Suman Mishra: My relationship to jewellery is like that of a painter to her canvas

I met Suman Mishra on a quite sunny Sunday afternoon in April 2011. She welcomed me warmly in her home in New Delhi and as she was preparing chai, we chatted about the World Championship in cricket, which India won after 28 years (technically, we spoke about the guys on the cricket team and the impact of India’s victory on the traffic conditions in New Delhi, as I have no clue about cricket).

We met as old friends somehow and I felt very comfortable and at ease as I entered her sun-lit beautifully decorated home.

I liked her smile. Genuine and enchaning. (you wish you could have one of these).

Suman, a sociology major based out of New Delhi, is a self-taught jewellery designer and leverages a system of apprenticeship to create her jewellery designs. “Do actually the apprentices work for you?” “No, they don’t. I don’t want to have anyone working for me“. I liked this statement a lot and it is actually totally in sync with her view on the competition.

What impressed me most about her  is that desire and feeling for experiencing through sensing the world- through food, smells, shapes, textures. Suman sees nature as one major source for her inspirations in jewellery making; she goes for long walks close to her home (you would wonder where are the parks in the middle of the bustling city of New Delhi, but trust me, there are plenty of beautiful places to get inspired by) and observes trees, leaves, plants, flowers, etc.

Over a cup of coffee in Barista, Suman mentioned with ease…”I don’t see anyone as a competitor, I just experience life through jewellery making“…And I thought,  “You’re just blessed with that vibrant easiness that spurs your creativity“.

Now, on another note, if you really stop for a second and try to see the world like she does, I’m sure you will feel such a relief.

“I like to collaborate“, she said and gave me that broad smile. She won me. As simple as that. I’m a firm believer in collaboration.

We have two things in common: 1) we create jewellery through experience and 2) we never had a coke in our childhood (not because our moms didn’t allow)

Suman Mishra jewellery is partnering with Anokha Jewellery (no wonder:-)) and I believe this partnership will go a long way.