Kumar story #1. Saraswati & the diamond pendant

Oh Kumar. He is so sweet. Last year one of my friends wanted a navaratna ring made. Kumar loves making navaratna rings because they are auspicious and very powerful. It means nine precious stones and each stone represents a different Indian god and a different planet, all aligned perfectly to help the wearer in their life.

My friend gave me an old ring she had, she wanted to use the gold for her new ring, but she said, please give the diamond to Kumar as a gift. When I told this to Kumar (see story from last year here), he could not believe it. He said, “Samia, someone from America is giving me a diamond?” As a hardworking goldsmith, this is a grand gift. He was very happy. He took it home, showed it to his family, his friends. He thought for weeks about what he was going to do with it. He didn’t know if he would sell it, or make a piece of jewelry for his wife or what? Several weeks later, he said to me, “Samia, I am thinking I will make one gold pendant with the diamond placed in the middle and I will give it to the Saraswati temple as an offering.” Here he is, he could have done so many things with this diamond and he chose to give it to the gods.

Saraswati is the Indian goddess of wisdom, music, arts and science. She is very revered throughout India.


When I saw Kumar the other day, he said to me. “Samia if you would have arrived a few days back you could have seen the pendant I made for Saraswati.” He made the pendant and on the auspicious day of the Goddess during their yearly festival of Dasara, Kumar went to the temple and offered the Goddess the pendant of gold and diamond. It was beautiful (if only I had a photo). He was so happy.

The temple in return gave his wife a handwoven silk sari. A sari that had been blessed by the priests and had been worn by the Saraswati Statue at the Temple. A very auspicious gift indeed.

In the end, everyone is happy. I asked Kumar why he decided to give it to Saraswati versus other Indian goddesses. He said, “Because she is the holder of knowledge. I want my children to have much knowledge so they can live a life of happiness.”

day 2. flow

Day 2.

Well, it all started with my early morning, 3 am. I did a little yoga and proceeded to read until it was time for breakfast at 7. At 10, I checked out of my hotel in hopes, I would find a place to live for the next month. It seemed it would happen as I had 3 people looking for me. One of whom showed me several places, none of them very nice. Quite dingy actually. I told myself, if worse came to worse, I would just take one of them. Around 1pm, I still hadn’t found anything and decided to go out on my own and literally start knocking on doors to see if there was a flat available. Of course, I started this adventure with a place in mind. I marched over there, the owner was sitting on his porch, I asked if his flat was available and it was.. It was that easy! It was on the low end of my budget and it had all the necessities I was looking for. What more could I ask for?

From there, I hopped in a rickshaw, and went to visit Kumar, I had not seen him yet and he has a new workshop, it’s so much bigger 10X6. We chatted for a bit, his son was there with him. Then he said, ‘Samia, come to my house and eat a little bit, and then I will drive you home.’ So, of course I did that. And the food was AMAZING. And it was fun to see his family + I got to meet more of his extended family.

He took me home to my new little spot and I got a call from the airlines, my luggage was on it’s way. So, on the way to pick it up (at the hotel, I had stayed at the night before), I stopped by the internet store to get my internet broadband card recharged. The man told me, it would work the next day, but I plugged it in and boom, it worked. I asked him why it was working and he said, “madam, I have no idea.” Ok no more questions.

I left, picked up my luggage with all my items inside, and took a rickshaw back to my new flat.

It’s interesting how the day just flowed perfectly, I was never rushed, it all worked out in perfect order and I got everything I needed to done.. I must cherish that moment in time as I know, it will not always be such.

I have a wonderful Kumar story to share soon. Keep on reading..

day of departure

It all started with a phone call on Monday morning. A random number, I thought maybe it was a client calling. But no, it was Air France. They asked me if I would be willing to switch flights and receive a $400 voucher for future travel. They gave me the details and it actually worked out in my favor, in terms of layovers etc.

I arrived at SeaTac airport early this morning, and checked in to my flight. Seattle to New York. New York to Paris. Paris to Bangalore. It’s a long haul. I was sitting at the gate to board my plane to NY and they called my name. I got upgraded to First Class. Somehow this upgrade karma has been working for me lately and I can’t complain. It’s great.

Now, I am sitting in the Air France lounge in NY. It seems strange to partake in such luxury as I am on my way to India, but again, I’m not complaining, just observing.

I am looking forward to this journey, one month in India. A time for me to ponder after a summer of difficulties. It will be wonderful to meet with Kumar and make beautiful jewelry. It will be amazing to sit by the Arabian Sea and make gold chains with Balan.

Sometimes, I have to blink and ask myself. Is this really my life?

new adventure! new jewelry!

As we get ready to go on our motorbike adventure to Kerala. I am finishing up here in Mysore. Phew... The last days are always hectic, it seems as if it will not get done and suddenly, miraculously, it is finished, and perfect, just in the knick of time...


So, we will see. We leave here on Wed. morning and will journey off on our super ride. The 1993 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 (with carrier, of course)... oh I am excited..

Check out our new pieces and the Bullet! The pieces are limited and are for sale. if you are interested, please contact me via email.

sneaking a peek... golden goodies 2011

This trip I am making a lot custom orders and a friend of mine gave me a gold and diamond ring. She asked if we could melt the gold and use it in her piece and she wanted to give the diamond to Kumar as a gift.

The other day, as I was sitting with Kumar in his shop, he asked me, 'Samia, you remember your friend? The one who has given me the diamond as a gift?'

I said, 'Yes, Kumar, I remember.'

He said, 'Well, I am thinking of also giving the diamond as a gift.'

