Lucine Almas

With an enduring fascination in philosophy and spirituality, Lucine Almas, a New York based designer, has recently returned to India. It was there that she lived and worked for almost a decade as a fashion designer, exporting under her own label.

Using her love of colors, texture and craft, she has now shifted her attention from textiles to precious metal.

Drawing from her own Armenian heritage, Lucine often wondered why certain cultures, like her own, had stopped using protective talismans, good luck stones or prayer beads for daily use.

In the wake of the attacks in Paris last November, she felt it was time to create a collection which offered a sense of inner balance, beauty, peace, strength and protection to those who wore it.

Combining two great passions; spirituality and design, Lucine has crafted a unique collection called 'Contemporary Talismans'.

Each gemstone or element is chosen for its inherent beauty and spiritual import, and the meaning behind each piece is as mystifying as is its outward beauty. Lucine enjoys the play between precious, semi-precious and non-precious materials, and the idea that these pieces may, in the end, have value beyond their beauty.

Lucine takes great pride in selecting and placing each and every gemstone, and working directly with the craftsmen, who have inherited a rich jewelry making tradition dating back to the Mughal Empire. Each piece, being crafted entirely by hand, is one of a kind. The gold ranges from 18 k - 24 k, the majority is made using 22 k gold.

It is her hope that the wearer will in turn add her unique personality in playful harmony with the soulful energy of the pieces.