The earthy charm of designs

Unique Hobbies

Jewellery making is an art that cannot be mastered by all. It requires a lot of patience to create intricate designs and make them look beautiful. But 28-year-old Sreyashi Das has mastered this delicate art.

The homemaker decided to turn her free time into a good indulgence of making jewellery. She has been passionate about jewellery since her childhood but it wasn't until recently that she seriously began to work towards putting her passion into action.

She mainly enjoys making paper and terracotta jewellery. “I have always had a passion for making jewellery. I wanted to design my own creations of the jewellery I wore. It gave me a lot of pleasure to wear something that was conceptualised by me,” she says.

 What got her started on this journey? She says one day, she was reading up on paper and terracotta jewellery online and it occurred to her that even she could do something like this. It was then that she picked a paper and the required tools to design jewellery. “When I began, I would look up the net for designs and would try to recreate the same thing. Then slowly I started to draw my own design,” says the artiste. She spends four to six hours in a day on her hobby. 

Sreyashi describes how she makes the paper jewellery. “First, we need to know the basic shapes of paper quilling. Put down the shapes on a paper using the tools like a paper quilling needle and then design them with precision. In the beginning, it’s hard but if you concentrate and practice, it’s a cake walk.”

To make the terracotta jewellery, Sreyashi first processes the clay and then moulds it and gives it different designs. Post this, she fires the items, dries them and finally paints them. She not only creates jewellery, but also loves to paint, a talent which she hadn’t even noticed until recently. “While I was in the process of making jewellery, I realised I liked painting too. It was a hidden talent which was brought to light all thanks to the love for the art,” says Sreyashi. 

 She says that making paper jewellery is easier than making terracotta jewellery mainly because of the time it consumes. “Paper jewellery can be done within two hours. You can do it immediately and wear it out for an occasion on the same day but terracotta takes at least three days before one can use it. Terracotta is an eco-friendly material and the clay needs to be handled differently unlike paper. Paper jewellery is light-weight and easy to work on,” says the hobbyist. 

So far, she has created over 200 pieces of jewellery in a span of ten months. “Even then, it feels like I’m making each piece for the first time. Every time I make an item, I discover something new. I have learnt a lot from this art,” says Sreyashi. She has designed earrings, jhumkas, studs with beads and pearls, pendants and sets.

Each of her jewellery pieces are well painted and intricately designed. She designs jewellery for her relatives and friends who enjoy wearing hand-made stuff. She has a supportive husband who encourages her at every step of the way. 

Sreyashi displays her art work on Facebook and also conducts classes for home makers, students and learning enthusiasts. Her aim is to design more jewellery and teach people the art of jewellery making.