Fashion jewelry is also called costume jewelry, mainly for the reason that it is not made of precious metals and stones, rather lighter and cheaper material are used. Fashion jewelry is trend-conscious and keeps on changing as per changing needs. For those who are open to experimentation with new and unusual designs, shapes and colours, costume jewelry offers plethora of choices. Rather than using precious ingredients, like gold, silver, platinum and white gold, fashion jewelry designers use cheap products, like jute, leather, peppier mache, bakelite plastic, wood, bone, stone, oxidized metal, horn, lac, terracotta, etc. Fashion jewelry is almost like an imitation of real jewelry and has been considered cheaper copy of the latter. It is widely available and is pretty light-weight, which forms one of its USP also. The process of making costume jewellery is such that its look deceives for original and authentic version. In place of precious stones, artificial stones, such as cubic zirconia and rhinestones, are used. Such jewelry is available in several colors and looks very attractive. At the same time, it's readily available and has economical prices. In India also, the concept of fashion jewelry is very much prevalent, especially amongst the college going teenagers. Since the prices are cheap, they can get a wide variety and also keep up with the changing fashion. Indian fashion jewelry industry is growing in quantum, patronized mainly by the youngsters. Following are the most popular products forming a part of the costume jewelry of India.
Spiral bangles and rings
Glass beads, strung on nylon
Chunky tribal jewelry
Surgical steel jewelry
Ornaments with symbols and messages
Charm jewelry, such as mood rings, charm bracelets and others.
Tattoo jewelry
Chandelier earrings
Sterling silver jewelry, studded with artificial stones
Abstract jewelry
Body piercing jewelry
Monday, February 2, 2009
Jewellery
Custom jewelry is personalized jewelry, which a customer gets her made on her interest and fancy. This happens particularly in cases where readymade jewelry does not match the taste of person. Custom jewelry gives total freedom to customer about the specifics. She can ask for various personal touches and get everything made as per her ideas. In fact, it gives ample space for personal choice and taste to customer, which is not available in case of readymade jewelry.Custom made jewelry is quite popular among village people, who get their old jewelry melted for new one, with plethora of personal choice in design and pattern. This gives an opportunity to customer to get his favorite gem studded onto the jewelry and favorite color embellished. Custom jewelry or custom made jewelry is most looked upon for occasions, such as marriages and the like. Like readymade jewelry, in custom made jewelry too has a number of options, like gold jewelry, silver jewelry, diamond jewelry, kundan jewelry, gemstone jewelry, lacquer jewelry, terracotta jewelry, bead jewelry, pearl jewelry, etc. In readymade jewelry, the jeweler shows the customer catalogues and gives his or her personal suggestions, to help her choose what she desires. In custom made jewelry the customer and craftsman together decide what design id to be made. Often, the customer knows what he or she desires and takes this idea to the jeweler, in the form of a sketch or picture or sample. The popularity of custom jewelry is increasing because of the fact that in it does the customer get specially crafted jewelry suitable to his needs and taste.
Jewellery
Bead art in India is five thousand year old and dates back to the time of Indus Valley Civilization. People of that civilization used to make beads out of gold, silver, copper, clay, ivory and even wood. The excavated carried out there came out with finished and unfinished beads from the site. After looking onto them, one gets amazed at the wonderful sense of bead work and jewelry at that time. India is amongst the largest producers of glass beads and particularly, the beads produced in Banaras are exported in large quantities.During Mughal era also, bead jewelry was in vogue. Bead necklaces of different size and shapes, made up of precious and semi-precious stones, were quite popular during that time. Later on, when Europeans came to India, the bead work became more transparent and semi-transparent. Europeans looked for better and refined as well as transparent bead work, which enabled the artisans to develop their art up to the optimum. This led to widening of the horizon of bead jewelry making. The bead making part of making bead jewelry is extremely intricate and time consuming. As regards the procedure for the same, the material out of which beads are to be made is first chiseled to obtain a desired shape and size. Thereafter, a hole is drilled into the material, so that a string passes through it, facilitating the stringing of a number of beads together. This whole process is time consuming and asks for lots of patience. Indian craftsmen have known the making of silver beads since ancient times. Karnal city is known for hollow beads made out of silver. These days, beads made out sterling silver are gaining popularity. Now is the time for fancy glass beads, colored glass beads and crafted metal beads too. Today, glass beads have become a part of the jewelry worn by urban women in India. Beads made from semi-precious stones also continue to be popular in the country. Beads come in an assortment of shapes and colors and at times, are carved also. Other than the use in jewelry, they are used for embroidery works too.
