ANMOL
What stories does your favourite piece of jewelry hold?
ABOUT ANMOL
I hold this project very dear to my heart.
Throughout 2022, I had many meaningful conversations with people I met at art and craft shows. They would tell me about their connection to jewelry. It was fascinating to hear how they perceived themselves through the jewelry they chose to wear or not wear. I heard stories about how a (seemingly) mundane object like a piece of jewelry had the power to transform their identity, mood, sense of self and permission to express hidden parts of themselves. This sowed the seeds for ANMOL, a series of personal stories about jewelry.
Anmol means invaluable or priceless in Hindi. Intimate objects like jewelry don’t simply adorn us, they carry stories of love, emotions, relationships, memories and connections to heritage and culture. I reached out to some of my friends and family to share stories about their favorite piece of jewelry. I was touched by their response and felt closer to them after reading their stories.
Anmol is a place to hold these beautiful intimate stories. So often, these stories are overlooked and locked away, just like the objects themselves. This is an opportunity to share the stories of your “hidden gems” with the world.
Sammitha Sreevatsa
When I informed my friend at the very last minute that I would be moving out of Bangalore in a couple of days, I was anticipating that she would get angry for not having informed her sooner and for not having made plans to meet. However, instead of getting mad she immediately decided to visit my half packed up home to say goodbye. That’s when she gave me this pair of earrings that belonged to her. We have a history of sharing wardrobes, borrowing and giving each other our clothes and jewelry. It is in sharing the wardrobe with her and another friend that I gradually lost my desire for buying new things. I realized what I crave for is simply for change and it is easily satiated by wearing other people's clothes and jewelry. So usually I’m very aware and love to recall that I have over the years built a slow and a preloved wardrobe for myself. But when Niki gave me these earrings it was different. As soon as I set my eyes on them, it seemed as if the only place they belong is in my earlobes. I wore these for my first outing in Bhopal, the new city I had moved into. I embraced the taj-ul-masjid in these earrings. The swinging, peepal leaf shape of the earrings seemed to resonate with the dome of the masjid. The sweet jingle of the little bells attached to it, almost immediately put me in a mood of subtle flirting and playing with the place, people and everything around. They are feminine and I enjoy the feminine sexuality they evoke in me. When I wear them I experience the city as if I have a secret affair with it. I’m never giving these earrings away.
Sarah Doan
A favorite piece of jewelry that I own is an anklet I bought in Sapa, Vietnam in 2010. It’s a ribbon with a colorful design inspired by the textile clothing/fabric adorned by Hmong people. Its intended use was to be worn as a bracelet but it also happened to fit my ankle.
This piece means a lot to me because of the memories it is tied to. I bought the anklets in 2010 while studying abroad in Vietnam. It was my first time visiting Vietnam without my parents and was a memorable experience.
During that trip, I bought a couple of anklets and on the occasion that one does fall off, I am able to replace it with another. When I see the anklet, it always makes me smile.
Shreya Nath
It's my maang ka tikka
The reason I love it is that it's over 100 years old and is a family heirloom that has been passed down. It has uncut diamonds that for me always signify untapped potential.