How it all began - My journey!

Timeline - A decade back (around 2010) -
I came home from work one evening to find a much-awaited shipment of beads in my mail box. I had ordered my first batch of beads online and was delighted with the collection when they finally arrived. But one item in the package had me completely nonplussed. Thanks to my inadequate knowledge at that time, I had ordered 50 yards of Fireline thread and I had no clue what to do with it! I tried using it in various versions of beaded necklaces and earrings but none of them proved satisfactory. And thus that reel of thread was consigned into what i call my bead black-hole.
Two years later, while digging in my old boxes, I discovered that thread again. This time I challenged myself to find some use for it. After doing a more intelligent search on google I stumbled upon the art of bead weaving. This then set me off on a jewelry-making adventure that continues unabated to this day.

I would also like to share with you this extremely fun and interesting personal experience during one of the jewelry challenges that i participated in during the early years. As always, google being my best virtual friend, i landed on a popular international jewelry making site 'Beadaholique'. There I chanced upon a monthly challenge which had a Swarovski theme. Just a week away from the final deadline,i decided to participate came up with a necklace and submitted it just an hour before the deadline. Luckily, i got selected as the final 10 after which it was open to public voting. A few days down i realized that, though i was one of the front runners, i was not necessarily staying at the top always. There seemed to be some local help(country-wise) for each of the finalists. Not to be beaten i used our Indian 'jugaad'. A few calls to my cousins and friends and what followed was a coming together of cousins,friends-of-friends of cousins, Facebook and Whatsapp(Instagram was not there at that time!). No one can beat us Indians in voting! And what a fun experience we had. Ultimately i did win the challenge and $100 in prize, thanks to everyone who informed everyone in their vicinity to vote. Here's the winning entry- 

That day,I learnt a valuable lesson or as per corporate jargon my takeaway from that experience. For creativity to flourish and be recognized,you need to dream big, work hard and have the support of a lot of people -they could be your family,friends,clients, peers etc. What started as just a creative pursuit/hobby and something which i indulged in after work, has become my profession now. With my brand Risham, i hope to give wings to my creative journey and try to share my love for unique,handcrafted and intricately woven jewelry with all you beautiful people. And like always i would love to have your continued love and support.
Before i end , i would like to share somethings that has motivated me quite a lot ~