Jewellery
The jewelry which is not in mainstream production and of which the mode of production is no longer popular is known by the name of 'Antique Jewelry.' This kind of jewelry has dull and rough look, combined with an old world-world charm, and this serves as the major USP of such jewelry. It takes you back to yore era, by its unfinished and dull looks. The jewelry pieces in antique jewelry usually belong to a particular period of history, when its popularity was at its peak. In India, you can find antique jewelry in numerous forms, like meenakari, kundan work, and so on. Those pieces of antique jewelry that are extremely rare are usually sold at auctions, in antique stores and curio shops. They include the jewelry that belongs to the early period of history. It is this rarity of antique jewelry that makes it so appealing. However, at times, jewelry that is furnished in antique pattern is also given the name of antique jewelry. Still, those who really value the rarity and exclusivity of antique jewelry, go for the original pieces. Antique jewelry embodies the unadulterated jewelry tradition of the country, in the earlier times, concentrating on ethnic motifs and stones, metal and design. The antique jewelry of India is popular not only within its own territorial boundaries, but also finds favor amongst people belonging to UK, USA and other western countries.
Jewellery
While the art of Indian-crafted silver has flourished in the 20th century, all Indian jewelers can trace their art to a Navajo named Atsidi Saani, who learned blacksmithing at Fort Defiance, Arizona, in the 1850s. (It is generally believed that the Spanish colonizers of the Southwest purposely kept the techniques of metal working from the region's native peoples.)
When Navajo people returned to their beloved mesas and canyons in 1868, following the four-year internment at Bosque Redondo, their new, more settled way of living led to many changes. Among other things, as they were no longer nomadic, they had greater opportunity to learn from each other. The People had long admired and used metal ornaments and horse equipment. They had used brass and copper wire to create bracelets and coins to fashion buttons. Atsidi Saani applied his metal working techniques, as appropriate, to silver, and he began to teach others.
Tools were crude. Smiths improvised and created their own crucibles, bellows, and emery paper. A smith may have only had a hammer and a piece of scrap railroad track for an anvil. Silver coins were melted or annealed into use. The Mexican peso soon gained new favor among smiths because it had a higher silver content than American coins.
Necklace c1910Hand-forged naja withstamped design
Repoussé tools made by a machinist in the 1950s using pieces of scrap steel and automobile transmission parts.
By the 1890s, traders took advantage of the new market with silversmiths and began selling tools and silver slugs.
Silver jewelry also served as barter on the Reservation where money was practically non-existent. Traders took silver and turquoise jewelry as collateral, without giving a specific value to the piece, and the customer's purchase debt was secured by the jewelry. Any pawn unclaimed after the agreed period of not less than six months was considered "dead" and the trader could sell it.
After 1950, the use of pawn as collateral was prohibited on the Reservation; however, it continues to exist today on the borders of the Reservation.Older Indian jewelry (1880-1900) may appear crude by today's standards. Collectors of these pieces look for raised designs created with files and chisels and not repoussé.
(Repoussage is the art of working the back of the metal, usually with a hammer or stamp, producing raised surfaces such as the rounded concha). As the smiths acquired better tools, they produced more elaborately decorated pieces.
By 1899, the Fred Harvey Company was supplying sheet metal and pre-cut, polished turquoise to smiths through the trading posts. The smiths then sold back to Harvey a supply of cheaply-made souvenir jewelry for tourists.
Soon, the Harvey Company was commissioning Indian-style machine-made jewelry. Indians may or may not have been employed for the handwork on these assembly-line pieces. Other manufacturers followed, producing earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, pins, money clips, commemorative spoons and other trinkets. Collectors of this souvenir jewelry--often called "Harvey House" or "workshop jewelry"--look for its machined-tooled precision and uniformity, affectation of an Indian style, and relative delicate lines. The pieces were generally small, sized to sell cheaply. Turquoise, when used, was treated or coated to harden and enhance color. Designs were usually stamped, and common motifs were thunderbirds, lightning, and bows and arrows.
