Red berries and an ornate bronze peacock team up in a beautiful creation for a neckpiece and hoops, while a minimalist stroke in metal and resin is transformed into an exquisite pair of earrings. These are part of Bindu S Sastry’s vast collection of handmade jewellery in her studio in Bengaluru. This petite engineer designs ethnic and contemporary jewellery that suits Indian attires.
Sastry’s passion for beads, stones and plant products led her to start Sparkle Berryz. A believer in living in harmony with her environment and using natural products, she has been designing hand-crafted accessories for three years. “India’s vegetation is so vast that one is inspired to craft beautiful pieces of jewellery. My jewellery line is inspired by nature, the round beautiful berries of all hues which hold the promise of life and add a sparkle and a smile to the wearer. So I have named my venture Sparkle Berryz,” says the 36-year-old.
Her remodelled studio houses many artistic creations; her work table has been designed out of a door piece while the walls are decorated with hand painted tiles. In this cozy artistic environs, Sastry turns berries, wood pieces, resin materials, seashells, turquoises, mother of pearls and aquamarine stones into sparkling earrings, chokers, pendants, bracelets, neck pieces, anklets, danglers and lovely charms. Tibetan mosaic inlay-work danglers, red and turquoise in an exotic pattern with brass and resin elements vie with one another, while mystic glass berries and an ornate wood-cum-metal pendant add a touch of glamour.
Sastry is planning for the coming winter collection as she needs three months to design and make of the pieces. Every year, she comes out with three to four collections with 300 pieces each, which are sold through Facebook, flea markets or private exhibitions. “Many of my collections, including Ganesh pendants, wild and colourful charms, flutter bees, etc are a big hit. They are priced between Rs 150 and Rs 9,000 per pair,” she says.
She started branding nature “and added a sparkle to berries and seeds by stringing them either on steel or brass wires”.
Each piece is in muted natural shades. “I am inspired by temple bells, Buddhist prayer wheels, colourful insects, birds or fluttering bees. Our generation is getting conscious about sustainability, ecological balance and conservation. For a nature lover like me, my tryst with wood took me on a gorgeous path combining twigs and berries from the woods with a riot of imagination to design and create wooden jewellery,” she says.
Sastry is also the founder and managing director of Mauverick, a venture-catalyst consulting firm. She has worked in the IT industry in product and services companies for 15 years.
In July 2012, she felt the need to do something more and developed a hobby, which resulted in Sparkle Berryz. “I am operating within my limits as I have a company to run. I give all credit to my late grandmother, a big source of inspiration. She instilled in me to stand on my own feet, which triggered me to help underprivileged women,” says Sastry.
On the Sparkle Berryz team are three other women who create the products. “These are delicately hand-crafted by women who have a strong will to lead life on their own terms. They earn a few thousand rupees every month, supplementing their family income. They are not educated and whatever they earn, it helps them to make a decent living,” she says.
Her 10-year-old daughter is following in her footsteps, designing and creating artistic pieces from recycled material.