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Company Mission

Saraswati Imports aims to share and magnify beauty. Beauty uplifts the spirit and offers a pathway for the heart to shine through. We invite you to spread the love, positivity and goodness with jewelry that delights and inspires.

History

Saraswati Imports was founded by Elisa Mishory in 1991. Prior to starting her business, Elisa was teaching English as a second language in California at UCSC, SF State, and finally in Japan. After leaving 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 temples to the natural beauty of the mountains, beaches and jungles to the stunning handwoven textiles. 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 am not an original 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, catalogs and jewelry stores throughout the US.

We make every effort to work ethically and sustainably. Elisa personally checks the working conditions of the manufacturers in India to ensure that all the silver workers are well-paid 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, education and safety of women and girls locally and globally.

Saraswati jewelry is proudly run by a small, but wonderful team of 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. (Can you tell which one is the little devil?)