Guest Author - Susan Dorling

Kuukivi is an up-and-coming handcrafted jewelry company that fuses Indian, American, and European style. Kuukivi's fusion of styles reflect the background of founder and designer, Sheela Rayala. Born and brought up in India, Sheela lived in the Bay area for more than a decade and currently resides in Finland. Her global experience give her designs the unique combination of a modern look with the depth of age-old beauty and style.

Sheela designs with a wide range of precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, Bali beads, and Swarovski crystals along with sterling silver and 14K gold-filled chains. Kuukivi's pendants and center pieces are either hand-crafted by Sheela or acquired on her world travels. With the natural world as her inspiration, Sheela carefully chooses color and material combinations to complement one another. Each piece is truly one-of-a-kind. Kuukivi donates 1% of all its profits to non-profit organizations.

From the extensive Kuukivi Collection:

A thoroughly enjoyable browse through the easy to navigate and sophisticated Kuukivi website offers such delights as the gorgeous ‘Swati’ necklace which features delicate sterling silver chain with oval links with hand-wrapped opal briolettes and pearls with a center sterling silver filigree ball and Peruvian Opal briolettes.


The ‘Chakra’ necklace features Bali circles with a single smokey topaz rondelle delicately hanging from a Bali bead onto a hammered sterling silver chain and a Bali clasp.




There is a symmetry and fluid motion in all the pieces in this collection. A love of color is evident and lends a vivaciousness to all designs.


From the Hopea collection, the ‘Sitara’ is a luxurious configuration of exquisite Bali discs hand-wrapped into a beautiful curved Sterling Silver chain with a three variable link chain pendant. A single citrine drop and a pearl are hand-wrapped to the center pendant. Complex and fascinating, this piece epitomizes elegance and is one of the many highlights of the Kuukivi brand.

The ‘Helmi’ features a beautiful cascade of teardrop pearls connected to the sterling silver chain with 2 vesonite rondelles. The chain itself has 2 vesonite drops and a pearl hand-wrapped in between on each side of the cascade pendant.


From exquisite earrings featuring pink and blue chalcedony drops to citrine teardrops with ruby and vesonite roundelles to fabulous exotic pendants collected from Sheela Rayala's world travels, all Kuukivi jewelry is enhanced by the use of both precious and semi-precious gemstones, sterling silver Bali findings, and a feminine gracefulness of design. Think flowing natural designs that celebrate the beauty of gemstones and reflect the passion the artist has for her beautiful homeland of India and the global community that has become her home.

To view the whole Kuukivi Collection visit www.kuukivi.com