Single mother turns women into silversmiths

Single mother turns women into silversmiths

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Gianyar

Janet Molloy first came to Bali almost 30 years ago as a young,
enthusiastic, qualified chef from Melbourne, Australia.

Her dream was to visit the island, to see the beautiful
scenery and to learn about its culture and cuisine.

She fell in love with the island and met her husband, now ex-
husband; they tied the knot in l988. As a professional chef, what
occurred to her first was to open a restaurant or to work at a
prestigious dining establishment in Bali.

It turned out rather differently. Here she is now, surrounded
by an array of intricate, handmade silver jewelry produced by
hundreds of Balinese young men and women in Banjar Kemenuh,
Gianyar, about 40 kilometers north of Denpasar.

"You never know what will happen to you, even though you might
well have planned your future," recalled Janet, who had to remain
strong after what seemed like a marriage made in heaven turned
sour. The couple got divorced, leaving her with two teenage boys
and a girl.

"My parents and sisters frequently urged me to go back home.
But I had two children; they were Indonesian citizens and I was
their mother. I felt I had to be here for them," Janet said.

More importantly, she had dozens of people working at her Jani
Silver company. "I did not want to leave them. What would have
happened to their families?" asked Janet.

She took a drastic decision by applying for Indonesian
citizenship five years ago. "It was a memorable moment," she
said. As a daughter and granddaughter of Australian soldiers, she
obviously had considerable national pride. "But it was an honor
for me to be able to become an Indonesian citizen," she recalled.

With no design and jewelry manufacturing experience, she ran
the company and fought for a place in the Balinese silver
industry.

"You can do everything and can change your life as long as you
are willing to learn and are open to change. Jani is a Balinese
word that means 'present' or 'now'. This means you have to do it
now," she explained.

Originally manufactured only by Balinese goldsmiths and
silversmiths from the Pande clan, Balinese jewelry was previously
made for royals and for ceremonial purposes. Today, almost every
family in Celuk, Banjar Kemenuh, Gianyar, is involved in the
home-based jewelry industry.

"It was a family business, but when we divorced I took care of
the business," Janet said. Starting a new life, she reorganized
the company, introducing modern and professional management
systems, including a redesign of the product range, human
resources training and expansion of the market.

"There was an abundance of young people here who could be
trained as professional managers, designers and silverware
makers, many of whom had inherited their craft skills from their
parents," she added.

It was not an easy job to convince the village youngsters that
they were capable of working in such professional capacities. "I
planned an integrated human resources development program to
ascertain the right talent and people for every position in the
factory," Janet said.

She is now well satisfied at having appointed a number of
young villagers as marketing officials, designers and human
resources managers at her factory.

More importantly, she has broken the traditional rules by
persuading girls and women to work as silversmiths. "Making
jewelry was an exclusively male occupation. Many women had
hitherto been reluctant to take on such jobs because it was
unusual, especially within close-knit, Balinese jewelry
families," she said.

With careful nurturing, she found that many girls were very
talented.

"They really could master the tasks required if given half a
chance to develop themselves. I really knew that it was not
impossible for people to realize their dreams," she said.

Made Manik, one of her staff, said that Ibu Janet, as the boss
is affectionately called, has made her responsible for handling
all the office-based tasks.

"Many girls here are happy now because they can earn their own
money and have acquired new skills," said Manik, who was
previously a bank employee in Jakarta.

There is still much to do to improve the lives of her
employees. "We're facing stiff competition from neighboring
countries like Thailand, Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia," said
Janet.

The local jewelry trade is not very competitive since it
consists mostly of family-run business. It is also affected by a
shortage of raw materials, some of which, including gemstones,
must be imported, as well as a lack of design flair, management
and marketing skills.

No less important is the lack of legal transparency and of
government policy that should support small-scale industries like
these.

Crucially, Bali and places elsewhere in Indonesia are losing
their best silversmith due to a lack of sustainability within the
industry.

"By persuading women to get involved in this type of
profession, I hope that more young people will become interested
in making silver handicrafts," said Janet, adding she was busy
making preparations for an Independence Day party for her staff
and villagers.

"Every Aug. 17 we hold a very special event to celebrate the
day," she said with a smile.