Shikha’s jewellery making journey began while working on a wildlife conservation project in Kenya as a means to raise funds to care for orphaned animals and rehabilitate them back to the wild. 

Every time she ventured to markets across the country, she was mesmerised by the colours and styles of beads on display and the fascinating stories that the traders shared about their symbolism. The ability to promote local craftsmanship and raise awareness of wildlife conservation issues through jewellery was enough motivation to get her started.

The Indo-Swahili brand name is the amalgam of her name, Shikha, which means “tip of the flame” in Hindi or “to hold” in Swahili, and “zuri” means “beautiful”. It captures her love for the cultural and natural diversity that she’s  grown up with, experienced during her travels around the continent, and always came back home to Kenya.