a story of Jewelry with the famed jewels of my maternal grandfather Maharaja Bhupinder Singh.
Discovered in a South African De Beers mine in March 1888, the pale yellow octahedron diamond was cut and displayed in the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889 where it caused a sensation. Its present weight of 234.69 carats was the inevitable result of 200 carats being lost during the cutting process from its original natural state. It was purchased by my great grandfather Rajendra Singh, The Maharaja of Patiala ( a kingdom state in Northern India)in 1889. In 1925 Maharaja Bhupinder Singh visited Cartier in Paris with an abundant cache of loose stones in tow and with the intention of creating a ceremonial necklace as part of his crown jewels. This necklace later came to be called the Patiala Necklace, Cartier’s largest single commission ever. Completed in 1928 it contained a 1000 carats in 2930 diamonds.
The fragmented necklace was rediscovered and purchased by Cartier in 1998. Most of the gems were missing and they tried to restore it with white and yellow sapphires as well as with white topazes and garnets but to their disappointment they found that the topazes lacked the light refraction and brilliance of the diamonds. So the decision was made to use synthetic stones instead, cubic zircons in place of the real ones. It took Cartier 2 years to reassemble the necklace after which it has been on display in many exhibitions all over the world. In todays market it is estimated that the Patiala Necklace would be worth in the region of $30 million.
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April 13th, 2011
Edgar Cayce,one of our most famous mystics said that gems` real value lies in the fact that they are essentially the same material as the soul.”
I had an incredible morning with the Maori Healers from New Zealand. Ata, Manu and I sat in front on my semi precious stone necklaces. Manu chanted some Divine mantras, sprinkled some ocean (salt) water on the pieces and picked a bracelet of green amethyst in his hands and stroked it gently. I asked him why he had picked up that one and he said,” this one is sad and lonely.” He suggested I name each one and give them the respect of individuality, bless them and talk to them so that they would be of benefit to the wearer. In making the necklaces he suggested I do this to the stones prior to combining them so they would tell me how they wanted to be combined. He also said that if stones do not vibrate well together that the string would snap with the tension they create. All this was so sweet to hear. I have felt deeply connected to the earth and have always loved working with stones. This experience just made it magical. I love designing the jewelry but it seems so much more meaningful for me to have the wearer benefit from wearing it. It reaffirms the interconnectedness of all matter and the yearning to travel towards the source…..
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