Episodes
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In the final episode, I speak to British Asian jewellery industry professionals;
Jayant Raniga, CEO of Pure Jewels by Bhanji Gokaldas, who comes from over nine generations of jewellers. His Grandfather Bhanji Gokaldas and sons Ramnik, Dinesh and Harish established East London’s first British Asian jewellery showroom in 1975. In 1987 the family and store moved to Green Street where they have been located since. Their designs reflects the rich cultural heritage and brand journey, which traces its historic roots to India and east Africa. Jayant has been our 'gold expert' throughout this series where we hear his professional voice to provide context and history to some of our discussions.
I also speak to Shalini Gupta Patel, founder of Red Dot Jewels established in 2011. A UK based Indian luxury costume jewellery brand offering handcrafted Indian-inspired silver & semi precious jewellery where their concept is to provide UK women with an alternative to fine jewellery without compromising on style and design whilst at an affordable price.
We hear about both sides of the industry, the signature British Asian fine gold jewellery store as we know it, how its developed and morphed through generations in the family and how the tradition of building gold has developed. Contrastingly, the contemporary high end, luxury bridal costume jewellery side where today the over all aesthetic of a bride's look is deemed more important than the monetary value of her jewels.
You can really see how costume jewellery plays a part within this whole industry of British Asian jewellery and how diaspora brides are really focused on that overall look in recent years being that ultimate regal/royal look bride has become more and more popular and affordable thanks to luxury costume jewellers. And I think Red Dot Draws offers that in the best way possible. But like Jayant from PureJewels said, The same women, who are power independent women, making their own money, who are their own security are coming into his shop and buying everyday wearable pieces that they can cherish and love forever.
Both sides of the industry compliment and contrast each other, connecting the independent British Asian women of today to their root culture through traditional design and craftsmanship, within the ever evolving female reclamation South Asian patriarchal traditions where we women know exactly what we want and how to get it.
Read more about their stories and see photos of the jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/episode-10-the-british-asian-jewellery-industry
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Mathushaa and Tahmina
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed | Chatterbox by Morethanthemind
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In Episode 9 , I speak to Tanya and sisters Usarae and Misha about the jewellery pieces they inherited from their late mothers. Jewellery carries a special sentiment especially of those who are no longer with us. Tanya feels closer to her mum wearing her pieces every day. Usarae and Misha bond over stories of their mum's jewellery pieces and remember her when they wear her them.
Tanya talks about when her and and her sisters went through her mum's jewellery at the request of her dad. What's really interesting is that Tanya's pieces that she shared with me are not actually made of Gold. Although the prominence of the project has been placed on gold jewellery, hearing Tanya's story shows the materiality of the piece isn't what makes the jewellery special, it's the story and emotion behind the pieces that give them their true value.
You could really see and feel the unique and special bond between the sisters Usarae and Misha and how the gold jewellery they share is a vehicle for story telling of their mum's life and female lineage. They talk about memories of looking at the jewellery in their family together with their mum and how preparing the jewels for Usarae's wedding as sisters brought them together as they shared stories of the pieces as their mum and nani we not around at the time.
Speaking to both Tanya, Usarae and Misha was so heartwarming to see how these jewellery pieces from their mothers are a way to remember them and feel close to them for years to come.
Read more about their stories and see photos of the jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/episode-9-remembering-our-mums
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Mathushaa and Tahmina
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed | Chatterbox by Morethanthemind
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Missing episodes?
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In Episode 8, I speak to both Mathushaa and Tahmina about gold jewellery given to them, what it represents and the oral history linked to these beautiful pieces.
In this episode both of them had very different stories about their gold pieces for Mathushaa, it's the gold chain and Tamil 'aum' pendant given to her when she was born, and we speak about the significance of it as an heirloom as her family had to flee Sri Lanka due to the civil war and came to the UK with no family heirlooms to had down to her, hence the chain given to her by her uncle was to mark the safety of a new generation in a new country. Mathushaa uses her work as a photographer to document her family story and this something that we touch on through out the conversation; how through her work she's documenting their story thats been lost due to war.
For journalist and writer Tahmina, adorning herself in her gold jewellery has been part expressing her South Asianess and specifically her Bangladeshi heritage. We talk about her love for jewellery and how she styles pieces either gifted to her to handed down to her in her everyday clothing to make her feel the strength, resilience and femininity of her female ancestors.
This project for me has been about documenting South Asian oral history however seeing how Tahmina, proudly identifies as Bengali made me aware of how important it is to mention the various and distinct sub cultures within South Asia who all have their on specific traditions and heritages, which I hope shines through in every episode.
Read more about their stories and see photos of the jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/episode-8-trauma-and-gold
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Mathushaa and Tahmina
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed | Chatterbox by Morethanthemind
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In Episode 7, I speak to Raheem about how the matriarchs in his family have inspired his work as a professional dancer and choreographer and the significance of the 3 distinct pieces of gold jewellery that he shares with his maternal grandmother.
