Today I make my living from silver jewelry findings, which isn’t all that different from how I spent my time as a kid. Like many of us in the jewelry biz, I grew up playing with beads and enjoying various crafty pursuits. I fancied myself “artistic”, which made me a bit different than most of my peers and I liked the distinction. On my first trip to Bali as a teenager, I felt immediately at home in a culture where art is woven into daily life but I also realized that I am not particularly artistically gifted or skilled. Everywhere I looked, there were people, even young kids, creating beautiful art under the most rustic conditions. To the Balinese there was nothing exceptional about this activity. Every surface deserved an ornament, every occasion an ornate offering of flowers and palm fronds. I did not find this epiphany depressing. On the contrary, I took comfort in the realization that art belongs to everyone. No need to feel guilty, the more art the better! When I visit Bali today, I see the same drive to decorate everything. I love to watch people casually weaving baskets, making jewelry or building offerings while they chat and visit. Nothing special, just another beautiful day…………..
Silver Pendants are beautiful and they can change a life! Sales from our silver jewelry making supplies helped fund a micro loan to Nyoman Sukartini, who I introduced in an earlier blog post. Leah and I went to visit her this week to learn more about her story and how she used the loan. We drove to one of the most beautiful areas in Bali where we were met by the vibrant and gracious Nyoman and her friendly family. As we sat in her family compound enjoying fresh coconuts and fried bananas, Nyoman explained that she used the loan to get back on her feet after being hospitalized for six months with a serious illness. In a twist that women in any culture could relate to, she explained that her husband had left her for another woman, forcing her to return to her parents’ home. She is very grateful to have her silver business as a means of financial support.
After the refreshments, we toured the area in a “Box Car” and visited a sacred spring flanked by an enormous banyan tree. Before we left, Nyoman introduced us to the women silversmiths working on her designs and gave us each a pair of delicate citrine earrings. Her jewelry is available for sale through NOVICA.
I love Nyoman because she makes me look tall!
As Nina mentioned in one of her earlier blog posts, I was lucky enough to visit our production facility in Bali in March to see just how our sterling silver beads and findings are made. We started in the office where the orders are received and jobs are assigned to the silversmiths, where I finally got to put some faces to the names I see on e-mails and orders in our office.
Next I was taken out to the workshop where I got to see the silversmiths hammering, soldering, and carefully forming each link, charm and earring finding by hand. Once the silversmiths are finished, the pieces have to be polished and oxidized before being perfectly matched and packaged.
When I was done at the silver factory I was taken to a nearby village where our newest wood and mother of pearl pendants are carefully carved by hand. In the hands of a skilled carver, a raw piece of recycled arang wood or mother of pearl is carved into a detailed pendant in a few hours. It amazes me that the carvers can look at a dull flat piece of material and then completely transform it, creating sophisticated and enticing centerpieces for a necklace.
Watching the steps involved in making even the simplest looking earring hook gave me a new appreciation for all of the detailed work that it takes to make each silver jewelry part. It was so wonderful to finally meet some of the people who make the beautiful jewelry parts that have been such a large part of my life over the last 8 years.
Polishing Hook Earring Parts
Hand Carving Wood Pendants
Matching Hook Earring Parts
Silver Charms and beads are made by hand at our production facility in Bali. Clara was able to witness this meticulous process first hand recently on her first visit to the island. Her trip also coincided with the Hindu holiday of Nyepi. Marking the lunar new year, Nyepi is a day of silence and reflection in Bali. On this day, no one is allowed to work, travel or participate in entertainment. Many people also fast and pray. The streets are quiet and even the tourists remain indoors. It is a day to restore the balance of nature. The day following Nyepi is a day of visiting dedicated to forgiveness.
Leading up to Nyepi there are several rituals. One involves removing the effigies of the Gods from the temples and bathing them in the river or the sea. This is a purification ceremony that also draws Amerta (the source for eternal life) from the water.
The second ceremony is a symbolic exorcism that take place at the crossroads, a location where demons are believed to congregate. For this ceremony, the villages build huge demon effigies called Ogah Ogah. Negative spirits are invited to inhabit the monsters which are paraded through the streets with a loud clamor and then burned.
Clara encountered Ogah Ogah in the village of Tampak Siring. She will share more about her trip shortly!
Clara Meets an Ogah Ogah
Boy Prepares for Ogah Ogah Procession
We get emails regularly from people heading off to Bali who are looking for a few juicy travel tips on where to go and what to do. I prefer to spend my time in Bali in Ubud, a village in the hills where the temperature is cooler and the culture is very artsy. While in Ubud, you can take lessons in Silver, batik, Dance , Music, Yoga or Cooking. You can also tour surrounding villages which are organized by craft. For instance, Celluk is the Silver Jewelry village and Mas is the mask carving village. My favorite restaurant is actually a Japanese restaurant called Kagemusa but truthfully, the town is full of great places to eat including Cafe Wayan and Casa Luna. Here are my top 10 tips:
1. Spend AT LEAST 2 weeks in Bali. It takes a long time to get there and a few days to recover from jet lag.
2. Pack light and buy an extra bag in Bali for all your purchases. If you love handmade clothing and crafts the shopping is spectacular.
