JOIN USPriyanka Rath has an unlikely combination of likes and interests. A lawyer by profession, she is also an avid crafts buff who, in her own words, enjoys the company of colours and nature. She has started an online venture called ‘Amoda’ where she translates this fondness into striking pieces of customised jewellery and home decor.
Says Priyanka “My interest was sparked early in school with our S U P W classes, where we made craft items from scrap materials. My father helped me to make my first dressing table with match boxes and I was awestruck by the end product. It seemed magical.
From then on, I was crazy about making such things for my family. Slowly, it grew to my friends circle also. Then I gifted a pair of handmade earrings to my lawyer friend Sugandha. She loved it and thought that we should go commercial. Since she also shared a similar passion for ethnic jewellery, we came together to create ‘Amoda’ and our friendship has only grown since then.”
Priyanka mostly makes customised artificial jewellery. Since the market does not have too many personal jewellery designers, the demand is high. “Our USP is that we take care of even the smallest details,” says Priyanka. “Then our items turn into unique stuff that people fancy. We also create quirky and imaginative home decor and laser cut mdf collages, which make for fun gifts.”
She does not have any fixed or preferred raw materials that she uses for her creations. “I use anything I can find. Experimenting seems to be a good practise because both the buyer and the creator look for novelty. Sourcing is as important as creating the products, so from footpath shops to flea markets to online vendors, the world is our market. But finding the right materials to work with was a big challenge, especially in some of the places I have stayed.”
Talking about their customers, Priyanka says that ‘Amoda’ caters to a wide range of beads and charms’ jewellery enthusiasts. “The promise of high quality products with easy interactions for customizations keeps the clients happy; while the founders find their happiness in the colourful beads, cute and quirky charms and creating new jewellery everyday,” says Priyanka, laughing.
Talking about some of the reactions she has got, Priyanka says how she has got mostly positive feedback from all the people who have received her customised products so far.
“I love the smiles, the selfies and the hearts they send to my phone. it makes me feel very happy about what I am doing. That is something that has not been matched by any of the client deliveries in my profession as a lawyer. We have also received wonderful recommendations from each and everyone of our patrons,” she says.
“Sugandha and I were two regular corporate worker bees with middle class upbringing, middle class goals and a very regular career path etched out in front of us. But emotional journey of transforming a personal trinket box to a commercial venture has been extremely satisfying. Amoda means happiness and it brings exactly that to everyone whose life it touches. I now want to see it grow into a place for happiness, where anyone can come and find something fun for themselves,” she adds with a quiet smile.