The differences between authentic and imitation silverwork are subtle, a condition exacerbated by the tendency of smiths to copy what is the most successful or profitable, and to lower their standards for tourists who are often looking for cheap mementos.
By the early 1900s silver jewelry continued to change, reflecting significant advances in tools and technology. Repoussé improved as the smiths learned to temper and harden their tools. Also, stamp work increased as jewelers acquired the technology and supplies to make the stamps. This form of working the metal from the front was quickly adapted as a favored technique to accentuate repoussage or to stand alone.
One example of the evolving aesthetic, or the way the finished silver should look, is the degree of polish on the piece. Currently, silversmiths prefer a high polish, whereas silversmiths of 50 or 100 years past lacked the electric buffing wheel. The older fashion left some areas tarnished, or darkened, to enhance details.
Perhaps the best advice for prospective collectors is always to buy from reputable dealers and to ask plenty of questions about the materials and techniques used, and about the jeweler. Today, almost all silver is signed or marked, or the maker is identifiable. Look for the mark, and keep in mind that in New Mexico, it is illegal to proffer non-Indian made jewelry as Indian-made. A reputable dealer should be able to provide proof of authenticity in writing. If there is any hesitation or avoidance, find another dealer.
Many buyers think they should shun treated turquoise. However, much turquoise used today is treated in some way to strengthen it. In its untreated state, the stone is porous, often mottled, and marked with imperfections or inclusions. There are various types of treatments, including coating, dyeing, infusing with hardening agents, and even reconstituting ground turquoise. Ask the seller if, and how, the turquoise is treated. Obviously, collectors will weigh the advantages of different types of treatments.
Finally, collecting Indian silver should always be enjoyable. It is still a very affordable art, and collectors enjoy a wide range of styles and designs. Learning about the history, techniques, materials and the makers offers insights into cultures that are often trivialized by our mass society. A fine, well-made piece of silver has universal appeal; it wears well anywhere, anytime and with almost any style of dress.
When Navajo people returned to their beloved mesas and canyons in 1868, following the four-year internment at Bosque Redondo, their new, more settled way of living led to many changes. Among other things, as they were no longer nomadic, they had greater opportunity to learn from each other. The People had long admired and used metal ornaments and horse equipment. They had used brass and copper wire to create bracelets and coins to fashion buttons. Atsidi Saani applied his metal working techniques, as appropriate, to silver, and he began to teach others.
Tools were crude. Smiths improvised and created their own crucibles, bellows, and emery paper. A smith may have only had a hammer and a piece of scrap railroad track for an anvil. Silver coins were melted or annealed into use. The Mexican peso soon gained new favor among smiths because it had a higher silver content than American coins.
Necklace c1910Hand-forged naja withstamped design
Repoussé tools made by a machinist in the 1950s using pieces of scrap steel and automobile transmission parts.
By the 1890s, traders took advantage of the new market with silversmiths and began selling tools and silver slugs.
Silver jewelry also served as barter on the Reservation where money was practically non-existent. Traders took silver and turquoise jewelry as collateral, without giving a specific value to the piece, and the customer's purchase debt was secured by the jewelry. Any pawn unclaimed after the agreed period of not less than six months was considered "dead" and the trader could sell it.
After 1950, the use of pawn as collateral was prohibited on the Reservation; however, it continues to exist today on the borders of the Reservation.Older Indian jewelry (1880-1900) may appear crude by today's standards. Collectors of these pieces look for raised designs created with files and chisels and not repoussé.
(Repoussage is the art of working the back of the metal, usually with a hammer or stamp, producing raised surfaces such as the rounded concha). As the smiths acquired better tools, they produced more elaborately decorated pieces.
By 1899, the Fred Harvey Company was supplying sheet metal and pre-cut, polished turquoise to smiths through the trading posts. The smiths then sold back to Harvey a supply of cheaply-made souvenir jewelry for tourists.
