Chennai Designer makes jewelry that glitters with folk stories

The famous saying – “One must suffer to be beautiful” will lose its substance if one is to wear a piece of jewelry that brings folk art and epics. Chennai designer has created hand-painted jewelry, using the techniques of tholu bommalata a form of shadow theatre from Andhra Pradesh.

Traditional jewelry has always been the accouterments that always carried the legacy and story of families forward to the next generation in India.

Recently Chennai-based designer Divya N,  founder of Sayuri, mixed media jewelry brand showcased an intriguing collection of handpainted jewelry on an online exhibition that features wearable pieces and brings together folk art and epics.

The most desirable piece of hand-painted jewelry is created by using the techniques of tholu bommalata, a form of shadow theatre from Nimmalakunta, Andhra Pradesh. It reflects the fascinating stories from the past and the experience from a fresh perspective. she curated epics, temple histories and moral stories in which jewelry plays has always played an important role and then etched them on necklaces.

The display has about 15 designs derived from the epics like Śhakuntala, Silapathikaaram, Ratnaavali, Temple Histories – Jataka tales, and Hitopadesa. To bring forth the right expressions and emotions in design that resonate well with the scenes of a particular epic, she painstakingly chose the colors combinations and tones.

Besides art, the designer has introduced the crafts such as Dokra brass beads and patwa thread art components for jewelry which were procured from Chattisgarh. Crafted in Chennai, the final product was then shipped to Hyderabad for portfolios.

Check out the online exhibition here: https://jewelryinnarratives.com/