Razia Kunj comes to the city with her new hand-painted wooden jewellery line

Wood and acrylic form the base of Razia Kunj’s handpainted jewellery. This Mumbai-based designer, who is a graphic designer and illustrator by profession, started off her career 20 years ago. But it was a last-minute pair of earrings that she made for her daughter’s dance performance gave birth to the idea of her own jewellery line in 2016. “Having a background in graphic designing exposes you to art across genres. From pop art to minimalism to traditional art to photorealism and so on,” shares Razia, who now believes in making the best out of waste wood through recycling and conservation. 

Her Jagannath Puri design from the Temple collection made of neem wood has been one of most sought-after pieces.“Layering wood gives a different dimension to a design. And I make sure that every ornament line of mine is made with a different variety of wood,” she shares. That apart, her creations have drawn patterns from mythology, architecture, dance forms and tribal folklore. She commonly uses thread, sequins, mirrors and beading as a part of her craft elements. Typically, a collection of around 35 pieces take about two months of ideating, sketching, prototyping and then execution.

The wood is carved to create a specific shape, after which a design is drawn and then painted upon with acrylic colours.“Whether it is red and black for the Theyyam ritual and goddess Kali or green and blue for Raavan, designs determine the choice of the palette,” she tells us. We learn that even the most esoteric of her jewellery has fans, from as far as Australia and Texas. Expect her next line of bracelets, necklaces and buttons for men in February. 

`1,500 onwards. Razia will launch her limited wooden jewellery line today at Amortela.