Sparkling traditions: the essense of Gajra
Jewellery has never been simply an accessory. Rather, it’s been an expression—of authenticity for some, elegance for others, and for many, a symbol of heritage. Neha Gokhale reports
For Siya Jawa, jewellery became the union of her heritage with personal style.
An entrepreneur and creator of Gajra, an ethically sourced business of handcrafted desi jewellery, Jawa's love for jewellery dates back to her childhood.
"The name Gajra is really personal to me because I spent my childhood in Delhi. At the traffic lights, there are people selling gajras, like jasmine. And whenever my dad was out or coming home from work or a meeting—anything—he would get it for me," Jawa said, reflecting on the fond memory.
"And that smell, and the feeling of receiving flowers, it’s so much more special than that. It’s like the best association I have with my roots."
Owner of Gajra, Siya Jawa, at the opening of her stall. Photo: Neha Gokhale
In his journal, Satish Kumar studies this deep connection of femininity with the jasmine flower, which makes up the flower garland (or gajra in Hindi) often worn by women in their hair. Seen at special occasions like weddings across many cultures in India, gajras are the ultimate symbol of love, or "deep affection," as he puts it, and furthermore, of beauty and happiness.
For many young desi women, jewellery is a well-loved part of getting ready. But it hasn’t always been easy to blend ethnic jewellery with everyday wear, especially in a Westernised society.
In fact, curating pieces that complement casual clothes is much harder than it sounds and requires a careful balance, as one user on a Facebook forum shared. In her fashion journal, Pranali Sheyte supports this, saying both women and men are still condemned daily for their choice of attire.
She insists, however, that Indians are slowly being influenced by quirky outfit choices, especially through Bollywood celebrities who have been 'slaying' the fusion look since the early 2000s. Acting as a catalyst, Gajra has been one of the first to encourage embracing the blending of ethnic jewellery with an everyday look in a "subtle" yet fashionable way.
Jawa speaks on this, saying she wants to keep inspiring people to look into the mirror and think about how they can embrace their culture every day, even in the smallest way. She looks forward to hearing people "talk about it, bring it up, and ask questions."
Beginning as only a humble Instagram account, Gajra has risen to new heights in just a short time.
Now just shy of 800 followers, the platform has expanded to include an Etsy shopfront, seasonal offers, and collaborations.
From earrings to bangles, the venture grew to include hair clips, necklaces, anklets, bags, and of course, the iconic gajras.
The official stamping of Gajra on a bag. Photo: Neha Gokhale
The business has also expanded beyond the online space to host its first in-person stall at a local Holi event, welcoming everyone to enjoy the variety and style of the handpicked pieces.
The stall attracted attention from a wide range of people, from younger tweens to older women, and a number of young men as well. Jawa commented she was happy to see men feeling comfortable in their masculinity as they approached the stall to purchase gifts for their girlfriends, perfectly emulating one of the business’s core values of spreading love.
This simple act of buying and gifting has allowed men to showcase their love and women to feel confident in their own feminine energy. Jewellery as love tokens has been an ancient practice, from wedding rings to pendants, and still today, it plays a role in conjuring the presence and memory of one another, even when that person is not there.
Chimayee Satpathy from Morehead State University says jewellery has the power to evoke emotions, and the act of gift-giving jewellery is still an existing form of love language. With such an important role in budding relationships,
Gajra is happy to welcome the new demographic and encourage a male point of view.
It is small successes like these that have captured the attention of many potential promoters eager to push the brand forward through collaboration.
One such collaborator was Amana Aziz, a young student from Melbourne who took an interest in the brand’s vision.
"Home away from home." That’s how Aziz described the brand’s resonance with individuals who have migrated from their home country to Australia and what drew her to it in the first place.
"I really loved the CEO’s vision, you know, including really being inclusive with her business. She brings South Asian culture forward and highlights it. She doesn’t just have a sale for one particular ethnic group, it’s for all festivals like Diwali and Holi, but there are also the Muslim festivals like Eid and Ramadan," Aziz said.
Like most users, Aziz discovered the brand’s page while scrolling through her Explore page. She interacted with the brand’s first collection launch and soon, she recalls, Jawa reached out to her to promote the second collection launch. "I loved working with her; she really radiates positive energy and embraces creativity."
"She’s always willing to improve to make her brand better and more accessible for customers, and also make a name for herself in the South Asian community. She’s really big on sustainability too—I feel like a lot of people don’t know that as well. It’s nice to see in a brand."
Together, Jawa and Aziz dedicated time to review different mood boards and ideas on how they could showcase the pieces for the second collection. Aziz was involved in promotional partnership work on TikTok and Instagram, featuring the unboxing and stylisation of the pieces.