In India they say: "A woman without jewels is like a field without water." Indian women cannot imagine life without jewelry and wear them every day, no matter where they are for the whole time, and on holiday they wear the best jewelry they can afford. Such love for jewelry as in India is hard to find anywhere in the world.
A little history of Indian jewelry
Indian jewelry art is one of the most ancient, historians date it to about 5000 years. Curious information about precious stones was learned from the ancient Indians by the warriors of Alexander the Great during his campaigns (334 - 325 BC). About diamonds, pearls, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, topazes tell the sacred books of India "Vedas".
A lot of interesting information about stones and their use in the treatment of various diseases can be found in Ayurveda, the science of self-healing.
The main reason for such a long-term prosperity and development of jewelry art is clear without any additional research - this is the wealth of the country in precious stones, and therefore the incredible love of Indians for jewelry and bijouterie. Listing the names of mined stones in India is a difficult job, there are a huge number of them. And today, despite the fact that the British took out a great amount of jewelry from the country, India remains the undisputed leader in the extraction of precious stones.
"India - the land of the first diamond". It was here that the world's first diamond. The Indians were the first to cut diamonds, seeing that this would help the stone reveal its true beauty.
As you know, jewelry in India is equally worn by both women and men. By the way, women emphasize their beauty with them, and men - strength and wisdom.
Jewelry is an integral part of the culture and art of India. They are bright and colorful, massive and luxurious, have a unique style. Since ancient times, the development of jewelry art has been influenced by the closest peoples neighboring India, these are Mongolia, Afghanistan, Persia, China, England also influenced this process, for which India became prey, and as it was called - "the pearl of the British crown". However, traditional Indian motifs and ornaments have been preserved in decorations to this day.
The sacred meaning of jewelry
Jewelry in India is not just jewelry, they also carry a sacred meaning. Many of them are a talisman for the owner or owner. Each product is given its own meaning, and wearing is subject to strict rules. Even in ancient times, it was believed that with the help of jewelry you can enhance your external and internal qualities.
Jewelry in India is also a remedy. Indian girls place them in certain areas of the body (chakras are energy points on the human body), according to the Indians, this helps to enhance feelings and mood. For example, teak is an ornament for hair, it touches the forehead, and at this point spiritual energy penetrates the body. And since the stones have their own specific energy properties, each woman herself chooses what teak will be and what stones will decorate her.
In India, it is believed that rings on the fingers contribute to the brain, earrings protect from spells and evil influences, and a stone touching the forehead gives the girl wisdom and knowledge. For an Indian woman, jewelry is love and well-being in the family, and the more often new products appear, the more and more feelings are strengthened, and well-being grows.
Owner status
Jewelry can give more detailed and specific information about a person, for example, determine what locality the owner is from, what community he belongs to, what his status, marital and financial status, etc. are. If a woman has rings on the fingers of both hands, then she is married, and if they are also massive, then her husband is a noble person.
There are jewelry that is allowed to be worn by people from a certain caste, and these rules are strictly followed, since Indians greatly revere their culture and traditions.
luxury jewelry
Jewelry always emphasizes feminine beauty, which is considered a value in India. Here they prefer to wear jewelry made of natural stones in a frame made of precious metals: gold and silver. By the way, gold in Indian jewelry is 999, and silver is 925.
Popular gemstones are diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Although minimalism in India is considered an indicator of poverty, it is not so rare to find owners who have a small set consisting of a necklace, tiki (jewelry over the hair), earrings, rings, bracelets and a belt. In fact, every woman strives for more, and Indian jewelers create luxurious products for them.
Styles of Indian Jewelry
It is worth paying attention to some Indian jewelry with a special traditional technique.
Kundan technique
Kundan is known not only in India, it is also preferred by European fashionistas. The peculiarity of the style is the fastening of stones. The stones seem to be sunk into gold with the help of thin gold foil, which is rolled out to such a state that adhesion to crystals occurs due to molecular bonds.
The word Kundan means super refined gold. The fact is that after rolling, the foil is cleaned according to a special technology and so much so that it becomes sticky, so the craftsmen drown precious stones in gold without using paws. It looks amazingly beautiful. Kundan is one of the oldest techniques in the jewelry art of India, it is considered to be the dawn of the 16th-19th centuries (during the reign of the Mughal dynasty).
This technique is used today, preserving traditions. In the Kundan technique, they try to make the richest decorations, which are used on special solemn occasions, for example, for a wedding.
Minakari
Another style that adds luxury and value to a piece of jewelry is the meenakari style. These are enamel patterns on precious metal. Here and the uniqueness of the color palette, and the subtlety of the work.
This style, according to historians, came to India from Persia, also during the reign of the Great Mughals. As a rule, this technique is mainly used to paint gold items, and the technique has several varieties. One of the most common - in the classic version. This is when an engraving is applied to the surface of the product, then the recesses are filled with enamel, each color of the enamel is applied separately, the whole process alternates with firing. Indian jewelers sometimes use both the kundan style and the minakari style in the product, resulting in unusually luxurious jewelry.
Silver filigree also deserves special attention. She never overloads the image, thin silver threads create a feeling of airiness and lightness. Chains, earrings, rings are made from flexible silver threads. The most luxurious products are created by the craftsmen of the city of Cuttack.
Indian jewelry amaze with its luxury and unusualness, bright colors and stunning design. When creating products, the masters carefully choose stones, thinking through their combination and palette. In India, there are completely different concepts about the choice of stones and metals; in one product you can find both precious stones and jewelry.
The arrival of European colonialists led to the plunder of India, and many traditions in the manufacture of jewelry were lost, because the aliens needed precious metals and stones, so many magnificent creations of Indian masters, melted down and sawn, went into oblivion.
