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Origin of Indian Jewelry
Introduction
The convention of embellishing herself has been the greatest allure for any woman on this earth. And Indian women are no exception to it. The custom of Jewelry in India is a long affair of over 4000 years. Indian jewelry has become an indivisible part of an Indian woman's life. Known for its range, elegance & intricate expertise, the jewelry of India has won over many hearts & has been a perennial source of motivation for many. The art of adorning oneself is not restricted to women only. History is proof that even men love to adorn themselves with pieces of jewelry. Indian Jewelry is more than a mere ornament, the divinity & aesthetic essence is intact to it.
Origin
The custom of jewelry making is not fresh to India but it was introduced & propagated long before. Since primitive times, the indigenous style of jewelry making has placed the Indian Jewelry convention form others. The skilled artisans had taken motivation from the objects around them & molded a petty thing as seeds, leaves, feathers, fruits, flowers, berries, animal bones, claws & teeth into a beautiful jewelry. Every possible thing around the human being was transmuted into a creative creation to beautify him. Such jewelries are even today worn by many. The excavations at Mohenjo-Daro & other sites of the Indus Valley civilization are evidence to the rich legacy of handmade ornaments of that time.
History
Metals like silver, brass, gold, copper, precious, ivory & semi precious stones were skillfully transformed to beautiful jewelry pieces. Our much revered epics also provide glimpses of their love for jewelries. Manusmiriti lays several obligations of goldsmith. With the beginning of the 3rd century B.C. India had gained the status of being an exporter of gems & precious stones. History holds it that jewelry was not only meant for humans but the idols of Gods & Goddesses, ceremonial horses & elephants were even adorned with jewelries of gold. Indian Jewelry is the only thing which is on the priority in Indian wedding. Indian wedding turns out to be very costly and unique just because of the tradition of wearing heavy Indian Jewelry by which the bride looks the queen of heaven. You will find different designs of Jewelry in different weddings. The difference lies even between the weddings of the same caste as Indian Jewelry has lots and lots of designs available. And the weddings of different castes differ drastically in the style of the Indian Jewelry.
But many of this traditional Indian Jewelry is available at certain places only in India. This is because that type of Jewelry is the specialty of that place and no one other than them could make that Jewelry. So, if people are interested in getting that Jewelry without being there, they can buy that Jewelry with extra cost of shipping. Mind you that this type of Jewelry is very costly because of its uniqueness. In India there are so many different techniques by which one can design Jewelry. There is the shortage of Indian Jewelry designers in the market, because of which the pay of these Jewelry designers are very high along with good perks. So, after compiling all this we can say that Jewelry is no longer states as the ancestral business, but a very good career option for young generation.
So, Indian Jewelry is a very vast field to study upon because for every culture and religion we have different style of Jewelry/ornaments and we all know how many religions and cultures exist in India. Indian Jewelry has an important culture in it that is the Jewelry are passed from generation to generation in the family so one can easily find the oldest designs available in Indian Jewelry. This Indian Jewelry is basically made of gold from generations in India.
Evolution
Kings envied each other & always to get hold of possession of mold exquisite jewelries. India was looked upon as a Golden peacock for its huge treasure of gold, gems & stones. In those times, silver was the bulwark of Indian jewelry. Silver jewelry was considered more elegant & beautiful. Temples & other splendid structures encouraged different kinds of ornaments fragrant with sandal wood beads, the appeal beads & rudraksh. Jewelry was regarded as the most gainful investment as it could be easily converted into money.
Types of Indian Jewelry
India is a pompous manufacturer of exclusive ornaments. The legacy of jewelry making has been passed down from one generation to another. The variety in Indian Jewelries is exceptionally outstanding. With so many motifs, designs & patterns, the ornaments are simply adored by many connoisseurs. People just drool over these pieces of beauty & grace. Ethnicity & contemporary fashion is so well blended in these sections that the beholder is enticed by the very site of these. From tribal jewelry to silver, gold, ethnic, polki, kundan, lac, pearl, meenakari, theva & shell jewelry has been embraced by jewelry freaks.
Exclusive Ornaments Indian Jewelry can adorn any & every body part of ours. Select any of these ornaments; they are certain to enhance your beauty.
Maang tika Nose pin
Earrings
Necklaces Nose ring Pendants
Anklets
Finger Rings Mangalsutras Chokers (gulband) Armlets
Waist bands Bangles Bracelets Toe rings
Indian women adore donning these ornaments generally & more so on auspicious festivals, occasions, weddings or any happy moment.
Exquisiteness of Each Indian State
As India is a land of range, you will see the variety even in the tradition of jewelries in India. Each state has its own heritage of jewelry making. From south to north the tradition differs, but the essence of grace always remains & retains its value. The Tribes of India have their own elite style of jewelry. Rajasthan can boast of Meenakari, Kundan Jewelry, Jewelries of Precious & Semi Precious gems, stones, theva art & lac. West Bengal is a proud owner of Terracotta Jewelry & Navratna Jewelry. Orissa in India is famous for its filigree jewelry. Hyderabad is remarkable for the gorgeous pearl jewelry. Ornaments from Kashmir are marked with mirror & bead work.
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