Exhibition: Fabric jewellery, gem designs dominate show

Other stalls include summer clothes, shoes and decoration pieces.

LAHORE:

A two-day exhibition of jewellery, summer clothes and paintings opened at the Xavier Hall in Pearl Continental Hotel on Saturday.

Of the 26 stalls, those featuring gem and fabric jewellery attracted most visitors on the first day.

Aishah Amjad of Aishah’s Jem Secrets displayed her gem-stone jewellry at the exhibition. She said she had chosen blue, green and white because they were easy on eyes. She said she preferred working with emerald and rose quartz.

Aishah said her mother, a gem-therapist, had taught her about the properties of several kinds of gems. She said all her jewellery was handmade.

She said gem jewellery should not be mass-produced every gem had certain properties that could have different effects on different people. “I take a piece at a time and work on it,” she said. “Most designers do not take into account the effect the gems may have on wearer’s health,” she said.

Mrs Irfan Khan displayed fabric jewellery designs she and her husband make using materials such as gota (gold thread), silver and golden threads and ribbons. She said her designs were particularly popular for mehndi functions. She said fabric jewellery was gaining popularity because it added value to simple dresses and was affordable. “A complete set for brides costs only Rs2,000,” she said.

Shoe designer Fauzia Sarfraz said she had come from Multan to display her work. She said her company produced khussas.  Khussas are made of leather sheets processed by traditional methods. They can be used with all kinds of dresses,” she said. She added that khussas were popular in summer because of their light weight.

Muhammad Amjad’s stall had a range of handmade items. He displayed lamps, huqqas, purses, jewelry boxes, paandaans and candy boxes.

The number of visitors on the first day was disappointing, said most exhibitionists. They said more people would have visited the event had it been marketed properly. The exhibition will conclude on July 3 (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2011.