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Lai's very first giveaway! July 28 2013
Coppre's Trinket Box, to store your cherished Lai silver Jewelry - a giveaway!
I have often spoken of my appreciation of the entrepreneurial work been done by fellow designers & artists in keeping alive & relevant the ancient craft skills that we are so blessed with in our country. One such endeavor is "Coppre", who are trying to do their bit to reinvent a 400-year old craft- that of hand beaten copper ware.
I love what they are doing & am really excited to lend my support to their work by hosting the first ever Giveaway on Lai's page.....think of it as Lai's little Teej gift to our patrons!
All that one would have to do to enter the giveaway is like Coppre's FB page (https://www.facebook.com/coppre), write a couplet (on Lai's page) that talks about why this Trinket Box would be a perfect fit for your Lai jewellery and nice to have for this Teej!
2 winners with most creative lines will win a Trinket box each. The giveaway will run for a week & the winners will be announced on our FB page next Wednesday. The prizes will be shipped to the winners from Coppre's Pune office & due to some shipping limitations, this giveaway is only open to Indian residents.
So, let some poetry flow & win yourself these lovely handcrafted beauties for Teej! :)
Originally posted on our Facebook page on 29th July, 2013.
This is why Lai more expensive than commercially made jewellery.... June 25 2013
As a person who has supported us and bought from us or thinking of buying from us, it is important that you know where your money is going:
We are a small design centered company- focused on making original, limited edition designs. Our jewellery may seem expensive compared to what you can buy at, say, Commercial street (Bangalore), Colaba (Mumbai) or Old Delhi but please know that all our designs are conceptualized and made from scratch (no buying existing beads and components and stringing it together, for us!).
Each collection is individually conceptualized, themes researched, designed/sketched, sampled and then hand crafted in our workshop in Jaipur (not mass produced in Thailand, China etc). We don't make large volumes of any collection and do not launch a new collection unless we feel it genuinely inspired, unique and in-keeping with our core aesthetics. We also follow Fair Trade practices so our craftsmen get decent wages and good working conditions.....something that is extremely important to us and am sure to you to as a supporter of small, sustainable businesses.
We are therefore, by design, a small business with reasonable margins - but we do what we can to keep our work worthy of the interest you all have shown in it.
We work on fixed prices and know you will love and support our work! :)
Originally posted on our Facebook page on 26th June, 2013.
And we send out our first domestic courier in the US! June 10 2013
After all the dilly-dallying & keeping everyone waiting, we finally sent out our first domestic courier in the US, last week......& what better way to start a work day than to have this mail in the mailbox?!.....thanks a ton, Lajju!
"Hi Puja,
How are you? I received the jewellery yesterday. This is the second purchase I have made from you. The first coin ring is a piece I love wearing (my brother ordered this one from you in Mumbai after seeing your exhibition). These new pieces are so unique! I really really love them. The coloring really is a crowning touch to the silver! I know I will enjoy wearing the necklace and ring everywhere...
Thanks for everything and I hope to keep on touch. You are a pleasure to communicate with.
With regards,
Lajju"
Originally posted on our Facebook page on 11th June, 2013.
Silverware! June 09 2013
Found this fantastic book in the library on antique American Silverware....so inspiring!
Sharing an image to show the level of finesse in the work produced in the 1st half of 20th century!
While I was drooling over the images in the book, I couldn't help but remember how when my mother had wanted to buy me a silverware set for my wedding, I had crushed her enthusiasm by saying I had neither the use or the space for one (the horror!!). I do know of a gujarati household in Bombay where they eat out of silverware on a daily basis!
Curious to know if any one of you have build their own silverware collections/ inherited them/ treasure them/ use them...daily/ on occasions (in my parent's house it is a tradition to take out the silverware & eat out of it, every Diwali).....do share!
Originally posted on our Facebook page on 10th June, 2013.
We are moving!!! January 14 2013
In about a months time, I would be moving to the US for 2-3 years.
While in no way is this a wrap up, but as life unfolds on new a new shore, Lai's facebook activities/sales will have to go a short sabbatical. Now is a great time for all Lai lovers to make those purchases that you had been mulling over!!
Let me know which collection/album you would like to see more designs from & I'll mail you a Picasa link where you can see that entire collection with prices.
Thank you fo all your love & support! xo Puja
Originally posted on our Facebook page on 14th January, 2013.
Researching for our Greek collection.... April 03 2012
Sometimes, for me, the most inspiring part of working on a collection is the entire research process. The discovery of the history of a period...their aesthetics...their sensibilities......and working on this Greek collection offered plenty of that!
Sharing an image that I absolutely loved!
Originally posted on our Facebook page on 4th April, 2012.
Did you know? March 20 2012
Did you know that Lai subscribes to Fair Trade practises? Which, amongst other things, mean that our craftsmen work under respectable conditions, are adequately reimbursed for their labour and an overall transparent pricing policy is followed. We are also committed to sustainability and that means we do use recycled silver along with new as well as sustainably harvested pearls in our jewellery.
When you buy from Lai, we can guarantee that you are buying an ethically sound product!
Originally posted on our Facebook page on 21st March, 2012.
What do we mean by handmade? March 11 2012
All of Lai's jewellery is handmade.....you've heard us say that before. But what exactly does it entail for jewellery to be classed as handmade?
"To be able to call a product handmade, trading standards bodies universally require that the jewellery meets either of these two criteria: (1) The jewellery is made with hand-guidance whilst operating machinery or (2) simply that the jewellery is made entirely with the use of the hands and no machinery involved at all."
Ours is mostly (2) & occasionally (1).
Originally posted on our Facebook page on 12th March, 2012.
What better way to start a blog than by celebrating the core of Lai- craftsmanship. February 29 2012
At Lai we aim to work with and preserve our age old traditional jewellery making skills.....an unbroken way of making jewellery going back centuries and may generations.
We are for embracing better production methods......but have found no machine that can match an artisan's skills or replace their time-honed craft. We have learnt to cherish the slight imperfections that may occur in handcrafted products and we want to share this pride in "maker's mark" with you.....
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