Jewelry

Indian has a rich tradition of jewelry making.In ancient India, people handcrafted jewelry out of natural materials like seeds, leaves, berries, feathers, fruits, flowers, animal bones, claws and teeth, which were found in abundance all over the country. Even today such jewelry is used by the different tribal societies. Excavations at Mohenjodaro and other sites of the Indus Valley civilization have revealed a wealth of handmade ornaments. Right from the days of kings and maharajas and mughal emperors, there are evidences of the use of different jewelry by both men and women. Men and women of that time wore jewelry made of gold, silver, ivory, copper, precious and semi-precious stones. Today jewelry exports have occupied a significant portion of Indian handicrafts exports. The efficiency of Indian jewelers is such that the real flowers and leaves used by our ancestors inspired them to recreate the nature's gifts in gold and silver.
In India there are different varieties of jewelry for every part of the body. Such wide varieties bear the testimony to the excellent skills of the jewelers in India. The craft of jewelry was given a royal patronage right from the beginning because in India jewelry is much more than just a tool of aesthetic appeal. It is more of a symbol of divine abundance and material blessings.

Materials Used
Now, jewelry is considered as a status symbol. A variety of materials are used in the making of jewelry such as:

• Gemstones
• Precious metals
• Semi precious material
• Beads
• Bone
• Animal teeth
• Shell
• Lac
• Wood
• Carved stone
• Gold
• Silver
• Leather etc.

Functions of Jewelry

• Jewelery has been used for various reasons such as :
• Symbolism: To show membership or status
• Currency, wealth display and storage
• Protection: like in the form of amulets and magical wards
• Functional use: like clasps, pins and buckles
• Artistic display

Finishes
Finishes are used to protect the surface of metal and provide more reflective and shiny look. Different finishes used in the making of jewelry are either of :

• Gold
• Silver
• Platinum
• Satin or matte finish
• Brushed finish
• Hammered finish
• Electroplated
• Enameling

Meenakari is an important process involved in jewelry making which gives an ethnic look to the piece. The art of enameling in metal is known as meenakari. There are few colors like red, green , white which are evident in Meenakari jewelries and which distinguish these jewelry pieces from other pieces.

Kundan jewelry is another type of traditional jewelry that is exclusive to India. These are available in different colors and designs and fast catching up as one of the trendiest ornaments. The gold used is of a very refined quality. The process by which precious stones, beads, stones are set on the gold ornament is also called Kundan by the craftsmen. Making kundan jewelry requires lot of skill and a fine eye for details.

Varieties of Jewelry
Jewelry comprises of a wide variety of items like :

• Anklet
• Bangles
• Chain
• Necklace
• Bracelet
• Earring
• Toe rings
• Armlet
• Armband
• Ring

Popular Jewelry Making Regions in India
The range of jewelry in India varies from religious one to purely aesthetic one to normal, regular ones. Various places are specialized in designing and manufacturing of jewelry , they are :

• Assam : Assamese jewelery includes the, jon biri, lokaparo, thuriya, jethi poti, doog doogi bana, , gaam kharu, keru, gal pata,and dhol biri work. The most interesting and attracting piece is ear rings, also known as Lokaparo.
  
  
• Arunachal Pradesh : Tribals are extremely fond of jewelery and ornaments. Arunachal is famous for jewelry made up from glass beads, wild seeds, cane, bamboo, and reed.
  
  
• Orissa : Orissa is famous for its tribal jewelry like arm jewelry, necklaces, nose rings and the anklets. Mayurpankhi, the design of peacock with open feathers is a popular design carved in Orissa.
  
  
• Madhya Pradesh : It is famous for its time favorite lac jewelery. Madhya Pradesh artists design beautiful gold and silver jewelery studded with expensive stones and pearls which include chokers, bead chains, ear rings and hair ornaments.
  
  
• Andhra Pradesh : It is famous for its glass bangles and beads which are beautifully made by artisans in almost all the colorful shades. Andhra jewelry inherit the designs from the Mughal culture and the craftsmanship displays the elegance of the art.
  
  
• Rajasthan : Rajasthan has a tribal craft which has unique beauty in it self. It is famous for beautiful necklaces, hair pins and bracelets beautifully carved in colored threads and glass beads.