SINCE SEPTEMBER 11, only a few companies have seen an upturn in business. Jewellery design company T3 Designs is one of them. The company seems to be providing people just what they need right now: custom-made jewellery designed to bring wearers a sense of peace, calm and security.
'It goes a little deeper than buying a pretty piece of jewellery,' says T3 owner Tatiana Bellavita. 'It's also about well-being. Before September 11, there was much more focus on making money. Now, it's about family, love and taking care of each other.'
Bellavita has turned a lifelong passion for jewellery and gemstones into a flourishing career. Before becoming a professional designer three years ago, she worked in the fashion industry. But a growing interest in alternative therapies and crystal healing compelled her to look at how gemstones benefit the mind, body and soul.
'It works in subtle ways,' she says. 'If one is out of sync, then wearing the right stone can help balance things out.'
Bellavita helps her clients figure out what stone they need, and then designs a fun piece of jewellery to suit them. The system works best when she allows her clients to gravitate towards a particular stone, instead of 'diagnosing' one for them.
'I like the person to look at all the pieces and see what they're attracted to. The stone calls you. Once they pick the piece they love, I put it on them and the energies of the stone work with them. Every gem has so many wonderful properties, but everything is subtle, loving and soft.'
Because the potency of stones is affected by the people who have touched them previously, Bellavita cleanses the pieces, leaving them in the sun or outdoors on a moonlit night.
