Indian Accessories

Mahsrashtra state in the western and Arunachal Pradesh in the northeastern regions of India are very famous for their fine and precious tribal jewelry. In Maharashtra the chief metal used to make ornaments is gold.

The tribes mostly developed the art of making jewelry during the periods of Maratha and Peshawar dynasties.

In Kolhapur, a place in Maharashtra, is known for its unique necklace, Kolhapur Saaj worn by lots of women. This important necklace is available in various types such as Har, Malas, Mohammel, boral etc. Halba, an important tribe adorn themselves with a beautiful lock of braid called ‘Khosa’. They wear a jewel piece ‘Khinwa on ear tops and ‘a hanging ring Phuli’ made of gold for the nose. Their jewelry include a heavy necklace, ‘Chapsari’, Garland of Karipot or black pearl and garland of coins called Muhar mala. They use metals like gold, silver, brass, aluminum, clay, lead and wood to produce bangles such as Chude, Chudiya etc.

Most tribal women wear Gathla and Putalimala, traditional style of necklaces made of gold coins and a bracelet called Toda. Sari, a tight fitting neck wear, is a real art made by twisting two wires together having a spiral design at each end. Another form of neckwear, Chandraharas, has circular rings joined together. The magnificent necklace Mahammal is made by stringing molded beads together. The Maharashtra tribes, it can be said, are fond of colorful jewelry.

The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh make exquisite jewelry from primary materials and adorn these ornaments with other materials like colorful beads, wild seeds, feathers of birds, green wings of beetles, brass, bones, ivory, silver and gold. Tribal women think that ornaments enhance their womanhood and so they create jewelry pieces like necklaces, headbands, bracelets, belts etc and embellish themselves with these charming trinkets. For the tribal women their jewelry is a sign of prestige. The jewelry of these tribes are famous not only in India but in other global countries as well.
These tribes make beautiful necklaces out of colored glass beads that form an important material in their jewelry. There are various types of tribes in this region and jewelry form a special differentiating mark of each tribe. The Sancho tribe makes earrings out of materials like bamboo, cane, glass beads, seeds, and reeds while the Karka Gsllong tribe wear necklaces embellished with heavy iron rings coiled several times. But the tribal folks of Apatani group use iron bracelets crafted by blacksmiths. Another tribe Nishi wears a peculiar headdress on the forehead by rolling a big knot of hair into a bun decorated with feathers of Arunachal Pradesh’s signature bird the great ‘Hornbill’.
Thus for the people of Arunachal Pradesh, only long standing tradition and simplicity are required to live a complete life. They use only the available natural resources to make their jewelry and will continue to stick to it in the years to come.

India’s true culture and heritage rest with its tribal community because the tribal people have preserved the ancient arts and crafts in their proper form while the rest of India had been continuously influenced by globalization.

Ethnic tribal jewelry could be surely included in the preserved craft. India has several types of tribal folks, each differing from one another in many ways and the jewelry created by each is also unique in its own style. They use materials available in the local area to make jewelry that is charming in its rustic and earthy way. They craft their jewelry using primitive tools and its appeal lies in its chunky, unrefined looks. The raw materials like bone, wood, clay, shells, crude metals etc are generally used to make tribal jewelry and the shapes are basic.
The Rajasthan tribes, Banjara, create colorful heavy jewelry and belts that are decorated with shells, metal-mesh, coins, beads and chains. Their very famous silver jewelry, a vast collection of earrings, bracelets, bangles, armlets, anklets, hairpins and necklaces, have a unique oxidized appearance and are usually embellished with tiny silver bells and color stones.
The tribes of Bastar in Madhya Pradesh State produce jewelry of grass, beads and cane and popular traditional ornaments out of silver, wood, glass, peacock feathers, copper and wild flowers. Their women wear chains of one rupee coins.
Meghalaya’s tribes Khasi and Jaintia make a unique type of necklace with thick red coral bead and Garo tribe makes the same with thin fluted stems of glass strung by fine thread.
The tribe of Sikkim called Bhutia has jewelry of gold, silver, coral, turquoise and zee stone.
The picturesque North East Indian state’s tribal jewelry of cane and bamboo is very famous. They also use brass, bone, ivory, silver and gold to make their jewelry that are decorated with colorful beads, blue feathers of birds, green wings of beetles. The tribe called Wanchos creates earrings of glass beads, wild seeds, cane, bamboo and reed while the Karka Gallong tribal women wear heavy iron earrings that are coiled several times, metal coin necklaces and waistbands of leather embedded with stones.
Here special mention should be made about the silver bangles of the Gonda tribe. Some bangles are solid while others are hollow. The jeweler makes the bangle in such a way that once it is worn cannot be removed forever. Bangles for special occasion are removable with a hinge mechanism.

