I was walking around the V&A one afternoon when I came across a cabinet that had an Indian Marriage necklace enclosed within it. This necklace, also known as a Thaali, was once presented as part of a dowry and dated back to around the late 19th century. The golden pods immediately caught my eye, proudly standing out against the black silk cord, so thickly woven it looked like rope. I was astonished by how many of these golden amulets were used to adorn the necklace, all evenly spaced and each one with unique qualities - their distinctive shapes and textures representing exotic spices, fruits and seeds from Southern India. Intertwining beautiful craftsmanship with provenance, I knew I had to celebrate these fascinating charms within my India collection.
So, with the intricately carved seed pods my starting point, I went back to my workshop and decided to envision my own pendant, sketching out various designs, with my imaginings of the pods growing more detailed and beautiful as I drew. The result? Three unique Marriage Pendants named the Brinjal, Almond and Coriander. By a curious workshop misunderstanding, the final pendants were all three times the size of my original designs and, accordingly, three times as magnificent, in reverence of the original inspiration. The size and weight of these pendants is unmistakable, for my intention is that these pendants are worn on long chains to create a statement look, the golden carvings complemented by some of my favourite gemstones, the cabochon citrine and the blue topaz.
