Nature’s untouched masterpiece

When dawn breaks in the Maldives, the Indian Ocean is already warm enough to swim in. During my six-month stay in this island paradise, my morning routine was almost always the same: as the sky ripened, I would take my snorkelling gear, prepped the night before, down to the beach.

The water’s embrace never failed to make me feel as though I was at home. Peeking below the surface, I would feast my eyes a brilliant subterranean world: shoals of orange clownfish, multicoloured parrotfish, iron-grey manta rays, crimson starfish, multicolored corals and more. Nothing else ever came close to that initial rush of seeing such a community thrive beneath my feet. Most days, I would see the same shark darting between pastel-coloured coral ledges as it hunted for food. Then there was the island’s resident turtle, with whom I shared a special bond. I christened her Sophie. Whenever I spotted her, it would remind of the time I spent in Sri Lanka helping baby turtles to hatch and releasing them into the sea to become part of nature’s cycle. More often than not she would approach me, and I would reach out and stroke her shell, and in response she would bob from side to side. It is the kind of priceless experience only a natural environment can provide. I would also spend time marvelling at the conches, clams, snails and mussels that lined the seabed. These are creatures I’ve been fascinated with since childhood. Their magnificent shells are equal parts robust and delicate – much like my own jewellerycreations. After a morning of exploration, I would reluctantly swim back to shore, lie on the soft sand and dry out under the sun. And while my footprints in the sand would disappear the next time the tide came in, I knew my impressions of this place will last a lifetime.