HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF JEWELLERY

INTRODUCTION

EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THERE WAS A TIME, WHEN INDIA WAS  RICH AND PROSPEROUS BUT DO YOU KNOW THAT INDIA, TILL 18TH CENTURY WAS THE SOLE OF DIAMOND SUPPLIER TO THE WORLD?BECAUSE WORLD'S FIRST DIAMOND MINE WAS DISCOVERED IN GOLCONDA,HYDERABAD.  

 

INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION 1500BC

 

IN HARRAPA CIVILIZATION MAN AND  WOMEN BOTH WORE BANGLES, ORNAMENTS,EARRINGS, RINGS, BELTS MADE OF BEADS , STONES , BONES, CLAY AND TERRACOTTA AND THREAD AFTER SOME TIME PASSED, THEY LEARN TO MAKE METAL JEWELRY AND ROUGHLY MELTING METAL,MOULDING AND REFINING TECHNIQUE WERE INVENTED.BY PASSING OF TIME ELEPHANT TRUNK, BRASS AND SEMI PRECIOUS STORES WERE USED LATER ON WE MOVED TO SILVER, GOLD LIKE WISE WE DEVELOPED OUR  JEWELRY.

MAURYAN EMPIRE 321BC 

BROUGHT GEMS INTO INDIA FROM DIFFRENT ROUTE,WOMEN WOULD EITHER WEAR TWO THREAD NECLACE OR SEVEN TREAD NECLACE, METALS WERE FAMOUS THAT WAS GOLD, PRECIOUS STONES LIKE CORALS OR MUNGA, RUBBIES OR MAANIK,NEELAM,AGATE/ SULEMANI STONE,CRYSTAL AND VARIOUS TYPES OF BEADS WERE USED

SATVAHANA RULE 230 BC 

 

DURING SATVAHANA RULE,EXQUISITE NECKLACES, EARRINGS, BRACELETS AND ARMLETS FOR MEN  CONCH SHELLS AND ELEPHANT TUSKS WERE USED FOR BANGLE , DISK SHAPE EARRINGS DIFFERENT TYPES OF JEWELLERY FOR HAIR WERE DESIGNED WHICH WERE STILL WORN BY BHARATNATYAM  DANCERS. NECKLESS MADE OF PEARLS. TO PROTECT CHILD FROM EVIL EYES THEY USE TO WEAR TIGER NAIL AND PENDANTS.

THE FIRST  TANGIBLE EVIDENCE HAS SURVIVED FROM ANCIENT TIMES THE KIND OF JEWELLERY WORN BY ANCIENT KING AND QUEEN OF INDIA IS GOLD EARRING BELONGING TO SATVAHANA QUEEN FROM JAGGAYYAPETA IN ANDHRA PRADESH FROM 1ST CENTURY (100BC).

THERE WAS EXCELLENTLY CRAFTED EARRINGS ARE DECORATED WITH WINKED LION AND ELEPHANT IRONICALLY.THESE IMPORTANT PIECE OF JEWELLERY IS NOT IN INDIA ANYMORE AND NOW IT DISPLAYED IN MESUEM  NEWYORK.

GUPTA RULE 320 BC TO 750 BC 

PEARLS WERE USED WIDELY IN THESE ERA BEATEN WORK FILIGREE OR INTRICATE CARVING ON SLIVER AND THREAD ART  SKILL FULLY USED GOLD AND SILVER ORNAMENTS FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. HENCE THESE WAS GOLDEN PERIOD OF HISTORY DEVOLVED VARIOUS SKILL IN ART , SCULPTURE ETC. 

MUGHAL ERA (1526-1761)

 

DURING MUGHAL RULE 16TH CENTURY EVIDENCE OF STONES SUCH AS RUBIES AND MANIK, EMERALDS AND PANNA, TURQUOISE AND FIROZA, TOPAZ OR PUKHRAJ, JADE OR NAG, BEADS, SAPHHIRE OR NEELAM GAINED POPULARITY. DURING THESE PERIOD,RAJASTHAN WAS ONLY JEWELLARY MAKING HUB WERE GEM STONES, JADAU, INTRICATE  SILVER WORK AND THEWA WERE EXAMPLE OF EXQUITE ART POPULARIZED BY MUGHALS..BIRDS AND FLOWER WERE MADE IN DESIGNS CALLED AS MEENAKARI. MUGHAL KING AND QUEEN WORE EXPENSIVE NECLACES AND CHAINS STUBBED WITH PEARLS, GEMS AND BEST OF BEADS. EARRINGS OF SQUARE AND ROUND SHAPE. QUEENS USE TO WEAR LONG EARRINGS EXQUISITE NOSE RINGS AND SIDE HOOKED MAANG TIKKAS GAINED DURING THE PERIOD. THE MUGAL LEFT A LASTING IMPACT  ON NIZAM'S JEWELLERY  IN HYDERABAD.IT IS BELIEVE TO INDIA'S WIDEST AND MOST EXPENSIVE COLLECTION OF JEWELLERY, IT COSIST OF 173 ORNAMENS STUNNED WITH 2000 CARAT EMERALDS AND 40,000 PEARLS, THE MOST EXPENSIVE POSSESSION IS JOCOB DIMOND 5TH LARGEST DIAMOND AND MOST EXPENSIVE PEARL NECKLACE BASHRAQ IS ALSO PART OF COLLECTION STUNNED WITH 465 PEARLS. JACOB DIAMOND WAS PURCHASED BY NIZAM MIR MEHBOOB FROM ALEXANDER JACOB THE DEAL BETWEEN THEM WAS MIRED IN CONTROVERSY WHICH LED TO A BITTER COURT CASE.THIS RESULTED IN NIZAM LOOSING ALL INTREST IN DIAMOND AND CONSIDERING UNLUCKY. HE WRAPPED DIMOND IN DIRTY CLOTH AND STUCK IT INSIDE OLD SHOE. AFTER HIS DEATH, THE DIAMOND FOUND BY HIS SON AND SUCCESSOR MIR OSMAN ALI KHAN.THE LAST NIZAM USED IT AS PAPERWEIGHT FOR LONG TIME, CURRENTLY DIAMOND KEPT AT RESERVE BAND OF INDIA VAULTS IN MUMBAI.

