The story of Indian jewelry goes back over 5000 years to the prehistoric past. Different
regions of India have jewelry making styles unique to them. In Orissa and Andhra
Pradesh fine filigree work in silver, in Jaipur the delicate art of enameling or
meenakari, the temple jewelry of Nagercoil and, Kundan or the setting of semi-precious
or precious stones in gold from Delhi are now famous the world over. The wide variety
of silver beads found all over India, especially in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh
and Himachal Pradesh are also well known.
In India ornaments are made for practically every part of the body. Such
a variety of ornaments bear testimony to the excellent skill of the jewelers and
craftspeople of India. Jewelry in Gold, diamonds, silver, sterling silver, precious
stones and semi-precious stones is a rage all over the world. Nose rings, ear rings,
bracelets, crowns, rings, anklets, amulets and necklaces, in any metal and styles
can be found in India. The Meenakari and Kundan styles of jewelry making which have
been influenced by the Mughal dynasty are usually used in combination to make jewelry
pieces that can be worn as chokers and necklaces. The temple jewelry of Nagercoil
consists of traditional gold ornaments studded with red and green semi-precious
stones. These were typically used as offerings to the Gods and hence the name. Today,
some of these designs are being made in silver and then washed with gold. In Assam,
soft 24 carat gold is fashioned into earrings and necklaces modeled on the local
flora and fauna-earrings like the hona, which replicate the orchid and the lokaparo,
which consists of two birds placed back to back. In Nagaland, gold is used to craft
imitations of
the human head and long funnel shaped beads which are used in combination with shells,
animal claws and teeth and precious and semi-precious stones. The designs in solid
gold jewellery of Tamil Nadu and Kerala are inspired by nature. The paisley motif
or the ambi, rice grains, the cobra's hood, melon and cucumber seeds are some of
the common motifs.
The range of jewelry in India varies from religious to purely aesthetic
types. Jewelry is crafted not only for humans but also for the Gods, ceremonial
elephants and horses. The craft of jewelry has been given royal patronage since
ancient times when rajas and maharajas vied with each other to possess the most
exquisite and magnificent pieces of jewelry. In fact, even today temple complexes
bear testimony to this heritage as they reflect myriad styles of jewelry-scented
sandalwood bead necklaces, the prayer bead or the rudraksh (berry of the elaocarpus
canitrus) necklace, multicolored silk and gold thread necklaces.
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