Keshav Anand

London-based jeweller and editor Keshav Anand (b. Pondicherry, 1992) studied Fine Art at Central Saint Martins. Drawing on often-overlooked symbols and imagery, Anand creates ornate talismans and functional sculptures using gemstones and recycled precious metals. An ongoing series of pendants explores queer South Asian histories and the transfigurative entities that populate the region’s mythology – from love scenes carved at Khajuraho to Purushamriga, the elusive Tamil sphinx. His latest series draws on protective symbols from across cultures and histories, from the fearsome drishti bommai masks of South India to Samdumae, the three-headed hawk of Korean folklore. At once appearing ancient and new, Anand’s contemporary artefacts – formed in bloodstone, Dalmatian jasper, obsidian, tiger's eye, emeralds, rubies, diamonds, pearls, gold, and silver – bring life to stories buried over centuries.