One Pose.

These are the rickshaws that I've been doing most of my traveling in so far. They're everywhere.

This was one in particular that I loved the interior of. They all have little unique things about them, but one common thing is that almost every one I've been in has a photo (normally heart shaped) of a Bollywood actor on the rearview mirror above their heads.

This is a stall I passed on a rickshaw ride. They are all over and have things like sweets, mouth fresheners, cigarettes, soda, etc.

This is where we (my homie Raviji that has been taking me to Chandni Chowk, and I) would normally get off the rickshaw and head into the hustle and bustle of the markets/alleys.

Deeper into the beautiful madness.

This was in the second workshop I went to. It's a necklace he was working on with a set of matching earrings. Incredibly detailed craftsmanship.

A pendant and matching earrings.

An earring that was waiting for diamonds to be set in it.

This was a tool they used to make/stretch wire, normally made of gold.

A mens gold/diamond ring that I watched get made.

This was a workshop that I went to to see diamonds set into a ring. There were two boys sitting up on the little bunk part working when we walked in. I was standing just inside the doorway, so that gives you an idea of how big the workshop is.

 This was the view from sitting up top with the workers. As you can see, there are a many religious photos on the walls which was common in all the workshop that I've been to so far.

These were the pigeons that were hanging out with us as he set diamonds. (So I've now seen pigeons, mice, and insects inside of workshops. And camels, cows, dogs, cats, monkeys, goats, pigeons and crows outside.)

The thing to the left with the spikes is the ring with many tiny little diamonds already set into it, and the white things to the right is a 3 carat diamond that is about to be set.

And this is the finished ring. This is the one I saw started the first day I went to the workshop. It's gold but they've finished it in a way that makes it silver in color (but it's not white gold). This photo doesn't really do it justice. It's amazing!

This is Sanjeep. He was the one setting the diamonds. He was really nice and very welcoming.

This was a little shop that I went to one day to pick up a gas tank for my aunts house. I was with her driver on the way back from dropping my little cousin off at her friend's house.

I pulled out my camera to take a couple photos and these guys got interested so they asked if I would take a photo of them. The one in the sweater said "one pose", and the other was reluctant but seemed to love it anyways. So I title this... "One Pose".

Fine Jewelry Observation Day #1.

It feels like I've been here for much longer than a week.

So much has happened...

I don't remember exactly when it was, but sometime in the past week I got to go and meet with the editor of a newspaper (Mail Today) because he's a friend of my uncles and has some contacts in the fashion industry. He said if I get a portfolio together, he'll see if he can put me in contact with some people so we'll see what happens with that. This is the view from the lobby of their offices on the 13th floor...

Then on Wednesday, I went to Chandni Chowk for the first time to sit with the jewelers in their workshop. We had to walk through these tiny little lanes where there were foul smells mixed with smells of food being cooked, dogs sleeping on the side of the alleys, kids (that you would never see on their own in the US) rushing past to get to who knows where, wires hanging from every building/balcony/rooftop visible, and just craziness in general.

Then we climbed a steep flight of stairs and walked into a room that was barely bigger than my bathroom. There were two small tables with tools scattered about them, a man and two young boys sitting on the floor working away.

They don't really speak English, so I spoke all the Hindi I could, and they spoke all the English they could and we managed to get the most basic of conversations going. Most of the day I just sat and observed as this man worked on a ring setting for about five hours. (The ring on the middle finger was the one he was making.) 

The amount of work that goes into fine jewelry is pretty crazy. I also got to see a couple other pieces that he had worked on and they were beautiful. This is one of them...

Then about half way through the day, the lights went out. They said it's a normal daily occurence. Actually twice daily. Often for a couple hours at a time.

I was supposed to go back again the next day, but couldn't because I got sick. Had some stomach issues and just stayed home. And I've kind of been recovering since. I'm feeling much better so I'll go back to observe again on Monday.

Today we made a little outing to a market to pick up some toys for my little cousin and I picked up some magazines. Even though I'm in India, I still have to get my fashion fix. Here are a couple photos from the market. Pretty normal sights to see here.

Until next time...

Peace&love to all.

PS. This blog is rather haphazardly written and put together on account of my scattered brain and limited time for blogging. Oh, and rather slow internet connections.