DURING 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY 

INDIAN JEWELLERY INFLUENCED BY COLONIAL RULE, RUSSIA, EUROPEAN AND INDIAN CRAFTSMAN STARTED EXCHANGING  IDEAS THIS IS CROSS- CULTURAL INSPIRATION WAS EVIDENT IN INDIAN JEWELLERY. SUCH AS NAVRATNA AND PRICELESS KOHINOOR DISCOVERED IN THESE PERIOD. NAVRATNA JEWELLERY IS MOST MOST WIDESPREAD JEWELLERY FORM TO COME OUT OF INDIA NAVRATNA WHICH MEANS LITRALLY IN SANSKRIT 'NINE GEMS' GEMS ARE INHERENTLY TIED TO MYTHOLOGICAL CONCEPT AROUND COSMOLOGY AND ASTROLOGY AND NAVRATNAS OR NINE CELESTIAL GODS. THESE STONES ARE ORDERED ON EACH JEWELLERY PICES THE SAME WAY EACH OF CELESTIAL DEITIES THEY REPRESENT ARE SITUATED WITH IN THE TEMPLE WITH A RUBY ALWAYS SET IN CENTER AS IT REPRESENT THE SON. TOGETHER THESE STONES ARE CONSIDER TO AN AMULET THAT PROTECT WEARER..INDIA'S JEWELLERY CONSIST OF MANY DESIGN AND STYLES. LIKE ODISHA AND ANDHRA PRADESH'S DEDICATE FILIGREE WORK AND NAGERCOIL,THE TEMPLE TOWN IN THE SOUTH IS FAMOUS FOR TEMPLE JEWELLERY AND DELHI IS FAMOUS FOR KUNDAN JEWELLERY AND REGIONAL JEWELLERY LIKE RAJASTHANI MATHAPATTI, MAHARASTRIAN NATH AND THUSHI  SOUTH INDIA LAKSHMI BANGLES AND NACLACES, PUNJABI CHOODA, RAJASTHANI HATHPHOOL AND KUDAN EARRINGS, BENGAL SHANKHPOLA AND CHUR BANGLES, HYDERABAD LAAKH BANGLES, ARUNACHAL  PRADESH BENYOP AND KICHLI, MANIPUR LIKSOI, TRIPURA COIN NACKLACE, ASSAM'S GAMKHAU, UTTAR PRADESH PASSA, BIHAR'S HANSOLES AND TURQUOISE NECLACE, JAMMU KASHMIR TRIBAL SILVER ACCESSORIES, ANDHRA PRADESH PAZEB AND ODISHA TARAKASHI. HAS GAINED POPULARITY IN PAST FEW YEARS.

IN INDIA JEWELLERY IS ALSO VIEWED IN SOURCE OF SECURITY THAT CAN BE USED IN TIME OF FINANCIAL UNCERTAINTY GOLD AND SILVER CONSIDER AS SACRED MEATALS. JEWELLERY ALSO USED IN ASTROLOGY, FOR IDIOLS OF GODS AND GODDESSES AND ALSO FOR ELEPHANT, FOR COW AND HORSES SPECIAL JEWELLERY MADE. JEWELLERY USED IN FAMOUS DANCE FORMS SUCH AS KUCHIPUDI, KATHAK AND BHARATNATYAM TO SHOWCASE BEAUTY OF ART, MANGALSUTRA, NOSE RING AND TOE RING USED BY MARRIED WOMEN IN MARRIAGE CEREMONIES SHOW THEIR MARITAL STATUS WOMEN WEAR CHOODA IT MEANS SHE GOT MARRIED. ROSARY, HAMSA ,OM PENDANTS  AND KADA INDICATE RELIGIOUS WEARINGS, INDIAN JEWELLERY HAS COME LONG WAY AND WITH TIME, IT INDICATE OUR FINANCIAL  RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL STATUS OF SOCIETYORDING  TO SOCIAL STATUS OF THAT ERA .