My Dad was a civil engineer who did airport runway design, and it took him to many fascinating places around the world: Thailand, Malaysia, Greece, Czech Republic, the Philippines, Qatar, and many other places. I have a memory in the mid-90s of being at the kitchen table and Dad calling to say hello from Kuala Lumpur- given that phone calls across the globe were expensive, it was a very quick call. He’d then come home and show us postcards as he regaled us with tales of the fascinating butterfly garden, interesting architecture, and more.
As a gift, not long after, a family member gave me a really cool gift. It was a cassette with a guidebook about wonders of the world, including Angkor Wat and the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, the capital of Myanmar (Burma). I was captivated by all these places. I daydreamed about travel to Egypt one day, and seeing the pyramids. After school, I loved going down rabbit holes on World Book Encyclopedia and Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia looking at all the historical sites of Egypt. In my 8 year-old head, “One day…. One day!”
When I’d make jewelry in the early days, people often commented that it made them think of places around the world. That stuck in my head- what a cool way to remind yourself of places around the world where you’ve been or would like to go. Being of Indian ancestry, there definitely were a lot of pieces that had an Indian influence, which I gravitated towards in my personal style. I was fortunate to have spent some time in India as a toddler, and as an adult, and I love wearing jewelry that reminds me of India. Here’s my mom and me when I was a year old in Mumbai!
In graduate school, I stumbled across the blog of a high school classmate, Britt Heller. Fun fact about Britt: she was homecoming queen in high school! As a passion project, she has this cool travel blog (although she’s more active on Instagram these days), where she talks about her travel adventures, both in North America and around the world. I absolutely adored her series where she talked about her trip to Greece- the food, the scenery, the architecture, the vibe- it was captivating. I’d LOVE to visit the Mediterranean region.
My aunt Joyce had taken a trip to Morocco for a yoga retreat. Wow! Another place with fascinating food, art, scenery, and culture. Yet another place I daydream about. I fell down a rabbit hole looking at intricate silverwork often worn by Moroccan brides, and came up with this new favorite necklace design, the Desert Dusk.
My brain kept going back to art and jewelry from that region, and I found myself playing with designs that had a strong Mediterranean influence. As I take a closer look at Mediterranean art and jewelry, I found a well of inspiration- lots of designs and spinoffs of those designs. Britt and Joyce's experiences kept those mental pictures alive!
My fascination with ancient Egypt has also not waned. What better way to remind myself of that someday trip to Giza than to make a necklace that reminds me of the striking collar necklaces worn by Egyptian royalty!
There are so many fascinating places and cultures from around the world and throughout history! What places and cultures fascinate you? Tell me in the comments!