Though accepted as a universal jewel, the rings made in India have distinct features and fine qualities. Go inside a popular jewel show room and have a glance at the innumerable rings displayed in the glass cases.

These rings are exceptionally beautiful and glamorous in fabulous designs and sizes, embellished with colorful stones or beads. In India even a new born baby’s fingers will be decorated with very tiny golden rings.
Rings are usually worn on finger or thumb, but this small ornamental hoop could be attached to the ear or the nose. All the leading retailer of fine jewelry offer a huge selection of engagement rings, anniversary rings, wedding rings, gemstone and diamond rings, rings in gold, silver and platinum etc.
Diamond rings with Gemstones will make any occasion a long lasting memorable day. Whether the bride loves three stone diamond ring or a platinum diamond ring with gemstones, you are shown a wide range of exquisitely designed rings from which you can select one to please “the would be diamond” in your life. The diamond gemstone rings, in vibrant attractive designs, exemplify splendor and charm. There is also a vast collection of fancy and colorful casual diamond rings to be worn on any occasion.
In India way back during 2500-1500 BC finger rings made of bronze, gold, and silver have been found in the Indus valley whereas in Egypt rings from 1600 B.C. were considered as a symbol of status and were exchanged as a pledge or seal of faith.
Wedding Bands: For Europeans wearing a ring is a symbol of commitment and love and this culture has spread all over the world. Now wedding bands have become a tradition for marrying couple every where. Diamond, gold and titanium rings have all their own meaning. Both traditional and new designs of plain wedding bands are available and the selection of bands includes ornate designs cast in yellow or white gold.
Today rings are available in numerous designs and in any material like plastic, brass, iron, aluminum, stainless steel etc. Young people prefer rings made out of such materials and they are decorated with bright motifs, stones and funky designs making the rings a bold fashion statement. You also get rings with inlaid stones that provide an extra sparkle to this small jewelry. You find rings with very small thin pendants hanging loosely. This tiny piece of jewelry, though simple, looks very elegant on the wearer.

Silver is found in nature as a crude ore. Can you imagine such crude silver could be refined and used to produce some of the most attractive and intricate ornaments that men and women wear on all occasions?

In India, unique and exceptionally beautiful silver ornaments are made in almost all parts of the country. The states Gujarat and Rajasthan craft a special oxidized silver jewelry with a chunky appearance. This popular jewelry is usually studded with various colorful and attractive gemstones. Decorative materials like beads, shells, mirrors, colorful threads, feathers, jute ornamentation, crystals etc are often added to Indian silver jewelry to make it more attractive. Delicate and elegant silver jewelry has also a very significant place among Indian masses.
You can count several reasons for the worldwide popularity of silver jewelry. It has the power to capture the attention of everybody with its lustrous, pristine appearance. Its availability at an affordable price even to an ordinary person is an added attraction. Silver jewelry is much cheaper than gold and platinum jewelry. To sum up, you can see a healthy large customer base for silver with its wide range of gorgeous and intricate ornaments such as necklaces, earrings, pendants, rings, bangles, anklets, hair ornaments, brooches, bracelets etc…etc…
Pure silver is very soft and malleable, but gets damaged very easily. It is approximately 99.9 % silver and is suitable to create only intricate jewelry where its delicate nature is needed. Alloys of silver are used to make much sturdier and stronger jewelry
Important Alloys of Silver
Britannia Silver has 95.84 % silver and 4.16 % copper. Mexican Silver contains 95 % silver and 5 % copper. Sterling Silver consists of 92.5 % silver and 7.5 % copper. Coin Silver is a combination of 90 % silver and 10 % copper and German silver is 80 % silver.
Sterling silver, perhaps, is strong, durable and harder than pure silver and the most suitable silver alloy to make jewelry. It can reflect light very well and it does not wear like silver plating. Silver trinkets can be made either by machine or hand. Machine can make very fine silver jewelry having a better overall finish. It becomes cheaper, as it is produced easily at a very large scale. The advantage with handmade silver jewelry is that it is very unique, and could be customized. Only skilled craftsmen can create silver jewelry with hands and two pieces of jewelry can never be identical.
Keep silver jewelry in a separate pouch or a compartment of the jewelry box to save it from getting scratches and avoid any contact with chemicals like bleach, ammonia and chlorinated water. If got tarnished, silver jewelry could be polished to its original shining.