Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana
Creating jewellery that relates a story, Shanika Talwatte is slowly building her clientele both in Sri Lanka and overseas. Lured by her love of crafts and with creativity coursing through her veins Shanika has always been fascinated by the delicate and intricate workmanship of jewellery. With a keen eye for design, it was a natural progression that Shanika began designing her own jewellery collection. She started her brand Crafts of Ceylon two years ago and since then she has not looked back.
Shanika claims she is self-taught and confesses that she has had absolutely no formal training in the discipline of jewellery design. Commenting on what piqued her interest in jewellery design specifically she says “the idea of mixing pieces of traditional jewellery with modern designs was something I had always wanted to do and decided there is no time like the present, that is why I started Crafts of Ceylon.”
Inspired by “everything around from nature and architecture to historical pieces and ornaments “ Shanika describes the style of jewellery she creates by saying “it is important that we preserve our heritage and my jewellery designs are traditional with a modern twist so that I can give my customers a mix of the old and the new.”
The jewellery pieces are painstakingly designed by Shanika but although she is very adept with her hands she leaves the crafting of the jewellery to artisans and craftsmen who have been practising their trade for decades. “ I also go into the village where the jewellery is made and pick and choose vintage pieces and change certain elements to suit the modern generation” she adds.
Describing the celebrity she would most like to see wearing her jewellery, Shanika says she would opt for Katrina Kaif because she epitomises style and class and she would define the ethos of the brand which is “timeless pieces for all ages.”
As with all things due to the economic crisis the cost of goods has increased manifold. Explaining how she balances creativity and commerce, Shanika says “It can be very challenging at times. I use copper, silver and gold plating and there were certain instances where I could not bring my ideas to life therefore, I had to make adjustments to my original designs.”
Describing the essential items of jewellery a women should own, Shanika says “I feel there are a few staples that every woman must have to dress up or dress down! For instance, I feel that it very important to have a statement pair of Gold and Silver earrings as well as a statement Gold and silver chain. Our collection at Crafts of Ceylon with its contemporary range of jewellery has been specially created to help women meet this need.”
