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.