Craft of Culture and Love

AAMO, which has been delivering beautiful, architectural jewellery showing the work of local artisans of Nepal to their customers since 2015, was started by Aayusha Shrestha, founder and designer of the venture, with the thought of helping local artisans and metal crafters.

“I wanted to reflect the beauty of our culture and nature through my work. AAMO is very personal for me as it not only reflects my love for jewellery but it also tells the story of the person I have actually become from the lessons I have learnt over the years,” she reflects.

Shrestha says, “The name has two meanings. In Sanskrit ‘Amo’ means ‘mother’ and the word holds a deeper meaning in my life as I used to call my grandmother ‘Ama’. On the other hand, in Spanish it means love. And my jewelry line is something I really love.”

Though Shrestha does not come from a jewellery designing background she knew this was what she wanted to do. Before launching her brand, she actually took time out to not only understand her culture but also the market and it took her nearly a year to officially launch her line of jewellery products.

While designing earrings, rings, and necklaces, she takes inspiration from the nation's rich cultural and natural diversity, and tries to create something that is pleasing to the eyes.

Shrestha adds, “There is actually no fixed timeframe to create the designs of a jewellery piece. It can either go for months or just a few days defending on the design itself. I love the research it takes before we produce the designs.”

Just like any business, AAMO also faced a few hardships during the lockdown. However, the production and designing aspects did not do so.

Shrestha says, “It was not a problem for us to produce the jewellery as our crafters were mostly from Kathmandu and those from outside the valley too were willing to stay back as they felt financially safe with us. However, our sales took a hit.”

“What helped us get through the difficult time was we always put aside 10 to 20 per cent of our profit in case our artisans or metal crafters need help. Moreover, the April 2015 earthquake taught us a big lesson and we always make sure we have enough so that we can cover our payments if there is any natural disaster,” she adds.

The Nepali-handmade market has been growing since the pandemic, but not many can sustain their business. So how did AAMO survive in such a competitive market?

“I believe it all depends on research and understanding what the market really wants. I love the fact that there are a lot more handicraft businesses in the market but they really need to do their research and worry about copyright issues. There are many customers who just take someone else’s designs and give it to someone else for a lower price. As a market we have to respect the designers, and makers who work hard to bring the pieces to life. That is how we will survive.”

Locally made crafts are bound to be a bit costlier due to the hard work it takes and the raw materials used in the product.

“As a business we have to understand our customers and what they are looking for, but the understanding has to be vice versa. We have to import the raw materials and the time and effort it takes to craft the product is tremendous so the handicrafts deserve the value,” shares Shrestha. “But AAMO has a range of products with varying prices so there is something for everyone. For the future, we are looking into different styles of handicrafts from ceramics to wood work.”