Tradition of Jewelry in India
From the desire for self-adornment came the birth of the first jewelry of civilization. Man had just completed his discoveries and inventions to accomplish his basic needs, when the desire to look better struck him. Jewelry was one of the first step towards the fulfillment of that desire.
The first desire may have been apparel. But the very next place was reserved for jewelry for every part of the body. And then there was no end to the experiments, developments, creations and adornments. Apart from self-adornment, the need for a personal talisman was one of the main motivations behind amulet design ornaments.
Initially objects from nature were directly used for making jewelry. These objects included seeds, stone, grass, shells and pebbles. Various old paintings, sculptures and scriptures confirm the extensive use of ornaments in the early days. They also reflect on the creativity of those people who had very little or almost no resources and technology as compared to today's world.
Indian ornaments, even today, are given much value and importance in the fashion world due to its' rich tradition and innumerable desig.
India as a land often invaded by foreign rulers has always accepted, moulded and added various foreign fashions to its own culture. Ornamentation is one major feature down the ages that saw many changes and alterations, the changes always a welcome change to the trends. Among the rulers that added glory to the already rich heritage of Indian ornaments were the Mughals. Already influenced by Persian fashion, they imparted to our country the fashion of wearing silver. The Kings and the upper class of the country till then accepted silver only next to gold. By spreading the popularity of silver, the Mughal brought its importance almost level with that of gold, sometimes higher. Silver ornaments for every part of the body were introduced. Those which already existed were developed further giving them a different design.
|
