NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, offers thousands of limited edition and one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry, and home decor treasures handmade by master artists and artisans throughout the world. The natural beauty of walnut wood lends itself to an exuberant portrait of India's varied fauna. Deer, lions and elephants race across the busy contours in a lavishly detailed relief sculpture. Carved by hand, the jewelry box by M. Ayub features two interior compartments lined with velvet. Artisan Info: The artistry of M. Ayub has been featured in Family magazine. "I was born in 1965, in the valley of Kashmir known for its rich tradition of master craftsmanship in multiple disciplines of handicrafts. The valley of Kashmir abounds in tall sturdy trees like walnut and Chinar. It was our family tradition to make artifacts and artistic furniture from walnut wood. I had pursued the craft since I learned it in my boyhood. Over the last decade, militancy in Kashmir had done tremendous disservice to the industry and we were compelled to open our major outlet in New Delhi. However our factory and old office still functions where we craft our artifacts and furniture. "The walnut wooden products are completely carved with hand without the slightest use of machinery. The wood is obtained from very old and at times dead walnut trees are dumped in shade for dehydration incredibly long period of two to three years. No artificial color is ever used on my walnut products. They are rubbed with
