India has always been a country of intricate beauty and treasure filled chests. When we think about treasure, most of the times we think about precious gems and jewels. India’s artistic visionaries have given us some of the best and most elaborately designed jewellery that is still an intricate part of Indian culture and tradition. In this content, we discuss pose a brief discussion on Indian Jewelleries and their Significance.

Where did it all start – The History of Indian Jewellery

The charm of jewellery can be traced back to over five thousand years ago when civilizations were already established and slowly people started to realize the need for something precious to adorn themselves. India being a ‘gem-bearing’ nation, it was evident that the Master of Art developed these extremely beautiful and complexly carved elements known as ‘Jewelry’.

The majestic looking pieces slowly built their charm over everyone, especially women. However, not only did they have an aesthetic value, they were also very reliable and resourceful during times of financial crisis for security purposes.

It was appreciated by the rulers of India and the Indian rulers gave their patronage to the artists for their brilliant workmanship.

Gradually, it was seen that these jewels spread across different regions of India and was used for various purposes. The first ever jewellery was worn by kings and queens which signified their status and richness and prosperity in the society while others were found at temples given to Gods and Goddesses as offerings.

Some of the finest artwork and craftsmanship was also seen in the earlier days in the jewelleries worn by Indian dancers in dance –forms like Bharat Natyam and Kuchipudi. From head to toe, the dancers adorned themselves with sparkling jewels.

The Face of Contemporary Indian Jewellery

Indian jewellery created as an art form has been evolving constantly since the old age. From the voluminous heavier gold pieces, we now have moved to much more developed, stylish and lighter pieces of jewellery made with not just stones or metals but many other unique materials.

With the rapid evolution in designs and styles of Indian Jewelry, we find it is becoming increasingly easier to buy online Indian jewellery.

Some of the Contemporary forms of Jewel we come across are as follows:

1. Bracelets
2. Anklets
3. Head Bands made with Flowers
4. Chokers
5. Antique Jewellery- as opposed to the name ‘antique’, these jewelleries are very popular in the modern world and are some of the most popularly used designs in Junk Jewellery
6. Assamese and Manipuri Jewels- They draw great inspirations from the surrounding flora and fauna and some of their jewelleries are made with dried leaves, shells, teeth or animal claws, etc. They take inspiration from African art of jewellery as well and they are widely used with western wear as well these days.
7. Fusion Jewellery- Ever mixed the East with the west? Well, fusion jewelry is all about the blend of tradition and style. The exclusive creativity of improvising this art form has been recently developed. You can pair denims with an antique pair of earrings or a formal look with a choker type neckpiece. That is what fusion is all about and also bringing together different cultures together as one.

Knowing you Jewellery – Some Types and Forms of Indian Jewellery

• Kundan – It is an ancient form of jewel based on stone art. Sometimes a limited amount of glasses are also used to carve this piece of art. Precious and semi-precious stones like sapphire, emerald, ruby etc. are also incorporated in kundans to give them a more ethnic and elegant look. It is popularly used in Rajasthan as well as Hyderabad.
• Polki – This type of jewellery has diamonds embedded in them with inside layered with gold or silver similarly to Kundans.
• Meenakari – Evolving from the Mughal architecture, this piece of jewellery is etched in an exquisite design with a touch peculiarity in its handwork. It is usually gold coated with enamel. It is famous in Delhi, Kashmir, Rajasthan and Banaras.
• Pachchikam – Encased with un-cut stones and glass, this jewellery piece is custom handmade in gold and especially silver. It originated from Gujarat.
• Lac or Lacquer – It is a tribal form of jewelry particularly famous in urban areas these days. It is created with a mixture of crude elements like glassbeads, mirrors and wires and then, solidified used ‘lac’ extracted from trees by mixing the liquid with a white clayish material. This kind of jewelry originated from Rajasthan.
• Navratna – As the name suggests, this kind of jewellery involves eight stones (which are diamond, pearl, red coral, hessonite, blue sapphire, cat’s eye, yellow sapphire, and emerald) aligned in a clockwise direction with a ruby placed in the middle of the jewel piece, thus having 9 total stones in them. They are the most ancient forms of jewellery used by raja-maharajas or offered to deities.
• Jadau- Typically different from Kundan and Polki designs, Jadau is the type in which the craftsmanship involved is different where the engravings are very specific, and 5-6 stones can take up to a day to be placed. It is said they are exclusive to Bikaner, but they are also produced in Jaipur and some states of Gujarat.
• Bead – From Rudrakshi, to Kashmiri, Lac and Meenakari, Maruti, wood-crafted and tiny glass seed ones, beads are found in various forms, shapes, sizes and materials in India. They are found in new styles and various colors.

Adorning Oneself which Jewelleries and its Other Uses

Indian jewelleries have been so highly popular since the ancient times. And with higher availability of Best Indian Jewellery Online as well as in different shops and flea markets, etc. and its innovative and each piece holding a unique design with excellent skills in manufacturing them, their demand just keeps rising. Popularity and usage of jewelleries will never see a downfall due to the following obvious reasons:

1. They are a traditional part of marriages and each culture and religion uses different types of jewellery. They form an integral part of the bridal attire.
2. They are not just popular for enhancing the aesthetic sense but also used to fulfill religious requirements in temples and during festivals all around the country.
3. They have recently started building a brand in the communication industry with fashion weeks showing off the various different styles of jewelleries that can be adapted with every piece of clothing be it Eastern or Western or Indo-eastern styles.
4. Owing to the intrinsic value of the metals they are made with, Indian jewellery is a great source of security for financial aid.
5. Last but not the least, they are definitely a part of women’s look that can accentuate their feminine side and make them look more glowing and glamorous.

India has given us some of the most majestic gifts, one of which is Indian jewelry and now even the West is taking inspiration from it. We as Indians should be proud of such a long-held heritage beautifully crafted and made into such a valuable art form.