Seema Persad Pieces that Speak from the Heart

The online store boasts jewellery that bears sentiments such as love, appreciation and congratulations, condolences, and friendship. Aptly, the store’s mantra is “Speak From The Heart”, a slogan Seema personally connects with through her belief of the symbolism, emotions, and timelessness specific pieces of jewellery can represent for individuals.

Describing herself as a “cog in the corporate wheel” for approximately two decades in sales and marketing roles, Seema’s last position was as Brand Trade Manager for a multinational company. In mid- 2015, she was retrenched as part of a regional costcutting exercise – an occurrence that was a pivotal point in her life.

“As fate would have it, I was now about to enter the Practicum stage of my EMBA. I was at that proverbial ‘fork in the road’,” Seema says of the academic events that surrounded this unsure time in her professional life. This fork in the road begged her to question her true desires: return to the corporate arena or take the time to complete her MBA.

Harping on the well-known inspirational quote “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”, Seema was excited at the thought of leaving the “cold” corporate world behind.

“With this new resolve, I pushed forward and channeled all my energies into working on my Practicum Business Plan, entitled ‘Marketing the Emotion of Symbolic Jewellery’,” she says of the personal turn her academic pursuits took. She spent countless hours analysing and researching the jewelry market in TT and it was her final thesis that became the blueprint for Symbols Jewellery.

She sees jewelry as speaking its own language; physical pieces that can evoke emotions that connect persons to memories of a time, place, or persons. This belief comes from her own personal experiences with jewelry: “One of my most precious possessions is a pair of bera bangles passed down from my grandmother, to my mother, which she bestowed to me a few months before she passed away. Although the bera bangles have their own specific cultural meanings, they also symbolise the precious bond shared between my mother and me.” While many use jewelry as a means of bodily adornment, Seema says her portfolio at Symbols Jewellery - while decorative and aesthetically beautiful - delves deeper in terms of poignant connection, to one’s self as well as others.

Among the countless indigenous and cultural pieces offered at the online store is jewelry by “Made by Survivors”, an NGO dedicated to fighting slavery and other human rights violations in East India.

“Many of the pieces within the Made by Survivors portfolio eloquently speak to empowerment,” she says of the very symbolic ties the jewelry makes with its wearer. “These include ‘Inner Strength’- and ‘Resilience’-themed jewelry that all represent the struggles made by these survivors.” She continues that the ‘Inner Strength Necklace’ was inspired by flowering vines that grow around the Made by Survivors jewelry studio in Northern India. “The survivors describe themselves as ‘vines’, which grow back even stronger when cut.

They see themselves as becoming stronger from the things they have endured and the joy they feel from overcoming these obstacles. By wearing this necklace you are grounded in a connection, not only to the energy of the amazing survivor who crafted the piece, but you are also able to draw inner strength and confidence from within yourself in order to overcome life’s challenges,” she describes how the jewelry can empower and agitate women to forward action.

“I believe that we need to speak out more when we see injustice meted out to the women in our lives; we need to be our sisters’ keepers,” Seema says. She sees women as catalysts for change surrounding the oppressions handed out to them and thinks women – now, more than ever – are organising and starting movements to bring about these changes.

“It all [starts] with one thing, one person – not just hoping and wishing for change but actually doing something about it now.” Her store also showcases unique pieces of Tuareg jewelry from the Koumama tribe of the North Sahara, led by patriarch Elhadji Koumama. For over 25 years, the family has mastered and perfected the art of intricately handcrafted fine silver jewelry.

“The geometric designs all have significant symbolism and are often used as a protective talisman,” she expands on the symbolic significance of the Koumama tribe’s jewelry.

One of the collection’s pieces that deeply moves her is the Agadez cross, which represents the four corners of the world and is passed from father to son at puberty. “It is like a rite of passage, the bond shared between father and son that transcends both time and place.” While symbolsjewellery.co does not yet feature local artisans’ jewelry, Seema shares that there are “absolutely” plans to expand the lines both locally and regionally. “We are very open to showcasing locally and regionally made items at our store,” and she adds that she has already identified several potential local suppliers and will be working with them in the new year.

“That being said, we do feature local symbols within our portfolio [such as] the hummingbird and sand dollars.” As for her courageous decision to become a business owner after years in the corporate field, she says everything happens in its time. “It’s easy to sink into a comfort zone with the stability of a regular paycheck; honestly, I’m not sure I would have taken the plunge had it not been for the retrenchment,” she divulges of her courage to take the first step. She says the catalyst for change matters little; what matters is the realisation of the desire to build something of your own. Her advice to other women in similar unsure circumstances is to not be fearful. She still experiences moments of doubt in her business endeavor but the joy and fulfillment her symbolic work brings to her dispels any questions in her mind.

“It’s okay to have doubts [and] be nervous but once you are confident in what you do … just go for it!” She believes honing strengths and passions is an entrepreneur’s greatest weapon that will ensure a professional life that is in line with personal values.

Symbols Jewellery, while an online store, also hosts pop-up shop events where customers can physically interact with Seema’s offerings – a tradition that she understands is still hard to shake, even in our technologically advanced age.

Customers can receive information on Symbols’ pop-ups by becoming a member on the website. The website also highlights categories by occasion, recipient, collections, and jewelry type for ease of browsing and she reveals plans to expand the collection with more pieces that are made with men in mind.

She lets it be known that the goal of Symbols Jewellery is to help customers speak from the heart and each item purchased is accompanied by a story card explaining the symbolic meaning of the piece, ensuring the motif is not lost on its wearer.

“We encourage visitors to learn more about the symbols of the world [and] our blog features interesting articles about unique symbols and their histories and legends.” She believes compassion and knowledge can be gained through such education and appreciation and hopes this, even more so than the jewelry, can inspire her customers.

She finishes, “It is only through learning about the diversity of the carious cultures of the world that we can truly grow to respect, understand, and honour each other in the purest sense.”