Indian Jewellery

Jewelry has remained an integral part of the Indian lifestyle. Thus, the diverse history of Indian has influence the jewelry styles as well. You will be surprised to know that the history of Indian jewelry goes back to almost 5000 years. Since pre-historic times, people in India have had a penchant for adorning themselves with jewellery. Gold, silver, stones, gems, etc. were the defining aspects of Indian jewellery.Indian jewelry has a variety of ornaments in different styles and designs for just about every part of the body. In ancient times, people used to adorn themselves with necklaces, rings and anklets made of crude stones and other metals. As time passed by, people learnt the art of polishing metals like gold and silver and learnt to extract semi-precious stones and gems from the mines. As various ruling empires came, the rich kings wore jewelry that made them look like Gods. Every big and small piece of adornment was made of gold and precious stones like rings, earrings, bangles, chains, crowns, anklets, etc. In Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities where women do not inherit landed property, jewellery was a major component of the streedhana (gifts given to a woman at the time of her marriage). Jewellery, because of its easy convertibility into cash, was thus regarded as security and investment. Meenakari and kundan are the styles of jewellery making influenced by the Mughals and are usually used in combination to make jewellery that can be worn on both sides such as chokers and necklaces. The temple jewellery of Nagercoil consists of traditional gold ornaments studded with red and green semi-precious stones. These were 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. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata abound in descriptions of ornaments and the code of Manu defines the duties of the goldsmith. By the Third Century B.C., India was the leading exporter of gemstones, particularly diamonds. Gold was usually imported into the country, a practice prevalent even during the Mughal period.
Bangles symbolize Indian culture — in spite of all regional and cultural differences, bangles are worn by every Indian women. Not to mention its importance in a wedding — this is worn mostly in gold.sometimes even glass bangles are used. Rings and bracelets are also used to adorn the arms of the bride.




Indian bridal jewelry

To even think of celebrating an Indian wedding without the all too important jewelry is sacrilege. The wedding is the most important day in anyone’s life, especially so for the bride. Decking up a bride with ornaments and auspicious jewelry has been a custom for many centuries. Weddings are sacred and hence great importance is given to the jewelry worn by the bride; jewelry is chosen to strengthen and signify the sanctity of the bond.Wedding jewelry is chosen with much care as it must go well with the bridal dress. The latest trends as well as religious and cultural practices also play a major role in how the bride dresses up for the wedding. This is applicable not just for the clothes that she wears, but also the jewelry. Beautiful jewelry worn by the bride completes the bridal look. In a vast majority of Indian weddings you find brides wearing gold, which is the preferred metal. But that is not to say that other metals are ignored. Some brides also opt for silver, white gold, diamond or platinum. Precious stones like pearl, ruby and emerald are commonly used in jewelry to complement the dress worn by the bride.Waist bands, toe rings and anklets are also common items of bridal jewelry. There are many styles and designs of toe rings and anklets. Toe rings are worn only by married women. They are usually worn in pairs on the toes of either foot.