We talk about the resilience embedded in the way he navigates through life that has been instilled in him from his female ancestors which shone through in this conversation.
There is so much that I learnt from Raheem, so many 'aha!' moments that you'll hear to add to my research into these Gold Jewellery stories.
It is clear that Raheem's gold jewellery pieces are his physical link to his grandmother and mother, who he has such a profound bond with; but the real shine weaved into the chains and bangle is their shared strength, resilience and confidence.
Read more about Raheem's story and see photos of her jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/episode-7-matriarchal-inspiration
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Raheem
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed | Chatterbox by Morethanthemind
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In Episode 6, I speak to Sofia about "arranged marriage", dowry and how the loving sentiment of the pieces gifted to her from her parents and grandparents for her wedding still stands proud despite the marriage not working out. We talk about her mother's journey to the UK to meet her father who was part of the Merchant Navy, for the first time, and how he actually bought her mum, her wedding set that was especially designed and handcrafted for her as her family couldn't afford to buy her the set at the time.
As the episode unravels, you can really hear Sofia's journey of enquiry to find out more about her own family's history, and since this first meeting on zoom, we have met in person and I could really feel the warmth from her. She even had her mum's wedding set on, and subsequently found a matching statement cuff that she showed me when we met at the Empowered Adornment event at Derby Musuems in early August of 2021.
I really appreciated the honesty and openness in which Sofia shared her life experiences with me through out this episode, sharing how the jewellery pieces bought for her were key markers in the journey she's been on thus far. What was also really interesting was how her story shone a light on the role of a male in buying these jewellery pieces from her mum's wedding set bought by her father to the pieces her partner buys for her today.
Sofia's story shows that it's up to the wearer of these pieces to attach memories that resonate with them to the jewellery- in her case she has chosen to associate her dowry with happy memories of her loved ones.
Read more about Sofia's story and see photos of her jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/empowered-adornment-episode-6-dowry-to-heirloom
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Sofia
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed | Chatterbox by Morethanthemind
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In Episode 5, I speak to Meera about how she was inspired by her mum's wedding outfit and paired her mum's bridal set with some costume jewellery to complete her bridal look for her big day 2 years ago. We also speak about her family's migrant journey from Gujarat, East Africa and then to the UK. The fond memories they have living in East Africa, how they've effortlessly weaved Swahili words in to Gujarati and the ripple effect Idi Amin kicking out the Asians from Uganda in 1972 had across Kenya and Tanzania.
Speaking to Meera about her wedding set, and how she brought her mum's jewellery and the sentiment it represented to her wedding look was really heartwarming as I also got to speak to her mum and Baa (grandmother) that day. In this episode I speak to 3 generations of family about various aspects of gold jewellery, how it's been handed down and how these pieces may stand the test of time.
Read more about Meera's story and see photos of her jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/empowered-adornment-episode-5-the-wedding-set
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Meera, Meera's mum & Baa
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed | Chatterbox by Morethanthemind
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"Jewellery Chooses you" something Aysha says in her podcast that really stayed with me throughout this project, that I also tell my participants in every conversation since this first interview with Aysha. I truly believe in this sentiment, that the jewellery pieces handed down to you or carefully chosen by you or for you, are meant for you. Wearings a piece of jewellery is such a personal ritual, as it sits on you skin, worn on intimate places on your body such as on your neck, ear or wrist, so its synchronicity with you and how it makes you feel is so crucial.
In Episode 4, you'll hear about a pair of earrings that date back 4 generations of females on Aysha's maternal side as a marker of the eldest daughter; Matriarch in the family. We speak about the journey of her family to the UK, the inspiring matriarchs who adorned these earrings and what these jewellery pieces mean, in the wider context of the history of South Asian females, really set the precedent for the whole series. We speak about the resilience of the pieces and the women that adorned them, surviving upheaval of partition and then starting again in the UK and she feels the energy of these powerful women through the earrings that she wears on incredible special occasions. As a member of Council for the Labour Party in Ealing you can really feel her passion for amplifying that sense of belonging and making a difference through her work.
Read more about Aysha's Story and see photos of her jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/empowered-adornment-episode-4-jewellery-chooses-you
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Kiran & Krishna
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed | Chatterbox by Morethanthemind
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Baa, Nani, Dadi, Dadi Maa, Patti, Granny- We all have our significant names for what we called our grandmothers, I called mine London Baa (paternal grandmother) and Leicester Baa (maternal grandmother) based on where they lived and now these names remind me of a distinct memory of where I spent my weekends with my London Baa in Wembley and summer holidays with my Leicester Baa - The names transport me to their homes, the food they used to cook for me, chai time in the afternoon paired with ready salted walker's crisps and feeling close to them.
In Episode 3, I speak to Kiran and Krishna about gold jewellery pieces they inherited from their grandmothers (and grandfather's too). We speak about what these pieces mean to them, how they make them feel now that their grandmothers' are no longer here, and distinct memories of growing up with them; from visiting family jewellers and feeling like royalty ,to being mischievous around them and feeling close to them through the pieces they have and wear with pride.
