Shop~Hullabaloo Costume Jewelry Indian Coin Anklet

Description: The art of adornment goes back to primitive man who used, for decoration, flowers and beads, carved wood, shell, bone and stone. The material used changed in time to ivory, copper and semi-precious stones and then to silver, gold and precious stones, but our rich tribal heritage can be seen in the flower motif which is basic to Indian jewelry designs even today.Indian jewelry is as old as Indian civilization itself. The ruins of the Indus Valley civilization, going back to 5000 years, have yielded examples of beaded jewelry. In the sculptures at Bharhut, Sanchi and Amaravati and the paintings at Ajanta can be seen the wide range of jewelry worn by man and woman, by king and commoner. The temples of South India, Bengal, Orissa and Central India present a veritable cornucopia of the jeweler's art.Greek visitors to ancient India marveled at the elaborate Indian jewels of the time. The epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the Arthasastra, a text 19 centuries old, mention the intricate arts of the jewelers of yore. The Silappadikaram, an ancient Tamil classic, talks of a society dealing in gold, pearls and precious stones. Paes, a Portuguese chronicler, writes of the Vijayanagar empire where visitors were dazzled by the jewelry worn.Jewelry in ancient times was not only an adornment, but each stone was endowed with a mystical quality and used as a protection against evil forces. The navaratna or nine gems, each sacred to a planet, are worn in a particular order for the same reason to this day. The maniratna, called the serpent stone, was used as a talisman to protect the wearer. Rudraksha and Tulsi seeds and sandalwood beads are worn even today during Hindu worship.The advent of Mogul rule further embellished Indian jewelry. The synthesis of Hindu and Muslim forms and patterns resulted in a great outburst of ornamentation, elegant and exquisite, and of a lush extravagance never seen before. Although traces of enameling have been found in ancient Taxila, this art reached its zenith only under the Moguls, when even the unseen reverse side of each jewel was covered with intricate enamel work (minakari).Jewelry later became a means of putting by savings, like a bank today, and of providing financial security to women who sold it in times of need.The Indian love of gold may have been a means of acquiring wealth. But the Indian love of jewelry is really a love of the beautiful and the aesthetic, of man's aspirations to reach perfection in form, design and color. Repetition, symmetry and orderly progression in design are typical of the Indian belief in order, or R'ta, in the cosmic universe.Air-India hopes to preserve some of our traditional jewelry for posterity through this year's calendar. Since only 12 pieces could be selected, only ornaments of gold and precious stones have been shown and the whole range of silver and folk jewelry left out of the study.We present this collection as a homage to the art of jewelry in India, to our ancestors who conceived these jewels, to the artist who designed them and to the skilled artisans who fashioned them, and preserved, through millennia, this priceless art, our precious heritage.PAIZEBThis unusual Paizeb (or Pahzeb) is from Hyderabad. As the name implies, it is an adornment for the feet. Loose chain links between the uncut diamonds set in gold in Kundan settings, make the anklet lie flat on the foot fitting closely over the ankle. There are stone drops on the lower edge of the Paizeb in place of tinkling bells.In the Kundan art of setting stones, even gems of little value achieve a rich effect by skilful incrustations.The feet of the wearer are covered with mehendi or henna designs, as part of bridal decor.A wide variety of anklets were worn in the different parts of India. The payal, gajra, sankla, chanjar, zanjiri, golusu and kaappu are some examples.Most anklets of Hindu women were, however, made of silver, as gold was considered a sacred metal, not to be worn on the feet except as a decoration for icons in temples, or by royalty.Ornament Courtesy: Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri, Zaveri Bazaar, Bombay 400 002.

Price: 5.5 USD

Location: Austin, Texas

End Time: 2024-02-18T21:29:20.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5 USD