One of my enduring childhood memories is that of the sight of an exquisitely wrought pair of silver paizeb, which rested lovingly in the hands of my mother. Unaware of the sentiments and history attached to those pieces of exquisite jewels I was simply fascinated with the intricacy of design. A few years later when I was a teenager and wore one of them for a much looked forward to the occasion, my mother sat me down and unravelled the story behind it. It belonged to my great-grandmother and was a part of the family heirlooms. It had been given to a shy young bride who married into great wealth, had adorned her through her wedded bliss, as she went about her daily chores, had accompanied her stashed away in a wooden chest on her hazardous journey to partitioned India and then survived with her a period of uncertainty, troubled and turbulent times till life regained a tempo. Years passed and my mother was a beautiful young woman poised on the threshold of her life and once again those jewels came to another young bride, to be with her and begin another journey. Times had changed and as a young wife of a dashing Air Force officer, my mother decided to give a place of more prominence to the pieces. She very creatively had them converted into an exquisite choker and there it nestled lovingly around her neck. The sight of that beautiful jewel left many wide-eyed with wonder, so exquisite was its workmanship. The choker was the cynosure of many an eye in a number of parties and on special occasions and my mother made quite a style statement with it.

Then came my time to grow into a young lady and surrounded by so much of folklore of life and times left behind in the northwestern frontier provinces of undivided India and the beauty and workmanship of family jewels I developed a love, respect and admiration for these magnificent pieces of our heritage. Over the years I collected my own pieces to compliment the ones which I received as heirlooms and with it was born a determination to do something for this art of exquisite handcrafted jewellery and create a platform for it to reach as many women as possible. The Ranakah label seems to be a natural evolution for this love of handcrafted jewellery. India’s nooks and crannies are rich and alive with treasures. Our tribesmen and women and artisans are engaged in creating such exquisite designs that it would be a shame to let them die. We women now have the good fortune to have the freedom to create our own style statements. Fashion has progressed to a level where each of us can find her own niche and be comfortable in it. Women have been blessed with an innate beauty and grace which gets enhanced with adornments and ultimately jewellery is connected with so much feeling and emotion. It is that part of a woman which holds in itself the mysteries of history and moments past which can be re-lived by holding that piece of jewel in your hand and holding it close to your heart! With Ranakah I wish to create those moments in a woman’s life which will be precious and fill her with pride. Au revoir…until we meet again.

Best,

Ayesha Dahra