I replied, 'Wow, Kumar, that is so kind. Who are you thinking of giving the diamond to?'

Kumar then says, 'Samia, not like that, not like that. There is one Goddess, her name is Saraswati. She is the Goddess of Wisdom and art and culture and there is one temple. I am thinking, I will make a nose ring or a pendant and give it to the Goddess Saraswati at the temple.'

How i love India. How I love Kumar.

So, I asked Kumar, 'How would you feel if I told my friend your idea?" he replied, "you MUST tell your friend my idea. It is necessary."


Kumar and I have been working very hard this week.. Here are a few photos of what we have been up to.

so much suffering...

Melancholy day.. A lot of thinking, about all the suffering in this world, and how very fortunate I am. So very fortunate.

I sat with Kumar, my goldsmith teacher, tonight and we talked a bit about how the price of vegetables has quadrupled in the last year. I asked him how people are getting by and he told me, many people are not getting by.

It echoes what is going on around the rest of the world, but here it seems so much more raw... the reality is in your face, all the time. The struggle of the people here is huge. I'm talking about people who make maybe $3-5 a day working hard 12 hour days. How are they supposed to even buy food when the cost has gone up so much. Kumar told me the price of 1kg of onions was 10rupees (about $0.25) last year. Now it is 50rupees per kg that is over $1 just for onions. Imagine making $3 a day and trying to feed your family. So, difficult.

Anyway, that is what I thought about, a lot... And how very fortunate I am...

a little slice of magic.

It's a magical place. India. Even after years and years and even after looking around and seeing strange things and thinking they are normal and even after all the difficulties it entails to get here and be here and even after all the emotional energy exuded and the abundance of creativity I feel while here. Still the magic persists, it pervades me. I LOVE IT HERE! Even during the illnesses and the frustrating moments and anything else that may come up.

Yesterday was spent relaxing and chatting with old and new friends at the river. A tranquil and gorgeous place. A beautiful countryside home full of art and artists. Although, as a rule, I typically don't swim in rivers in India, I did yesterday and it was fun to manipulate the current, climb out and sit on the warm rocks and sit in the swirling jacuzzi like pools. aaaahh...

The evening brought me to Kumar's shop. We sat, he, his wife, his son and I and talked about life and jewelry and gifts from America. We discussed the new pieces we will be making and we drew pictures and estimated gold weight. We designed and talked. It's one of my very favorite things to do in this world.. Sit with Kumar and 'make' jewelry... Oh, I am blessed...

May you all have shanti (peace) in your hearts.. one of my favorite Kumar quotes.

diamonds + rubies + gold... oh my

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. SOLD







simple hammered bands and simple hammered bands with rough cut diamonds sizes 5-8  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.

 for more information and more photos please email me. ps.. the pendant is already sold...

time warp

I looked down at my phone 15 missed calls. Hmmm….My phone had been on silent for only one hour. I called Kumar back and he said, “ Samia, please come urgently.”

My first thought, of course, is that something happened, but Kumar said, “no no no, not like that, you come, you see, you go.”

I had plans for the evening, but had to remind myself, as I was postponing them (until further notice), that I am here for two things. Yoga and jewelry all other things can wait. So, I hopped in a rickshaw, and rode across town to Kumar’s new shop. He was glowing with excitement.

“Samia, please come. Sit” He had two clients in his shop they were all talking and laughing. I sat for a few minutes and soon they left. Kumar slowly took out a small small package wrapped in newspaper. He opened it and inside were the jewels. Our work! Our beautiful shining pendants, rings and earrings! All of it organically perfect. Handmade, shiny golden ornaments.

He wanted me to see them finished… Urgently, in case we had to make any changes before my departure on Sunday.


I can’t believe today is my last full day in Mysore. I’m off to Jaipur, Rajasthan, tomorrow, for the last week of my journey before returning home. I keep reminding myself to take it all in, breathe in all the millions of smells, observe all the beautiful chaos. And do not resist the flow or get used to it either. I want India’s magic to stay alive while I am in it and while I am home.

new golden pendants:

shiva: the destroyer
lakshmi: Goddess of prosperity
ganesha: the remover of obstacles

prices to come. let me know if you are interested!

some rings and other things

I've been working a lot and it's going really well. Here are a few photos of some of the rings we made recently for a friend of mine here in Mysore..(well she's in Goa now). It's a 6 carat facetted ruby ring set in 20k gold and two blue pushparaga rings... very beautiful...

Also a few photos of Kumar, Rangaswami and I...plus the kids outside his shop.. Life is good. India is amazing!!!

Kumar blessing a piece of jewelry

This is a short video of Kumar blessing a rudraksha necklace he made for the guy (you briefly see in the video). Rudraksha necklaces are worn by many holy people throughout India and are considered very sacred. They are special seeds from a special tree and are very precious throughout the land.

From Wikepedia:Rudraksha mala has been used by Hindus (as well as Sikhs and Buddhists) as rosary for thousands of years for meditation purposes to sanctify the mind, body and soul. The word Rudraksha is derived from Rudra (Shiva—the Hindu God of all living creatures) and aksha (eyes). So, Rudraksha is related to Shiva’s eyes. One Hindu mythology says that once Lord Shiva became so compassionate after seeing the sufferings of mankind that He could not stop to shed tear from his eye. This single tear from Shiva’s eye grew into the Rudraksha tree. Rudraksha tree belongs to the Elaeocarpus genus of the Elaeocarpaceae family that grows from the Gangetic plain upto the Himalayas. Rudraksha fruit is green in color but turns black when dried. The central hard Rudraksha uniseed may have 1 to 21 faces. The five-faced Rudraksha seeds are the most common.