Our fascination with jewellery is timeless our passion to own unique pieces is ageless. In these times of scorching inflation I feel guilty admitting this but I am one of those women who buy jewellery just on a whim - yes mine are ALWAYS strictly artificial pieces. Like me, all of my friends are hooked on artificial jewellery. And there is no end to a kaleidoscope of choices.
At the beginning of the year, some friends of mine were scoring different websites for latest trends in jewellery and the trend highlighted a resurgence of exotic multicolour gems and long chains with chunky beads. Coral and turquoise along with pearls have added to the charm of the fashion trend. Internationally too, sapphire, aquamarine and tanzanite have been quite popular.
This year specially, eye-catching hefty colour gemstones, beads, crystals etc. have been the hot favourites on home ground. The more I have skimmed through glossies, window-shopped-and-hopped and searched for imaginative pieces, the more I have become a fan of the collection called 'Wired Up'. I know none of you have heard of it. It's the women working for The Citizens Foundation (TCF) who have the pleasure of first-hand sampling beautiful pieces from this collection. Let me explain. Ms. Seema Chapra works for TCF and her hobby is jewellery making - although now this hobby consumes most of her free time at home. ''One day I got a gift of decorative flowers and stalks made up of wires and beads and I thought this doesn't look too difficult, I can do this. So I started experimenting with wire, copper, silver, etc. Then I started making simple things with wires and beads. I made a few but it wasn't so much fun so I started playing with the wire to create jewellery. This was the humble beginning of 'Wired Up'.
Actually my friends insisted that my pieces make up a big enough collection and need to be labeled properly so we came up with the name Wired Up,'' recalls Ms. Chapra. Having earned a degree in Marketing from Florida, Seema moved to Karachi after living in the USA for 25 years. She has been associated with TCF for more than five years now and it's her passion to continue working for the TCF Cause - education for less privileged children. All the money she earns from 'Wired Up' goes directly to the TCF Help Fund that she has established for the young TCF students who get sick and need urgent medical attention.
You must be wondering how Seema started this whole setup. ''I don't have a formal 'setup' really,'' she grins and shares with You! how it all started. ''Actually in the beginning I only used to make cell phone hangers and lockets for my family members as presents. Soon I got ambitious and started designing elaborate lockets in semi precious stones, beads and wires for myself. I got a lot of encouragement from my friends so I started making earrings, purse hangers, lockets and to my total amazement we started selling them. Girls were actually buying my jewellery. I started making pieces and used to show it to my friends and colleagues at work. They always loved it all and used to buy my earrings and pendants. Some close friends not only bought a lot of my pieces, they also sold them at exhibitions, private gatherings and all the money we earned was put in the TCF Help Fund.
''I believe this is a win-win-situation for everybody. I have a hobby that I am having a lot of fun with, my clients get to buy and wear a different kind of jewellery and their money actually goes to help less privileged kids. Can you beat this?''
Recently Seema Chapra took a class at 'SuzyQ Beads' in Calgary, Canada. She tells You!, ''I attended a really fun class in making Egyptian style copper wire jewellery. I had never worked with this weight of copper wire and had to learn how to use all kinds of pliers and other tools to bend and twist the wire. The end result was pretty amazing. Now I am experimenting with what I have learned and incorporating my own ideas in some fresh pieces these days. ''
Recently Seema Chapra took a class at 'SuzyQ Beads' in Calgary, Canada. She tells You!, ''I attended a really fun class in making Egyptian style copper wire jewellery. I had never worked with this weight of copper wire and had to learn how to use all kinds of pliers and other tools to bend and twist the wire. The end result was pretty amazing. Now I am experimenting with what I have learned and incorporating my own ideas in some fresh pieces these days. ''
We know that sometimes even if you carry a simple outfit, your jewellery makes you stand out. Your jewellery defines your style and your attitude in life. Choose pieces that appeal to your imagination - not just go for what's in - the best part is if you discover that current hot trends actually do sync in perfectly with your particular persona. 'Wired Up' offers something unique and if it stirs up your interest, rest assured ladies because in near future Ms. Chapra is all set to exhibit in Karachi. Watch out for upcoming You! issues for further details.