3. Hire a car and driver (about $40/day). Tell him your interests and let him show you around.
4. Don’t over schedule with lots of touring. You will really enjoy days to be still with time to look and listen.
5. Get up at dawn while you are jet lagged and take a walk through the rice fields. You will be transported to a magical place that will stay with you forever.
6. Keep your eyes open for processions and temple ceremonies. Carry a sarong with you so you can join in.
7. Take a class at the Yoga Barn and then have lunch at Kafe.
8. Get a massage with Tumeric Scrub and Flower Petal Bath at Nur Salon. Tel 361 97 5352
9. Herb Walk (I think it should be called Edible Bali) with Westi. He takes you through gardens and rice fields pointing out vanilla vines, nutmeg plants and other fragrant wonders. Tel 081 2381 6024
10. Take a day trip to the ancient temple of Gunung Kawi in Tampak Siring and make a stop at the Sacred Springs.
I often speak to people who have always wanted to visit Bali but need a little encouragement to take a chance on such a big trip. I think of Bali as a lush, green jewel with many facets. The island is very welcoming to tourists and the people are extremely friendly. A woman can travel alone in Bali and have a fabulous time. I have never felt nervous or threatened, even at night. It is also a great place to take kids. If people in the US sometimes shoot a hairy eyeball at you for showing up at a restaurant with little ones, the opposite is true in Bali. They practically throw a party and everyone wants a chance to hold the baby or play with your toddler. (This seems like a just reward if you have managed to survive the long plane ride with squirming babes). On the other hand, Bali is also an extremely romantic destination. Think flower petal baths and spa treatments for two…… In short, YES, you should visit Bali! The airfare can be pricey but accomodations are reasonable and delicious food is cheap. If you stay a month, you could actually save money.
Our Silver Charms are intrepid travelers, exploring the great unknown with a true spirit of adventure. Follow along as our Lion Silver Charm cuts a path through dense bamboo, our Turtle Silver Charm hitches a ride on a monster tortoise and our Koi Silver Charms skim across a lily pond.There are other images from my trip to Bali that I hope to translate into silver someday: the graceful herons, the large comedic toads and my favorties, gaggles of quacking ducks that forage in the rice fields. It isn’t hard to find inspiration in such a beautiful place! Where do you find your inspiration?
Silver Findings share their color with the moon. In the United States, we don’t pay much attention to the moon. In Bali, the lunar calendar dictates the cycle of Hindu ceremonies that binds the culture together. Like almost every building in Bali, our factory has a temple. Women gather daily to bless offerings that they scatter throughout the work rooms. During my visit, we celebrated the new moon with a small ceremony before work. The Balinese use flowers, palm leaf offerings, incense, holy water and rice to pray. It is a beautiful tradition that always leaves me feeling calm and centered. The man officiating this ritual is Ketut. He is an amazingly talented and skilled silversmith and artist who shepherds our silver finding designs through the sampling process. In his free time he also studies sacred mask dances to perform at large temple ceremonies.
In this crazy life we live, it is easy to become creatively depleted. Thrown off center by our busy, exhausting schedules, it is crucial to find a well from which to replenish our spirits. My creative energy does not flow when I am stressed or distracted. I turn to yoga, dance and nature to keep my energy balanced. But once a year, I get a major tune up in the Balinese rice fields. Running at dawn through the rice paddies, I can feel a year’s worth of worries fly away on herons’ wings as my spiritual tank slowly fills up. There is a cosmic stillness to the landscape: the silhouette of a massive volcano looming majestically over the fields, palm trees like a fringe of eyelashes and a gentle breath of wind rising just before the sun. Where do you fill your creative well?
Silver Earring Findings are a practical necessity. At Nina Designs, we try hard to create earring findings that enhance your earring designs, becoming part of the image instead of tacked on afterthoughts. However, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that someone actually sat down and made each silver earring finding one by one. Every time I come to Bali, I spend time with the silversmiths, observing their meticulous work and marveling at the level of craftsmanship on display in the workshop. The women especially, bring to the workbench a dexterity honed by years of weaving intricate palm leaf offerings to honor the Gods. The Balinese pray daily at the factory temple in the courtyard and distribute offerings throughout the buildings. If you look closely at the photos, you will see several colorful offerings strewn on the work table. In this culture, there is barely a heartbeat between spiritual and prosaic endeavors. So the next time you slip on a pair of handmade silver earring findings, pause for just a moment to reflect on their origin and the cultural heritage they represent.
The silversmiths in these photos are: Wayan Narti, Nengah Sariani, Jero Puspa, Wayan Sri Sudiari, Nina Visiting