Soon, the Harvey Company was commissioning Indian-style machine-made jewelry. Indians may or may not have been employed for the handwork on these assembly-line pieces. Other manufacturers followed, producing earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, pins, money clips, commemorative spoons and other trinkets. Collectors of this souvenir jewelry--often called "Harvey House" or "workshop jewelry"--look for its machined-tooled precision and uniformity, affectation of an Indian style, and relative delicate lines. The pieces were generally small, sized to sell cheaply. Turquoise, when used, was treated or coated to harden and enhance color. Designs were usually stamped, and common motifs were thunderbirds, lightning, and bows and arrows.
The differences between authentic and imitation silverwork are subtle, a condition exacerbated by the tendency of smiths to copy what is the most successful or profitable, and to lower their standards for tourists who are often looking for cheap mementos.
By the early 1900s silver jewelry continued to change, reflecting significant advances in tools and technology. Repoussé improved as the smiths learned to temper and harden their tools. Also, stamp work increased as jewelers acquired the technology and supplies to make the stamps. This form of working the metal from the front was quickly adapted as a favored technique to accentuate repoussage or to stand alone.
One example of the evolving aesthetic, or the way the finished silver should look, is the degree of polish on the piece. Currently, silversmiths prefer a high polish, whereas silversmiths of 50 or 100 years past lacked the electric buffing wheel. The older fashion left some areas tarnished, or darkened, to enhance details.
Perhaps the best advice for prospective collectors is always to buy from reputable dealers and to ask plenty of questions about the materials and techniques used, and about the jeweler. Today, almost all silver is signed or marked, or the maker is identifiable. Look for the mark, and keep in mind that in New Mexico, it is illegal to proffer non-Indian made jewelry as Indian-made. A reputable dealer should be able to provide proof of authenticity in writing. If there is any hesitation or avoidance, find another dealer.
Many buyers think they should shun treated turquoise. However, much turquoise used today is treated in some way to strengthen it. In its untreated state, the stone is porous, often mottled, and marked with imperfections or inclusions. There are various types of treatments, including coating, dyeing, infusing with hardening agents, and even reconstituting ground turquoise. Ask the seller if, and how, the turquoise is treated. Obviously, collectors will weigh the advantages of different types of treatments.
Finally, collecting Indian silver should always be enjoyable. It is still a very affordable art, and collectors enjoy a wide range of styles and designs. Learning about the history, techniques, materials and the makers offers insights into cultures that are often trivialized by our mass society. A fine, well-made piece of silver has universal appeal; it wears well anywhere, anytime and with almost any style of dress.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Jewellery
Many people find it hard to believe that the inception of jewelry occurred 100,000 years ago as evidenced by mollusk jewelry found in South Africa. Mollusks are small snails and clams, and their shells were used to fashion this jewelry, although it was no doubt for more functional purposes (such as holding a garment together) than it was for adorning people. In the earliest days, natural material was used, such as animal teeth, shells, bone, wood and stone.
The first period during which jewelry was used extensively to adorn people was the Georgian era beginning in the 1760's. Larger size jewelry from the past was replaced by delicate smaller forms. It is very difficult to locate jewelry from this period, but jewelry from the Victorian period beginning in the mid 1800's under the reign of Queen Victoria is a different story. The Victorian era ended in 1901 upon the death of the Queen.
The young Queen, who was crowned at eighteen, not only loved jewelry, but also designed it. In favor were cameos carved of conch shells by Italians. Women were known to travel to Italy to purchase necklaces, earrings, and brooches of cameo designs, and lava jewelry made from colored lava of Mt. Vesuvius. Soon the industrial revolution saw the manufacture of jewelry, and resulted in the end of the hand carving.
The Queen also got credit for the charm bracelet, and had a number of charms designed. She often gave jewelry as gifts to family and friends. Jewelry had been a status symbol of the wealthy, or to accompany fashionable outfits, but the emergence of the middle class created a demand for a larger quantities being produced. Queen Victoria continued to set the trend for other women, and her romantic nature as well as nature itself were reflected in jewelry designed with birds, hearts, butterflies, dragonflies, gemstone embellished flowers, ribbons, and bows. Jewelry containing the hair of both the living and dead was especially popular. Some of these pieces were very intricate in their design. Lockets were also used to hold the hair or pictures of the deceased.
