The PureJewels story takes its hero from India to Africa, before he travelled to England aboard an enormous immigrant ship. During the 1940s, a period when many Indians were taking the brave move abroad, our founder Bhanji Gokaldas left his homeland for east Africa. He established a small workshop in Nairobi, where affluent clients ordered bespoke jewellery, and the African aesthetic became a valued part of his design influence.
Native to Kenya is the Masaai tribe, a traditional micro-culture that has thrived for decades. The Masaai now number close to 1,000,000 and their language, customs and dress have stayed the same for decades. They’re famous for their survival expertise and inhabit some of Africa’s protected game reserves. When we designed our Masaai jewellery collection, we wished to honour this ancient tribe and respect their tradition of adornment. This was the collection that was developed by British jewellery designer Paul Draper as part of a collaboration with PureJewels, inspired by the journey of the founder of the company.