Images on products
The main images on Indian jewelry are plant patterns and animals, each of which has a specific meaning. Therefore, if you are going to purchase an Indian product and consider it necessary to adhere to traditions, you should familiarize yourself with what each image symbolizes.
Here are a few examples:
- fish is a symbol of abundance;
- peacock - a symbol of immortality and beauty;
- lion - independence, strength and courage;
- the elephant, which the Indians most often portray, which means they love it, is a symbol of softness, calmness and steadfastness;
- plants: jasmine - fertility, ficus - abundance and prosperity.
And what about precious stones! Everyone knows about them that each of the stones has a certain meaning, and each nation lays its own meaning in them. In India:
- diamond is a symbol of strength;
- ruby - love and devotion;
- emerald - family well-being, happiness in love;
- topaz intended for those who are engaged in science and art;
- sapphire - a stone of wisdom;
- amethyst - communication with space;
And all these symbols are taken into account by Indian jewelers when creating jewelry, combining it with a color palette.
What jewelry do Indian women wear?
Jewelry that we and our girlfriends wear in the form of earrings, brooches, necklaces, chains, rings, rings and bracelets can be called the minimum set of an Indian girl. The variety of types of Indian jewelry has no boundaries.
Indian women love massive bracelets that they put on both their hands and feet, earrings in their ears and nose, and rings on all fingers and toes. If we, putting on jewelry, often stop ourselves so as not to look, as stylists say - “like a Christmas tree for the New Year”, then Indian girls do not think about the excess of jewelry worn on themselves, other rules are important for them.
Indian women, obeying the traditions, make up different sets of jewelry, combining them according to the sacred meaning, palette, and just for the sake of beauty. Sometimes products are selected according to a certain style, and sometimes separately, and also according to the rules of the society to which they belong.
Massive decorations are often used, multi-tiered, in the form of flowers and animals, chains are fixed in the hair and around the ear, put on Cuffs, bracelets on arms, legs and forearms.
Bracelets can be both massive and thin, and the more, the better. Some bracelets are connected with rings on the fingers (there are such decorations for hands and feet), others jingle when walking. And each product has its own name.
Hair jewelry is magnificent, the richest of them are made of gold and precious stones, chains and plates, pearls, metal threads, rims with precious stones are woven into the hair. Girls especially love to decorate their hair with teak, and for everyone it is different, depending on the preferences of the owner.
Indian necklaces are usually very massive and heavy, with an abundance of gold and gems. Sometimes the front part is made in the form of golden lace. Such massive jewelry is fastened around the neck with a chain. Necklaces can be of different lengths - short, directly under the neck, and long, which go down to the chest. Indian girls also love necklaces in the form of numerous strands of beads or flowers made up of precious stones.
Modern images
Europeans have turned their eyes to the East more than once, borrowed the original style of clothing, accessories, and, of course, jewelry that many fashionistas have fallen in love with. Indian jewelry and bijouterie are worn by Hollywood stars and celebrities, as well as just ordinary women.
Wearing handmade jewelry, the girls look like fabulous princesses. However, these products require a careful selection of all items of clothing. Oriental ornaments, prints, exotic motifs, unusual accessories, clothing style - all this should be in perfect harmony.
The heavy gold jewelry of India with numerous precious stones is difficult to fit into the European style, but silver, especially silver filigree, looks great even with everyday outfits. Interesting images are obtained with decorations from the famous Cuttack filigree, which, with its airy lace, can decorate any style.
Probably every fashionista knows the fashion brand Andrew Gn. The designer manages to create bewitching and unique images in modern trends, in which jewelry, by the way, reminiscent of Indian ones, plays an important role.
Indian jewelry is attracting the attention of foreign buyers. Many cities in India are centers for the production of jewelry that can replenish a wide variety of collections.
One of the main centers of the jewelry industry is Jaipur (Pink City) in the state of Rajasthan, where kundan jewelry is produced. This state also developed the production of enamel jewelry - minakari (meenakari). Rajasthani craftsmen create various types of jewelry, here you can buy products from the simplest, with affordable prices for many buyers, to jewelry with precious stones.
Many cities in the state of Gujarat are also engaged in the creation of jewelry from gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, corals, bones. The largest supplier of jewelry to the Indian market and beyond is the city of Jalgaon, which received the second name - "Golden City" for its excellent quality gold. The city of Surat, located in the state of Gujarat, is the center of the global cutting and polishing of diamonds from all over the world; master jewelers also work with Russian rough diamonds.
The main center for the production of silver filigree products is the city of Cuttack (Orissa). Here they create jewelry that, in its elegance, can be compared with the finest lace. Silver in India resembles white gold; tourists especially like such products.
Kashmir - the northern region of India is famous for its master jewelers and blue sapphires, which, according to jewelers, are not found anywhere else. However, the deposits are almost depleted, so Indian sapphires are mostly in private collections. Jewelers in Kashmir work in a variety of ways, and in many cities you can see a wide variety of luxury jewelry, and many of them are handmade. Such an abundance of jewelry introduces tourists into complete confusion.
India attracts travelers not only with the beauty of nature and unusual traditions, but also with luxurious jewelry, some of which are made in vintage style, ethnic, classic, as well as with modern design. In the manufacture of craftsmen use different materials - plastic, glass, ceramics, wood, fabric, bone, paper, shells, and of course, precious stones.
The gems of India are the pride of the country. Diamonds, sapphires, topazes, emeralds, rubies are considered the most popular in this beautiful and amazing country. But here in great abundance there are other gems that fascinate with their beauty and brightness. India is the leading supplier of precious, semi-precious and semi-precious stones. The country exports gems, jewelry and bijouterie to many countries of the world. The range is huge, you can choose a product for every taste and style, not only in India, but also in your homeland.
