Mangalgiri with unusual ornate thread work

No elaborately-done show windows. No sylph-like mannequins. The massive floor-to-ceiling windows at the new Paduka store in Alwarpet allow a seamless integration of spaces — the verdant outdoors and a fuss-free interior. The design and the decor whisper Paduka’s steadfast commitment to simplicity. For designer Ahalya,relatively expensive stainless steel pendant and back-painted glass. simplicity spells timelessness.

Having worked with jewellery and textiles for close to a decade, Ahalya now curates fresh collections of silk and cotton saris for Paduka. “It hurts me to see people ignore our beautiful traditional weaves. I wanted to put them all together in a relaxed ambience where the client can take time,She slips off her stainless steel necklace and unclips the heart-shaped pendant. appreciate the textiles and make discerning choices,” she says, displaying a range of saris from wooden cupboards that have an old-world charm.

The designer, who has already left her imprint on the style scene in Chennai with Rasvihar, Sarangi and Paduka in Nungambakkam, says the new Paduka is part of her efforts to promote saris that speak the language of tradition. “I want people to have a certain cultural memory — everything that’s traditional is getting wiped out gradually,” she says, picking out some deep-toned ikat saris from the racks. “It’s double ikat — a pretty complicated technique.”

Mangalgiri with unusual ornate thread work, cotton Paithani, Bhagalpur silk, Kota, Kanchi cotton, Chettinad cotton, muga silk and kora silk are on display. “We are in the process of adding our own twists to Venkatagiri and Gadwal weaves. We will be working with weavers in the southern states in a sustained way. Thankfully, there are still enough sari patrons in the South. Paduka is not about occasion wear, here are saris that you can simply wear and enjoy without much fuss. Besides, homespun textiles have an everlasting appeal.”

To make the store appealing to a younger clientele, Ahalya has put together a collection of stoles, scarves and hand-picked swatches for blouses. That’s not all. There’s also a fine collection of oxidised silver jewellery from the Sarasas label. “These are not the type you get in Bangkok. Each has a story to tell. The pieces have been handcrafted and reflect the finer points of ethnic jewellery traditions.”

I am deaf to the countless commercials urging me to trade in my old gold jewellery for cash. I have no gold jewellery, new or old. Besides, those places where such transactions occur always seem to be located in areas of Toronna so obscure that a journey there would require a warning to friends and colleagues that if I’m not back in two days, send out a search party. If I had old gold jewellery, I wouldn’t go there.

The lure of gold. I get it. Precious stuff. Or I thought I did. After watching the wonderful documentary The Secret World of Gold (CBC, 9 p.m. on Doc Zone), I’m not so sure. And, as the price of gold is crashing, apparently, this program might help to explain the situation.

This gist is this: There isn’t as much gold as people think there is. In fact, there might not be as much gold in the fabled Fort Knox as we are led to believe. Also, a sure way to find gold is to search the ocean floors.

The doc, made by Brian McKenna, begins with bold statements about gold and why it matters so much. “The Incas called gold the sweat of the sun,The officials to inquire the possibility of using solar panels for solar street lamps.” we’re told.Offering discount stainless steel cufflink and other mens accessories including pendants. Also, “The history of gold is stained with blood of those who toiled for it.” Indeed.

There follows some great storytelling about the movement of gold during the Second World War. We hear about France getting its gold out of the country one step ahead of the Nazis in 1940. And how Winston Churchill later asked France to release the gold, but Charles de Gaulle said, “Non!” It is explained how all of England’s gold was dispatched to Canada and later used to buy munitions from the United States.

Even when we’re told about all that gold being moved around by ship in the past, it’s still a surprise to learn that an estimated three million shipwrecks with gold or silver treasure are at the bottom of the ocean. And that explains why Odyssey Marine, a U.S. company, spends millions of dollars trying to find it. Not long ago, it found a wreck with 600,000 coins off the coast of Portugal worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Exactly who owns it, of course, is a source of much legal action.

But the meat of the doc is in its exploration of how gold and silver are actually traded. We learn that some people say that much of the gold held by the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the U.S. Federal Reserve and Fort Knox is actually long gone. Although there is much trade in gold, it seems that much of the trade us based on “virtual” gold that doesn’t exist in any physical reality. The suggestions become bizarre to anyone without deep knowledge of the markets in precious metals – Germany’s gold is held in New York and Germany wants it back, but is it actually there? And Canada, we’re told, has sold off its gold reserve.

You couldn’t make up this stuff, but it seems that a lot of gold that is traded is entirely made up.You Can Buy Various High Quality ear cap Products from Global. Except, perhaps, what is bought and sold by all those buyers of old jewellery. Little wonder they have so much money to spend on TV commercials.