Chennai-based designer Gina Joseph has always been captivated by Gujarat, with its wealth of handloom and crafts — from the intricate Kutchi embroidery and unusual Rogan painting to the myriad colours of bandhani and ajrakh.
“So when I was invited by the NGO, Shroff Foundation Trust, to conduct a bead embroidery workshop at Chota Udaipur recently, I took it up. The colours and textures created by the different beads was fascinating, as were the possibilities for jewellery,” says the 35-year-old behind Zola, a brand that works with rural artisans.
Designer Gina Joseph (right) with the craftswomen who create pieces for Zola
By the bead
Taking inspiration from architecture — “the Mughal influence seen at the palace in Shahibaug, the Azam Khan Sarai and Sujat Khan’s mosque, and the Gujarati-style jaali work so beautifully depicted in the Sidi Sayyid Mosque” — and local flora and fauna, the motifs are painstakingly rendered on earrings, neck pieces, belts and more.
“Bead embroidery is an intricate and precise process, and very time consuming. We first sketch the design on paper, then make a digital copy in a cross stitch format so that the exact space for each bead is decided before starting the embroidery,” she explains, sharing that the 15 women artisans who participated in the workshop were surprised that the craft they used to make mobile pouches, bags and cushion covers, could transition into jewellery. Each piece takes around three to five days to complete.
Wisdom of experience
Bead embroidery has been around for at least 60 years. “Prior to that, the women used glass beads with pieces of silver to create necklaces. Later they began to combine beading and embroidery to make items like indhoni (beaded pot rests),” says Joseph.
The designer also visited the villages of Punyavat and Rangpur, where the artisans live, and spent a day creating new designs. “Some of the master craftswomen are over 70 years old, and now guide younger artisans,” she concludes.
Jewellery from ₹990 to ₹2,100, on zolaindia.com