Victoria also preferred serpent designs, a symbol of eternal love, and her engagement ring from Prince Albert in 1840 was a serpent designed with an emerald in its head. Terms of endearment such as "dearest" or "regard" often appeared on engagement rings. A brooch of sapphires and diamonds, a gift from her husband-to-be, adorned her wedding dress. The Queen also favored opals, but other affordable semi-precious stones appealed to the mass market such as amethyst, coral, pearls, turquoise and garnet. Ivory, seed pearls, bog oak, smoky quartz, jasper, agate, enamel, ,petrified wood, marble, as well as gold and silver found in Scottish jewelry were also popular with the public, as tartan plaids became fashionable after the Queen's children started wearing them.
New finds of gold resulted in creating different methods of gold processing, and gold jewelry became more affordable. Diamonds, because of South Africa diamond mines opening, were also becoming within the reach of the middle class. In 1861, Victoria's husband Prince Albert died, and so-called mourning jewelry made of black stones such as onyx, jet and black enamel were in vogue. They were commonly worn by relatives of the deceased. Jet was carved into necklaces, earrings, and pins. The suffragette movement was beginning and the black jewelry continued to be fashionable. Sets of jewelry were introduced during this period.
Today Victorian jewelry can be found in antique shops and at estate sales. Some reproductions of the jewelry are also sold as Victorian jewelry still has an allure for the public.
The first period during which jewelry was used extensively to adorn people was the Georgian era beginning in the 1760's. Larger size jewelry from the past was replaced by delicate smaller forms. It is very difficult to locate jewelry from this period, but jewelry from the Victorian period beginning in the mid 1800's under the reign of Queen Victoria is a different story. The Victorian era ended in 1901 upon the death of the Queen.
The young Queen, who was crowned at eighteen, not only loved jewelry, but also designed it. In favor were cameos carved of conch shells by Italians. Women were known to travel to Italy to purchase necklaces, earrings, and brooches of cameo designs, and lava jewelry made from colored lava of Mt. Vesuvius. Soon the industrial revolution saw the manufacture of jewelry, and resulted in the end of the hand carving.
The Queen also got credit for the charm bracelet, and had a number of charms designed. She often gave jewelry as gifts to family and friends. Jewelry had been a status symbol of the wealthy, or to accompany fashionable outfits, but the emergence of the middle class created a demand for a larger quantities being produced. Queen Victoria continued to set the trend for other women, and her romantic nature as well as nature itself were reflected in jewelry designed with birds, hearts, butterflies, dragonflies, gemstone embellished flowers, ribbons, and bows. Jewelry containing the hair of both the living and dead was especially popular. Some of these pieces were very intricate in their design. Lockets were also used to hold the hair or pictures of the deceased.
Victoria also preferred serpent designs, a symbol of eternal love, and her engagement ring from Prince Albert in 1840 was a serpent designed with an emerald in its head. Terms of endearment such as "dearest" or "regard" often appeared on engagement rings. A brooch of sapphires and diamonds, a gift from her husband-to-be, adorned her wedding dress. The Queen also favored opals, but other affordable semi-precious stones appealed to the mass market such as amethyst, coral, pearls, turquoise and garnet. Ivory, seed pearls, bog oak, smoky quartz, jasper, agate, enamel, ,petrified wood, marble, as well as gold and silver found in Scottish jewelry were also popular with the public, as tartan plaids became fashionable after the Queen's children started wearing them.
New finds of gold resulted in creating different methods of gold processing, and gold jewelry became more affordable. Diamonds, because of South Africa diamond mines opening, were also becoming within the reach of the middle class. In 1861, Victoria's husband Prince Albert died, and so-called mourning jewelry made of black stones such as onyx, jet and black enamel were in vogue. They were commonly worn by relatives of the deceased. Jet was carved into necklaces, earrings, and pins. The suffragette movement was beginning and the black jewelry continued to be fashionable. Sets of jewelry were introduced during this period.
Today Victorian jewelry can be found in antique shops and at estate sales. Some reproductions of the jewelry are also sold as Victorian jewelry still has an allure for the public.
Jewellery
A Jewellery range with utmost artistic worksmanshiup while making no compromise on style. The perfect eye catchers blend of fashion spirit. Beautiful jewellery that can be worn on any occassion, ideal for active & Fashion-oriented ladies. This is an elegant range of jewellery set to bring charm in you - be cool with its elegant design and be the envy of others at any occasion. Each a masterpiece for your true beauty.
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