Story
The Inspiration
Afghanistan was once home to the tallest standing Buddhas in the world. Having looked out across the verdant Bamiyan valley for more than 13 centuries, in 2001 the Taliban turned their RPGs on the monuments, leaving behind empty niches. It is these niches (pictured here during our latest trip to Bamiyan) that provided the inspiration for British jewellery designer, to create a collection for ISHKAR.
The Designer
Millie took the Buddha's as her central motif, to create a collection for ISHKAR which speaks of Afghanistan's rich history, tragic recent past, and optimistic future. By filling the blast marks with Afghanistan's precious stones - spinel, and lapis lazuli - her collection symbolizes Afghanistan's defiant beauty and resilience.
ARTISAN
This piece is produced by master artisans in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban took over in August 2021, we have removed all identifying references of our partners for security reasons. Some of our partners were able to leave Afghanistan. For those who remain, their craft is critical to sustain their livelihoods at a time when the country is in financial collapse and in the grip of a humanitarian disaster. Every order we are able to make with our partners is more important now than ever before.
