Beading together handcrafted jewellery and old stories
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Dancer Thaji models a vintage silver pendant featuring an old spindle, clay whorl beads from Mali, phenolic resin beads and lava beads
The newest Kadambari collection of handcrafted jewellery will be unveiled at the Rithihi flagship store at Alfred House Gardens on September 12.
Rithihi which has often had designers launch their latest collections with a series of Rithihi Textile Talks will this time feature jeweller, designer and historian Rashantha Devanesan launching her Kadambari Trade Bead Collection with a talk on Beads, Mantai & Maritime Trade Routes on the 12th at the Rithihi store.
It is her love for history, cultures and antiques that set her on a path to delve into the story of beads. “Jewellery narrates tales through time– tales of roots, history and people from the Middle Ages,” explains Rashantha, picking vignettes from her talk on the 12th. This signature Kadambari collection has beads with intriguing stories, “because beads were used as currency in ancient times.”
The fact that one of Sri Lanka’s ports known as Mantai – today known as Mannar – was a vibrant trading hub and part of the Silk Route of the sea adds to the allure of the beads. “The beads used in this collection bring stories from around the world – from Venice to Italy to Mexico, Morocco, Bali and Iran. But the highlight is the Nil Gedi from Sri Lanka – handcrafted vibrant blue beads which held their own as a substitute for blue sapphires hailing from a lively bead making industry in Ruhuna, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.”
Kadambari jewellery will be a continuous feature at Rithihi from the 12th, with part proceeds of this collection going to the Sunera Foundation for their workshops in the hill country.
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