Mango Wood and Bone Coasters from India (Set of 6), "Lattice Elegance"

I was born and raised in Delhi where people always knew me as the 'jolly good fella' because I was a happy kid who made friends with everyone. I had a lot of fun growing up with my elder brother. Father was an artisan and I was so inspired by his work that I decided to follow in his footsteps, especially since my brother opted for computers. One of us had to join father and, since I already liked this field, it was a natural path for me to follow.

Dad specialized in all types of wood articles, such as jewelry and decorative boxes, screens, and fashion jewelry. These days we are focusing mostly in fashion jewelry. In fact, with the price of silver soaring uncontrollably, I would say fashion jewelry is garnering a lot more interest.

When I first joined my father, I would go on international exhibitions while he looked after the crafting process here. We have been participating in a lot of international exhibitions in the UK and in other parts of Europe like Italy and France.

We also do silver jewelry for special clients. Once during one of my exhibitions, a buyer encouraged me to design some silver jewelry. I experimented on a few designs and they turned out quite well so, since then, I have also been doing some silver and diamond jewelry work.

My brother and I have married identical twin sisters, in fact the only difference is that my sister-in-law has a mole on her face. If you hide the mole, it would be very difficult to tell them apart. They also have a similar voice, which makes for some awkward moments like I would be talking on the phone to who I think is my wife for 15 to 20 minutes, only to realize that it's actually my sister-in-law! Sometimes it's so hilarious!

I'm so glad to be associated with you. The way you make it possible for the smallest of artists to the biggest of artisans to come together in one platform is so unique and beautiful. I am blessed to be a part of this.