Emeralds for elephants

Ganesh Chaturthi, the 10-day festival dedicated to the Hindu elephant god, is over with his idols having been ceremonially immersed on the concluding day. But the 75 kg wooden statue of Ganesh created by sculptor Arzan Khambatta embellished with filigree work fashioned from stainless steel has been crafted to last. The three-and-a-half-foot high statue of the rotund deity bears a blissful countenance, mentions Sunday Mid Day (SMD) in its issue of August 28, 2011. And why not, for he is holding a 638 carat green emerald in his hand!

Emerald Avighna, as the statue is called, which took the 45-year-old artist over three months to create is part of the UK-based gem mining company Gem­fields’ initiative to raise awareness and funds for Asian elephants. Seven international artists and designers were invited to use the com­pany’s emeralds in their elephant designs as part of elephant man Mark Shand’s Elephant Parade held in London last year where they were showcased for one month, notes SMD. This year the project has come to India. Gemfields is working with 10 Indian jewelry companies to create designs inspired by elephants and nature with Khambatta’s piece, incorporating the gemstone from a Zambian mine, the crown in the collection.

Arzan Khambatta and the sculpted statue of Ganesh holding a giant emerald

The 128 gm emerald used by Khambatta was part of a 2,000 carat stone mined in 2009, according to Rupak Sen, Gem­fields’ marketing director, Asia who explained that in gems, unlike in precious metals one carat weighs approximately 0.2 gm. This particular stone was cut especially for Emeralds for Elephants as such huge gems are rarely used in jewelry, Sen informed SMD.

It was a challenge for Khambatta to work with a brittle stone like the emerald, accustomed as he has been to handling coarse materials like scrap metal and wood. Using the emerald as the starting point of his sculpture, Khambatta made a wooden template of the gem. "I was afraid the gemstone would fall on the hot floor... I decided the size of my Ganesha after seeing the emerald.” The artist made six sketches before zeroing in on the pose where the elephant god is holding the stone in his hand. "The figure of Ganesha holds tremendous symbolism, of knowledge, power and happiness. It made sense for me to choose to use the emerald on the king of elephants,” the sculptor told SMD.

After they were on show in Bombay during the Ganesh festival, the sculpture and jewelry pieces were displayed in seven cities, including New Delhi, Calcutta, and Hyderabad. On their return to Bombay they are slated for auction "to raise at least a million dollars,” noted Sen. The reserve price for Khambatta’s creation has been fixed at Rs 50 lakh, SMD mentions.