On November 10,1616,Sir Thomas Roe had gone
to Ajmer to witness the departure of Emperor Jehangir from this princely state of
Rajasthan and found himself dazzled by the splendor of the Emperor's jewelry, which he
described in great detail.......
"On his head he wore a rich turban
with a plume of heron tops (kalgi) not many, but long; on one side hung an unset ruby, as
big as a walnut; on the other side a diamond as great; in the middle an emerald like a
heart, much bigger.
His sash was wreathed about with a chain of great pearls, rubies and diamonds dirlled;
about his neck he carried a chain of most excellent pearls, three double, so great I never
saw; at his elbows armlets set with diamonds; on his wrist three rows of several sorts.
His hands bare, but almost on every finger a ring."
In Rajasthan, men and women
traditionally wore necklaces, armlets, anklets, earrings and rings.
With the advent of the Mughal Empire, Rajasthan became a major center
for production of the finest kind of jewelry. It was a true blend
of the Mughal with the Rajasthani craftsmanship. The Mughals brought
sophisticated design & technical know-how of the Persians with
them. The common link was the inherently decorative nature of the
Muslim and Hindu Art. The synthesis of the cultures resulted in a
period of grandeur and brilliance that dazzled the eyes of foreigners
and has passed into legend. The jewellers of Rajasthan specialized
in the setting of precious stones into gold and enameling of gold.
Jaipur, and to some extent Alwar, emerged as the enameling centers
par excellence in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Enameling
was introduced by Maharaja Man Singh who had cordial relations with
Akbar. The enameled gold staff of the Maharaja is unsurpassed even
today for its brilliant colours.
THE MASCULINE JEWELLERY
Vanity, a love of opulence
and deep aesthetic sense gave the Rajas and Ranis of Rajasthan a
great fondness for jewelry. The men were as elaborately and dazzlingly
dressed as the women, with jewelry that often rivaled that of their
wives. It was a status symbol and a portable display of wealth,
and consequently, power.
THE FEMININE JEWELLERY
Feminine jewellry is more
complex than masculine jewellery. Jewellery in India is worn as
a complete ensemble, and not as accessory. It is thus quite acceptable
to wear more than one necklace around the neck, also in the ears,
on the arms and the ankles, rings on the toes and fingers, ornaments
on the forehead, in the hair, and so on, any number to be worn at
the same time.
TEXTILE ORNAMENTATION
Besides all this jewellery,
the saris and the lehengas (long skirts) of the ladies is richly
and heavily embroidered with gold and silver threads. A single grain
of gold can be drawn to a length of 500 feet. Gold embroidery called
Karchopis is done on masnads & elephant trapping fans &
canopies. The gold work of Jaipur is also famous.
GEMSTONES
Rajasthan excels in wide range of precious
and semi-precious jewellery. Exquisite ornaments are made in Jaipur and Jodhpur using
emerald, diamond, pearl, garnet, agate and lapiz lazuli.
Jaipur has been famous for artisans
specializing in cutting of precious and semi-precious stones. The design and the way the
stones are cut in Jaipur represents the admixture of Mughal and Rajput styles.
As opposed to the modern equipments used by
European lapidaries, Jaipur workers use simple tools, inspite, of which their dexterity
and skill is remarkable.
A piece of jewellery
very popular in Rajasthan is the navaratan. This is a collection
of nine gems set together in a single piece of jewellery, either
a pendant or a ring. The gems were said to counteract the external
and evil influences of the planets and ensure good luck for those
who wear them. Pearls were also considered extremely lucky to wear
and emperors even ate ground pearls as medicine.(They are still
used in some ayurvedic medicines).Pearl veils covered the faces
of brides and grooms.
A large number of the
traditionally designed jewellery are still very popular. Many of
them are now made in cheaper metals for the common man, and precious
stones are replaced by coloured glass or semi-precious stones.
The jewellery of Rajasthan has a rich
tradition that has imbibed the best brought in by the Mughals without losing its own
distinct character. As Birdwood comments: "In nothing do the people of India display
their naturally gorgeous and costly taste, so much
as in their jewellery and jewelled arms
which are not only fabricated of the richest and rarest materials but wrought likewise
with all elaborateness, delicacy and of splendor of design within the reach of art."
 
Tanzanite
picture
Emerald picture
SPECIALISED CENTERS OF JEWELLERY
Rajasthan is a land where tradition has
been imbibed into every aspect of life. The jewellery of this culturally rich land
reflects the distinctiveness of the region it belongs to.
Jaipur is the center for gold kundan work
and a renowned center for diamond and emerald cutting. The main bazaar earmarked for the
production and sale of jewellery when Jaipur was founded is rightly called Johari Bazar
(jeweller's market),and even today it offers the most varied collection of jewellery of
the region. The temple market in Nathdwara is the best place to buy silver kundan and
meenakari work. A spillover can be purchased at various markets at Uadipur. These
exquisite pieces of jewellery in gold and silver have also been incorporated on lac to
give youngsters a chance to adorn themselves with meenakari jewellery which can be
purchased at the Sunaron-ki-Suwad Bazar in Bikaner at a pittance. Old silver jewellery,
which is much in vogue, can be bought at Jaisalmer in every nook and corner of the small
bazaar area. This traditional jewellery has an old world charm and is affordable at the
same time.
Pratapgarh in Chittaurgarh district is
famous for thewa jewellery. The red, green or blue foil below highlights the intricate
gold work in the best possible manner.
With painstaking effort the pieces of
coloured glass are encased in gold plated sliver. The delicate designs are worked out on
the glass piece with gold leaf. Apart from pendants, earrings etc. small sindhoor boxes
& even cases are made in this fashion.
 
 
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