Half-Hoop Earrings with Two-Carat Faceted Blue Topaz Jewels 'Harmonious Ocean' Item ID: 2671747894

"I was born in 1974 in a village in eastern Bali. This village is traversed by one of the largest rivers in Bali — the Unda River, whose water originates from the highest mountain on the island. I'm grateful I was born and raised here because we have so many artistic crafts such as woven fabrics, traditional Balinese architectural carvings, and silver crafts. As a child, I loved to string seeds from the plants in the yard near my house. I made necklaces and bracelets for my use and I used them to play. My friends often ask me to make some for them, too. I feel happy to be able to make my friends happy.

"My parents were laborers who helped build houses in my village. Even though I was born to a limited economic condition, my parents always taught me to be patient and passionate about achieving our goals. Thanks to them, I am motivated and confident in making decisions and being responsible for my decisions.

"Now I am married and have one son. As his mother, I'm responsible for guiding him to be a dutiful and useful child in his life. My son is the motivation for my husband and I to be enthusiastic so that our future life will be even better. Even though we suffered difficulties when the COVID 19 pandemic hit us as a family, we are still eager to find solutions and keep fighting to support our family. When all of this was over I was very proud to have made it through all these difficulties.

"Now I have a jewelry workshop with my husband and children. I enjoy studying this field because the craft is always evolving. How can we stay creative and keep abreast of existing market trends without losing the character of our designs?

"The main inspiration for the motif I am currently developing is stingrays, which I often saw in the sea in my village when I was little. I modified it to produce an attractive jewelry design. My design motif is also inspired by a village in Klungkung called Jumpai. Most of its population are fishermen. According to ancient stories, Jumpai comes from the word jung, which means 'the boat' and pai, which means 'stingray.'"