It is her “obsession with glass” that has, once again, resulted in the creation of a full line of clear blown and formed glass pieces. One of the few women glassblowers in the country, Reshmi Dey, recently launched Gappie, a handcrafted, bespoke glass jewellery collection inspired by transparency and impermanence, featuring new shapes using coloured glass.
The founder of Glass Sutra, India’s first comprehensive public access glass art studio, Dey has had a mission to bring glass art and people together. Her latest collection – comprising rings, earrings and necklaces – is an amalgamation of bold approach, skilled craftsmanship and simple design sensibility. And is aimed at the woman who is independent, unique and does not follow the crowd. We had a tete-a-tete with Dey on what made her foray towards glass jewellery and her new collection.
Excerpts:
What was the idea behind introducing glass jewellery?
I wanted to create something special and personal with glass for women. I saw a lot of similarities between glass and women. Very few people are aware of the fact that “glass”, fragile yet sharp, strong yet malleable and flawed yet pure, becomes what it is because it is born out of the fire (12-13 hours at 1400 degree C). Women too evolve and grow enduring a lot of pain and accepting various challenges, lighting the fire of strength and confidence within.
These aspects bear a lot of similarity with “glass”. I wanted to celebrate a woman’s transformation into her authentic self – free to express herself, bold to go after her dreams and strong to embrace her true identity.
Where does glass jewellery stand vis-a-vis metals?
Glass is a fragile material but equally durable and strong. Recently, a client dropped a piece while trying it from a height of 5ft. The metal welding broke but the glass didn’t. Blown glass jewellery is a rare item to possess. It is immensely challenging to make jewellery where glass is the primary material and metal is kept to a bare minimum.
What about its acceptability among women today?
My experience with the jewellery collection has made me believe that women from all age groups love our debut collection. The ideal age group is between 16 and 55, given their experimental choices. Abstract and simple designs appeal to young girls more.
Brief us about the prices...
The jewellery is priced between Rs 2,000 and Rs 8,000.