paul khera – lord of the ring

Hello Paul, this is one of the interviews that come to life after seeing something interesting and getting the contact straight away, so it is meant to happen.

First of all tell us about yourself, we know you have multiple forms of creation.

In brief i was born in England and brought up over there, my grandmother filled my head with all kinds of stories of mountain and rural life and mythology in a small village, there is no boundary to what you can do so all the things i’m making are an exploration of the mythology and what it can teach you in practical and cerebral terms.

Did you develop all forms of expression at once?

They all overlap, the philosophy came first, i inherited a outlook on life it didnt really mean much to me aged 6 but as i grew up the stories took on a pertinence gave me a framework with which to understand the world. I filmed the significant moments to record them and wasn’t able to write it down, straight off i needed to be able to see it back and in the film i was able to capture the atmosphere and be transported back to the actual moment, even though it’s no specific help to any one else it was an important step for me.

How did you get in contact with the Himalaya – btw. why you call it Himalya?

I grew up there, it’s a phonetic thing, locally it’s pronounced Him-ah-lee-ah but i dont mind i think localised pronunciation is ok after all, we dont say Paree and Roma – i guess you must come across varying dialects too in Ibiza.

You live part time in London and part time in the Himalaya – two worlds collide?

Well sometimes, depends what you look at. Challenges in life are very similar (peace, food, shelter, love, action) priorities and responses are very different (peace of heart, food for the mind, shelter for the soul, love for everyone, action for the community), i could find people on a street in London that think like i do, perhaps they dont often get a chance to express it.

You do the rings entirely by yourself?

Not at all, there’s miners, traders, cutters of stone, i’ll work with them to find stones of varying clarities then i’ll work with a silver smith making them, abandoning them, refining the setting to get the right internal reflection. Then sometimes i’ll use a guide to take me through the forest not because i’ll get lost, just to protect me from the animals.

What materials do you use?

Traditionally the rings were silver because it’s a natural amplifier of most of the gems and even in history they were conscious of its healing ability although there are other pairings too, gold and peridot (turmalin). Platinum is also great but there’s just not much available locally, and of course any gemstone that fits the bill.

There are a lot of steps in the creation, tell us what they are.

You work out why you want a ring, what your focus in life is (at the moment), what your (under utilised) strength is. The ring brings it to the forefront and there are many ways to find the right one. Each stone has a natural corresponding strength, the walk in the evergreen forest that clears your mind is echoed in the green stones and so on. Or simply look at a ring and it will talk to you and then also decide if you want to wear it at the wrist, around your neck or close to your heart. In terms of making them we follow the moon phases (the word for moon and silver is the same, which is where the tradition originates from), we start on new moon and complete before full moon. The moonlight also cleans the gems and also is practical for finding the way to river at night hence visiting the river around full moon as many of the elements are found around the river we return the ring to the river to be “tested”. We are fully aware that we are not the top of the tree in Himlaya so let nature decide, if the ring is made with good intentions.

Did a ring ever disappear in the river after it was finished and exposed to it?

Haha, yes a few, the last one actually washed out of my hand on to a lower ledge where i reached for it and it was washed to a further one and then covered in rockfall (a bit too much like Indiana Jones, haha)

Do you know Ibiza?

Actually not at all, i’ve never had the opportunity to visit.

And finally, where and how can people purchase the rings?

There are a limited number of ready made ones online or contact Rogers in ibiza – rogers edward hooft at rogersedwardhooft@gmail.comor me in London – paulkhera@mac.com or via FB is as good as anywhere if you want a bespoke one.

Thanks Paul, when i saw the rings i knew there is a great story behind it. Good luck with the rings and your retreat project.

more info:

kherings.com