Ravior

There are many things in life that inspire wonder. A beautiful sunset, arching mountains. A sea shell and a small amount of water, in a lightbulb. As a pendant. I had never, ever, seen anything like this before. I had contemplated traditional, classic pieces for so long that I was blinded to what was present right here, in Mauritius. Something extraordinary.

I have always desired delicately carved pieces with an almost divine presence, jewellery that truly becomes and adds to a person, almost like another ligament. Creations that, I used to believe, only resided in dreams.

One of Ravi Jetshan's quotes runs through my mind here : "As women are linked to jewellery, intrinsically it also links men. When an old woman shows her jewellery box, it is not a display of wealth, but rather an exhibition of tokens of love that she shows."

This goes way beyond jewellery. This is Art. Wearable Art.

Born into a family of jewellers of nine generations, Ravi Jetshan, creative director of Ravior, is fluent in six languages. He started making jewellery at 12 years old, and was acquainted to the art from the age of four. Values and craftsmanship, transmitted from father to son. Values that are the core of the craft. He has been taught by the best, spanning from Daniel Jacobs to Reiko Ichimura and Shane Hartegan, and has won numerous awards, such as the winner of the National Jewellery Collection Design Contest in 2007.

Ravi Jetshan for Kreativite by Frederic Melotte

Ravior has faced its challenges, successfully overcome all obstacles and has grown from a company employing three employees to twenty three workers. A family business, the company will celebrate its 30 years of existence in 2012 (in operation since 1982) and has been passed on from generation to generation, specialising in the creation of creative jewellery and art. Their level of creativity and craftsmanship is otherworldly.

The pieces have been featured in exhibitions across the world; Vincenza ORO, Salon des Joailliers Createurs (Paris) are just two mentions in a long, long list.

I am extremely grateful to Ravi Jetshan, he not only made time within a week of a phone call for an interview that would last an hour but he also showed me around the atelier, which is just above the shop in Quatre Bornes. The workers all have a total dedication to their work, the workspace is all clean and tidy, and best of all, you really feel this passion for the craft, not to mention the friendly atmosphere that dominates the atelier and the shop. You feel like stepping into one big family. You never want to leave.

The degree of precision you need to create jewellery must be experienced to be understood, I believe. I was looking into a hyper magnified lens to see the work in its most intricate detail of a piece one man was working on. I found out that the goggles the same man wore had lenses ten times more powerful than my own. Another was working with bone, yet another placing small indentation marks on solid gold. It's simply incredible.

The team consists of 23 people, and every craftsman is qualified from the Jewelry School and has inherited all the previous generations’ experience. The workers have benefited from customized training dispensed by consultants from France, the L'Association Francaise de la Bijouterie . Apart from Selection Ravior, they produce everything.

Ravior sells predominantly to the local market but with the opening of its new branch in Rivière Noire and its counter at the Airports Duty Free Shop and Hilton hotel, they are reaching more tourists who truly are bringing back a piece of Mauritius with them. This year they are launching their e-commerce service via their web site www.ravior.com

HOPE Project Mauritius

A beautiful round coin, light, with intricate engraving. On one side, English, on the other, Kreol. The message is the same. "Unity. Love. Hope" or " Lamour. Lespwar. Linite."
How did it come about? Ravi Jetshan explains: "The main idea behind it all was how to create something that would conform to precious jewellery standards yet remain accessible and which will support the cause."

"We created a design (copyrighted) which is both comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and symbolic. There are two sides: one where the inscription is in Kreol and the other in English. A piece of jewellery bearing a Kreol inscription-its a risk and we are proud of it. In the future, creole will form an integral part of an artists' work."

They wanted to dedicate a part of their work to a cause, and so they associated themselves with the Mouvement pour le Progres de Roche Bois (MPRB), which (I'm citing a news article here) "was born 18 years ago in Roche Bois to instil a sense of responsibility in the inhabitants of the region towards their implication in the positive change of the environmental, social and political situation of Roche Bois, where drugs, alcoholism and unemployment are rife. Moreover school failure is widespread within the community, creating a situation where poverty is passed on from one generation to the next. In this context the objectives of the MPRB are:
1) To struggle for the respect of human rights of the community of Roche Bois and its surroundings
2) To improve the education level of the local population of Roche Bois
3) To improve the social, economical and environmental development of Roche Bois through an active participation of the local community."

Ravi has a profound respect for the organisation: "The social workers are exceptional, they work very hard, five incredibly dedicated women. The project is really evolving in the right direction, and its just not only about the money collected."

HOPE Project Mauritius in Essentielle Magazine, Photographer: Frederic Melotte

10% of the sales of each piece goes to the MPRB, and so far Ravior has sold around 260 pieces.

"For us to be financially viable we need to sell 750 pieces, though this wasn't our concern when we started the project. For us, HOPE is already a success, even if we can't obtain that money. HOPE has created awareness for the cause."

Through the knowledge of HOPE's existence, for example, someone recently freely gave the MPRB a couple of stacks of comic books. Ravi himself goes to the organisation around twice a month.

"Their only weakness is their lack of human resources in communication. Through HOPE, a company has provided brochures and a video free of charge to the MPRB, and Pizza Hut provided a free lunch for 200 children." I hope that there will be many more instances of such kindness.

RED HOUSE Y&R

"We didn't want a campaign founded on pity. We wanted to express the hope and joie de vivre that the people in the area have. They are the ones who make you smile! The hope comes from there, and it is us that share it." Ravi adds that "There is a delicate and deliberate choice in communication." This really is the epitome of an awesome campaign-look how the emphasis is positioned on the positive! It conveys tremendous respect to those who work as social workers and to those affected by social problems. All the children in the campaigns are happy, and smiling.

"HOPE is ongoing but the organisation that we associate ourselves to can change. Its not a question of just giving money, if you want to go there and help, you must give your time."

The HOPE range is evolving. "There are different products; for example, one piece may have a diamond, another may be a key ring."

MPRB: For more information or to make a donation contact : Marie Noëlle or Amanda on 290 8654 / 946 2819

30 unique pieces will be launched to mark Ravior's 30 years of existence, in three categories-classic, design and one off. More details on that will come in due time. But one thing is for sure - you can expect a lot of the company in the very near future!

And now back to the end of Paris Fashion Week. The Bank One Fashion Show will be the article for next week-as soon as I get the photos you'll see the whole collection of each designer!
All images below from Style.com

Maison Martin Margiela