Crysobel

Born in the war-torn country of Sri Lanka, Gaitri Chandra Raj moved with her family to Sierra Leone at the age of one, and then later to Liberia, to seek refuge from the conflict that was constantly brewing in their homeland. When war broke out in Liberia in 1980, the family moved back to Sri Lanka but found little comfort due to a language barrier experienced by their children, as well as undying conflict in their country.

Gaitri and her family fled Sri Lanka once again, and headed back to Sierra Leone in 1982, until finally moving to the United States in 1985. At the age of fifteen, Gaitri and her family settled into American life in Connecticut. Gaitri attended Clarkson University in New York, before moving to California where she went on to earn her MBA in High Tech Marketing at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkley. Gaitri made her life on the west coast where she began a career in Marketing and Management Consulting in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Aware that her homeland of Sri Lanka is world renowned for their precious gemstones, Gaitri began designing her own jewelry, using her Sri Lankan connections to obtain some of the country’s most precious gems, including Sri Lankan Sapphires, which are known to be the best in the world. While searching for the perfect adornments for her own wedding, Gaitri wanted jewelry that would represent a perfect blend of the beauty and artistry of her eastern roots, combined with a modern western appeal. Having trouble finding her ideal look, Gaitri sketched her own jewelry designs and had her custom-designed jewelry made in her homeland of Sri Lanka. The results were breathtaking, and awakened a passion in her to pursue jewelry design as a profession.

The Crysobel Jewelry Collection blends classic and modern, for a look that embodies fashion forward elegance with old-world artistry. The name “Crysobel” was chosen from the Sri Lankan gem called Chrysoberyl, which is thought to spread tolerance and harmony; a wish Gaitri has for her native land, and her adopted homes of Sierra Leone and Liberia.