Jewelrywhore's Weblog: Indian Jewelry
Guest Contributor: jewelrywhore
Hesitation came over me as I started to get the pieces together for this post. I became worried that I love Indian jewelry TOO MUCH, and that the BEAUTIES in this post was just going to turn me into a blathering IDIOT. Too pretty! Too cool! But I’m soldiering on, and hoping it all makes sense!
I’ve always been fascinated by Indian jewelry. So colorful and vibrant and amazing. And they wear so much of it, especially on special occasions, like a wedding. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anything more beautifully adorned than a traditional Indian bride.
So I decided to do some investigating, to see what the jewelry actually means to them, why they wear what they wear. I found an excellent and easy-to-read article on Buzzle.com by Rachana Agarwal about the history of Indian jewelry.
Here’s a snippit:
India is known as the ‘gem bearing’ country. You can find ornaments for every part of the body…Ornaments are also designed for elephants and gods which shows their expertise and excellence in jewelry making art. Available data shows the rich history of nearly 5,000 years, which says [a lot] about the Indian love of jewelry. For the rulers, jewelries were the symbol of their power, richness and class.
India is known as the ‘gem bearing’ country. You can find ornaments for every part of the body…Ornaments are also designed for elephants and gods which shows their expertise and excellence in jewelry making art. Available data shows the rich history of nearly 5,000 years, which says [a lot] about the Indian love of jewelry. For the rulers, jewelries were the symbol of their power, richness and class.
Ms. Agarwal also talks about a couple different types of Indian Jewelry, including:
Temple Jewelry, which is traditionally worn at traditional dances and “is available in whole set containing jewelry for ears, feet, hips nose, hands, fingers and legs” and is made by specific craftsmen to ensure quality.
Temple Jewelry, which is traditionally worn at traditional dances and “is available in whole set containing jewelry for ears, feet, hips nose, hands, fingers and legs” and is made by specific craftsmen to ensure quality.
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Read the rest of the post here:
