Exhibition: NCA faculty displays her jewellery designs

The stones used in her works are all local to the Indian subcontinent

LAHORE:

Iram Zia Raja, head of Textile Department at the National College of Arts, on Tuesday exhibited her jewellery designs at X-2 Café.

Talking to The Express Tribune, she said her jewellery designs appeared to be contemporary but they were rooted in Mughal and colonial traditions. She said her work was mostly inspired by Mughal jewellery and architecture. She said some of the pieces were based on designs from colonial and contemporary architecture.

She said the stones used in her works were all local to the Indian subcontinent. These include lapis lazuli, turquoise, agate, and beryllium from the emerald family besides ruby and rubeloids.

Raja said she had hosted the event at a public space to make it accessible to the public. Kiran Khan, head of Textile Design Department at the Beaconhouse National University, said she appreciated Raja’s use of silver in her jewellery. She said most good jewellery available in the market was made of gold. She said Raja’s work was a welcome break in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2015.