Artisan Desappan's collection of shells fascinates, running the gamut from pristine white, speckled, streaked, off-white, grey and brown to lovely translucent mother of pearl. The sizes vary from huge 6” Neelamburs and sacred conch shells to king and queen-sized shells and the tiniest pearl decorating a pill box. However it is what he does with the shells is very interesting. He fashions jewellery, objets d' art, accessories and even curtains out of shells turning their natural loveliness into cost-effective creative statements.
“Take the mother of pearl” says Desappan, “it is the only pearl that can be cut and shaped. We take a large-sized mother of pearl and cut it horizontally into bangles. We then buff and polish with a soft cloth, carve on it and even value-add with silver work at either end. Mother of pearl works in so many ways. We cut small bits of the pearl and stick them together to form ‘kum kum' box, candle stand base, picture frame etc.”
Mother of pearl
He is busy putting the last bit of mother of pearl to a tiny ‘kum kum' box by sticking it together with a special glue. As a last touch, he clicks it shut with a silver lid which has already been specially handcrafted. Another triangular bit of mother of pearl is ready to be joined as locket to a chain, while a matching pair will go into ear rings.
Exquisitely shaped tiny white and multi -hued shells form a large part of Desappan's body of work. They are strung together as ‘malas', bracelets, ear rings or as value addition to boxes, picture frames, trays etc. One tiny perfectly formed shell could be part of a pair of hanging ear rings or tops. Various sizes of shells are strung together to form partitions and curtains. An all white hanging shell curtains could give interiors a delicate ethereal feel. Or, Desappan just keeps a large shell as
a lamp base or mounted on a flat surface as objet d' art. Among his many creations, is a lovely Ganesha made out of mother of pearl pieces, which catches the eye with its attention to detail.
Desappan is self -taught and works with his family at home. While most of his shell pieces are bought, many have been collected by him personally. The shell craft items can be seen at the Crafts Bazaar currently on at Corporation Community Hall, CP Ramaswamy Road, Alwarpet, till January 18.