In both Kiran and Krishna's stories although very different and unique in their own ways, they both lived with their grandparents from a really young age and were brought up with them around- the vividness of which they both speak of with distinct memories they have with them, shines in this episode with the jewellery pieces they inherited from them acting as reminder of that special bond.
Read more about their Stories and see photos of her jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/empowered-adornment-episode-3-grandmothers
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Kiran & Krishna
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed
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We’re kicking off the series with Episode 2 where you’ll hear me interview Misbah about the gold jewellery pieces given to her by her Mother and the pieces she bought for her eldest daughter when she got married a few years ago. I loved speaking to Misbah about Gold within the South Asian culture, because in this conversation it was so apparent how much its engrained in the culture and especially to hear what its like to buy gold for a daughter’s weddings from a mother’s point of view in modern time. And because this research sheds a light on crucial British Asian oral history, I decided to launch the rest of the series on the 18th July as it coincided with South Asian Heritage Month which runs from 18th July to 17th August every year. It seeks to raise the profile of British South Asian heritage and history in the UK through education, arts, culture and commemoration, with the goal of helping people to better understand the diversity of present-day Britain and improve social cohesion across the country. A perfect way celebrate the stories and people in my podcast. In this episode the love of a mother and daughter through the jewellery pieces bought for special occasions as a marker of remembrance shines through, the wearer feels and remembers the loved who bought them the gold jewellery they adorn with pride. Misbah explains to to us with so much passion why giving a daughter gold jewellery is a tradition that she wants to uphold and pass on to the new generation- to her its an inherent part of our culture, whose meaning may have changed but the emotional sentiment still remains. Read more about her Stories and see photos of her jewellery here: https://www.anishaparmar.com/blogs/news/empowered-adornment-episode-2-misbah
A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart. For more information about the project visit: www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornment
Follow me on Instagram @anishaparmarlondon
If you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected]
Credits: Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar Co Producer and Editor: Molly Crossley In this Story: Misbah
Music: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed
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I am super excited to announce the launch of the Empowered Adornment Podcast as part of the research I have been doing for the Developing your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England this year. I hope you've had a chance to listen to the trailer this week, I've had so much great feedback so far!In this first episode you'll hear Co-Producer Molly Crossley interview me (Anisha Parmar) about my Gold Jewellery Stories, the pieces I love and my family's story and migrant journey from India, East Africa and then to the UK in the 1970's.I am jewellery designer and multidisciplinary artist and I create empowering statement adornments inspired by my family’s migrant journey that spans 3 continents, Taking threads from the rich tapestry of South Asian culture, viewed through the Diaspora lens. You can see my work hereI have been obsessed with jewellery and adornment ever since I can remember. Growing up in an Gujarati, Indian, Hindu, East African, British amalgamated household, adornment decked our home from statues, idols, gold embellished paintings and ornaments; wherever you looked there was a carefully adorned nook. It was the gold jewellery handed down to me from my late grandmother that inspired this project. She passed away when I was 12 years old, and being the only daughter on my father’s side of the family, I inherited her Gold jewellery pieces. It was these pieces that led me to designing jewellery, and piecing together her story. The frustration is that I never has the chance to ask her about her pieces. This project is born through that frustration, and knowing how important it is to document the stories before they are lost is has driven me to do this crucial research.By creating this podcast series with the capacity of documenting these Gold jewellery stories, I hope they make you feel a sense of belonging, prompt you to enquire about your own family heirlooms, oral histories and amplify your family's legacy.A huge thank you to my participants that have trusted me with their incredible stories, my co producer and Editor of the series Molly Crossley and to the Arts Council for giving me the time and funding to delve into something that’s so close to my heart.For more information about the project visit: https://www.anishaparmar.com/pages/empowered-adornmentIf you would like to get in touch or have a Gold Jewellery Story to share email me: [email protected] Credits:Podcast Creator and Co Producer: Anisha ParmarCo Producer and Editor: Molly CrossleyOther Voices in this Story: Hansa ParmarMusic: Punjabi Beats by Ash Beat & Shahed
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The podcast encapsulates the research I have been doing around Gold jewellery collected through South Asian journeys of migration as artefacts with the capacity to be carriers of emotions and memories; gold as a woman’s security within the context of historical and contemporary diasporas; and adornment to express cultural heritage. I have spent the last 5 months opening a dialogue and documenting conversations with those who belong to the South Asian Diaspora, and who have collected or been handed down, bought precious pieces of jewellery/adornment, to talk about what these pieces represent to them.
Trailer Launch: Sunday 13th June 2021
Pilot Episode Launch: Sunday 20th June 2021
Series Launch: Sunday 18th July 2021 - to coincide with South Asian Heritage Month.
Credits:
Creator and Co Producer: Anisha Parmar
Co Producer and Editor Molly Crossley
Music: Artist - Ash Beat By - Shahed
Licence - Creative Commons Attribution licence (reuse allowed)
