Jewellery & Ornaments

¤ Indian Tradition of Gifting Jewellery

In India, a woman is traditionally gifted jewellery at the time of her wedding. The jewellery is from both her parents and her in-laws. The logic is simple. Apart from the obvious purpose of ornamentation, the jewellery is her safeguard against the proverbial rainy day. Bereft of an income of her own, she can trade in her jewellery as and when the need arises.

But this is not to say that the Indian woman does not like her ornaments well-crafted. Every market in India has its own share of gold and silversmiths. While gold jewellery is pretty much a favourite with the rich and the affluent, village belles swear by silver.


¤ Gems

Gems Many palmists and astrologers tell you precisely the clarity and carat required to ward off the evil eye or reverse a spell of ill-luck. Some of the good buys here are emeralds, sapphires, rubies, garnets, amethysts, corals and turquoise. The craft of cutting and polishing stones to achieve the most gleaming facets has been honed to perfection by the artisans of Jaipur and Calcutta.


¤ Gold

Gold- The women of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra are great sticklers for gold. This shiny metal is considered auspicious, not to mention a status symbol. Even the humblest bride down south has some gold in her trousseau.

Handcrafted gold jewellery is still very much the norm though machine-made trinkets are fast catching on. The major difference between the jewellery of north and south India is in the detail, delicacy and motifs. While north Indians think small is beautiful, south Indians certainly believe otherwise.


¤ Kundan

Kundan:- Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur are famous for the age-old technique of setting gems in gold called Kundan. It is the Mughal-inspired art of setting precious stones like diamonds, emeralds and rubies in gold and silver. Gems are bedded in a surround of gold leaf rather than secured by a rim or claw.


¤ Meenakari

Meenakari Enameling or meenakari was originally meant to protect gold, which in its pure state is so soft and malleable that it can easily wear away. However, the technique soon came to be used for all sorts of objet d’arts. Now before you ask, enameling is a champleve technique, which in simple English means that a recess is hollowed out in the surface of gold or silver to take in a mineral. For example, cobalt oxide, which gives a blue color, is then fired into the depression so as to leave a thin line separating the segments of color. The patterns are usually floral and colored in red, green and blue and can be seen on small jewellery and kumkum boxes.


¤ Silver Jewellery

Silver The various kinds of adornments in silver are: tikka or the spherical pendant for the forehead; dangling earrings called jhumkas; hansli or the choker; nath or the nose ring which may be attached with a chain to the adjacent jhumka; a girdle or taqri for the waist; a series of bracelets called kadas; payals or anklets with tiny bells on them; and finally the chakti or toe rings of the married women. Also men of Rajasthan commonly wear chokers, earrings and bracelets too.
The designs are a lovely blend of Hindu and Islamic styles, as are the karigars (craftsmen) who may be Hindu or Muslim. Silver jewellery with ornate tribal designs is a big hit too. A relatively new addition to the repertoire is silver studded with semi-precious stones. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal and Ladakh are the most happening centers of silver jewellery.


¤ Threads, Beads & Cowries

Threads, Beads & CowriesThe intricate and artistic twisting of thread is itself seen as an embellishment by the tribal communities of India. They often weave cotton thread into a broad band as a textured or patterned base, then loop through buttons, beads, metallic droplets or whatever catches their fancy. Beads, shells, cowries and feathers are simple but amazingly creative means to adorn the body beautiful. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and the northeastern states of Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram top the list of makers of such jewellery.


¤ Bangles

Bangles add grace to the feminin beauty. Indian has an ample treasure of exquisite,colorful bangles, that does not match anything. Shellac Bangles Brightly colored lac bangles are a gay and inexpensive buy in Delhi and Rajasthan. In the pink city of Jaipur, lac trinkets are a common sight in every bazaar. Check out the dazzling bangles, often studded with glass gems, spirals of base-metal wire amid a wavy striping of other colors.