Gujarat jewelry has been a heritage of India for more than 5,000 years. In early Gujarat, people made jewelry out of natural materials such as seeds, feathers, leaves, berries, fruits, flowers, animal bones, claws and teeth. Even today such jeweleries are used by the tribal people.
Gujarat jewelry is made almost for each and every part of the body. The jewelry in Gujarat ranges from religious to purely aesthetic one. These are made not only for human beings but also for the deities, ceremonial elephants and horses.
Jewelry in Gujarat has many implications. It is often used as an identity marker, as security, as well as a symbol of social status. They are always associated with religious ceremonies, like the samaskaras (stages of life) such as the namkarna (naming ceremony) or the vivaha (marriage).
Gujarat jewelry manifests itself in different forms:
- earrings in various sizes
- bangles of bone, shell and ivory extending from the wrist to the armpit
- silver bracelets
- chokers
- pendants and necklaces
- nose rings
- heavy anklets
The use of precious gems and stones in rings, pendants, necklaces and bracelets became popular due to the faith that these stones are related with certain zodiac powers.
Gujarat jewelry is noted for the art of enameling or meenakari and kundan or the setting of semi-precious or precious stones in gold. A large variety of silver beads are available all over India, especially in Gujarat. In filigree art, motifs of leaves, flowers, butterflies, birds and geometrical shapes are created with silver wires of different thickness.
Another very important aspect of Gujarat jewelry is the use of lacquer in making especially the bangles. The people in Gujarat are famous for their colorful dresses adorned with gorgeous bangles, wide necklaces as well as large ear and nose rings.
