Traditional Indian Silver Jewellery

Silver jewellery has a vigour and liveliness all its own, many of its designs preserving an antique originality. If gold was the preferred metal of the affluent, silver was the staple of the rural and tribal areas. It was a means of saving money, and an indication of a person's wealth. The jewellery was a mobile "bank", serving as both adornment to be kept on the person and a stand by in times of need. This is perhaps one reason why the jewellery appears so heavy and chunky.

Areas, and communities within areas, had their own distinctive design ocabularies, and local silversmiths fashioned the metal into beaded chokers, long ropes of chains, heavy collars, pendant boxes, a huge variety of bangles, bracelets, wristlets and amulets, nose rings and of course anklets. Of anklets alone, there is an almost bewildering range which seems to go from heavy to heaviest! So large are some anklets that you would think they make silver was studded with semi-precious stones like turquoise, coral or agate. And in the dry land of Banni in Kutch, the dun landscape is like a backdrop for some of the most spectacular jewellery in India. Here, as elsewhere, the jewellery, the clothes, the embroideries, are all social identifiers, indicating where the woman is from to what caste she belongs and whether she is married.The irony of this poem may make you smile, but contrary to the poet's belief it is a fact that gems exert a strange magnetic pull. Jewellery exhibitions the world over attract adiences who do indeed look twice at "girl-less gems", as much for their beauty and flawlessness as for their rarity and thus value.

Kurti India Wear Beautiful Summer Dress

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Indian Folk Art Warli Paintings

Amongst the many tribal art traditions of India, Warli art stands out for its fine lines, texture, and scenes from the Indian countryside. The Warli painters are from Maharashtra, in western India. Their white line paintings with simple, direct figures have a close link to the cave paintings of their ancestors. For example, there are paintings in Ajanta and Ellora from many centuries ago. For the Warli painters who execute these masterpieces, daily life still involves the rigors of subsistence farming in the foothills of the Sahyadri range in the district of Thane. Working in the fields with the village in the background, their art is a reflection of the simple beauty of their agrarian lives. Each tribe or community in India has a special deity whom they hold dear. Though they believe in polytheistic religion, one god or goddess usually holds pride of place as the protector of the community. For the Warlis, the main goddess is Palghat, who oversees the bounty of nature. She is responsible for fertility of mankind as well and therefore invoked at the time of marriage. Given their agrarian lifestyle, and spiritual beliefs, Warli paintings depict scenes from their everyday worlds. Scenes from nature, farming activities, and jungle lore are a source of inspiration for these tribal painters.

Each painting has exquisite details of the trees, animals, and people of the countryside. Some of the most dramatic of these linear rice paste paintings are actually inside the huts of the Warlis. They dwell in square windowless huts made of wood, straw and mud. These dull and dreary brown huts are brightened up by the contrast of exquisite white line paintings. Today, Warli painters continue to pursue their traditional artwork, despite their exposure to modern, urbanized lifestyles. Their humble and reserved outlook allows them to focus on their beautiful paintings, while also drawing on the benefits of new income opportunities that have opened up to them due to the expanding Indian economy.

Jewellery Setting - Making of Jewelry

If you thought making jewellery was merely the job of a designer and his craftsman, you can think again. In Rajasthan, it employs different skills and includes the following specialized workers:

CHHATERRA: His task is to engrave the ground for the setting of the stones.
KUNDANSAAZ: Sets the uncut stones in lacquer and antimony and cold sets it with hammered gold wire.
MANIHAR: He prepares the enamels that will be poured into the hollows to create the patterns.
MINAKAAR: The enameller places the enamels and firesthem individually.
NYARRIYA: His task is to refine the gold. Usually 22 ct gold is used for the making of kundan jewellery.
PATWARI: Provides the finishing touch in the form of the gold and silk cord required by the wearer, and is also responsible for stringing the beads, where required.
SANGSAZA: His job is to polish the stones, and cut them, sometimes carving decorative motifs on to the stone.
SONAR: Literally the goldsmith, he prepares the bezels and moulds for setting the stones. He is also responsible for polishing and cleaning the jewelry once everyone else's task is done.

Kundan Jewellery from India

One of the oldest forms of jewellery made and worn in India is the kundan jewellery. Kundan work is a method of gem setting, consisting of inserting gold foil between the stones and its mount. Kundan work is often combined with meenakari, so that a piece of jewllery has two equally beautiful surfaces, enamel at the back end and kundan set gems in the front. Meenakari involves the fusion of colored minerals, such as cobalt oxide for blue and copper oxede for green. This gives the effect of precious stone inlay work on the surface of the metal.

Jaipur is the main centre of kundan jewellery. The famous Johri bazaar is the nerve centre of this craft. Nathdwara is known for its silver kundan work. Bikaner is also known for its kundan work.