We're back from our trip and what an experience it was. The sensory explosion of India was a little overwhelming at first. We landed in Mumbai, and upon entering the chaotic traffic of motorbikes with families of four, tuk tuks, animals, and pedestrians, we could do nothing but relish the pure anarchy. The following day we traveled to Jaipur and spent our first few days exploring renowned tourist sights.

The aesthetic is maximal, visually lush, and hyper-detailed. We loved seeing the strong tradition of handcrafting and saw demonstrations of block printing, weaving, carving, and gemstone cutting.

We found a jewelry museum where we could delve into the profound symbolism and ceremony behind traditional Indian jewelry. Not only were the intricate adornments themselves impressive, but also the way in which they are worn on various parts of the body.

Seeing monkeys in various places during our visit was always a joy.  Another memorable moment was our visit to an elephant sanctuary.  We got to feed a few elephants and took one for a walk. 

We took a short journey to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal. The views from a distance were dreamy and surreal. Up close, the details were just as incredible with carved marble florals and inlaid gems.

The gem show that brought us to India exceeded our expectations. We were attracted to all pink gemstones, from rose quartz to pink sapphire, and perhaps it was no coincidence as we were in Jaipur, known as "The Pink City". We also uncovered hard-to-find rose cuts in ruby and blue sapphire.

The finale of our journey was a visit to Surat, a major diamond hub where 90% of the world’s diamonds are cut. We learned a great deal on a tour of an impressive facility where they grow and cut lab diamonds. Lots of creativity is going into the cutting of lab diamonds, from shapes like ice cream cones to our favorite, Old European Cuts, an unexpected marriage of old-school and high-tech.

Our time in India was magical and inspiring. The unforgettable experiences we had will serve as inspiration for an upcoming capsule collection we are designing with new gemstones and beads we brought home with us. Stay tuned for our New York to Jaipur Collection, coming soon.