Company Mission:

Saraswati Shop aims to share and magnify beauty. Beauty uplifts the spirit and offers a pathway for the heart to shine through. We invite you to wear what delights and inspires…and spread the love, positivity and goodness to those around you.

History:

The online retail shop was launched in 2018 but Saraswati jewelry has been shared far and wide via Saraswati Imports, the wholesale business founded by Elisa Mishory in 1991. Prior to starting her business, she was teaching English as a second language at UCSC, and then in Japan. Once she left Japan she was inspired to travel in South East Asia. “I wasn’t sure how long I would stay there… perhaps indefinitely. I made it a point to study something of local value in each of the countries I visited, such as dance in Bali, Thai massage in Thailand, and Buddhism and meditation in India.

My lifelong attraction to the arts and beauty were deeply satiated during my travels: From the awe-inspiring Buddhist Temple in Borobudur, Java, to the natural beauty of the beaches in Malaysia and the stunning handwoven textiles of India. As I traveled, I met many Westerners doing business, exporting beautiful crafts to their own countries to sell. I had no intention of starting a business, but was enticed to buy some beautiful carvings, textiles and jewelry for friends. When I returned home, I had much more of a collection of “stuff” than I could possibly give away to friends, so I started selling at Flea Markets and college Student Unions across the U.S., traveling from town to town in my 1973 Volkswagen bus.

Nearly 30 years later, I'm working with many of the same silversmiths and families I first met in 1990. Though I don't consider myself to be a jewelry designer, I'm an excellent collaborator. I work with several Indian and European designers, modifying and elaborating their designs to best suit the American aesthetic - always reaching for simplicity and subtlety as a way to enhance the natural beauty of the semi-precious stones that are the centerpiece of Saraswati jewelry.”

We supply boutiques, yoga centers, museum shops, and jewelry stores throughout the US, as well as the Sundance Catalog and now we are excited to be able to reach even more jewelry enthusiasts with the ease of online and mobile ordering.

We make every effort to work ethically and sustainably. Elisa personally checks the working conditions of the manufacturers in India to ensure that all workers are paid well and enjoy better than average benefits. We share our profits with a wide range of not-for-profit organizations, including several that ensure the health and safety of women and girls.

Saraswati jewelry is proudly founded and run by women in the heart of the beautiful Berkshires, Massachusetts. And we have to give a nod out to our two spirited office cats, Rocky and Izzy, who keep our days filled with tranquility and affection.

Inspiration:

The name Saraswati was inspired by the Hindu goddess Saraswati, daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. It is believed that Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of wisdom, learning and artistic endeavor. She rides on a white swan, symbolizing purity and mental clarity. It is this marriage in one divine being of wisdom, art and consciousness that drew Elisa to honor her business with the name of the goddess, Saraswati.