The Indian subcontinent has the longest
continuous legacy of jewelry making anywhere since
Ramayana and Mahabharata times. While Western traditions
were heavily influenced by waxing and waning empires,
India enjoyed a continuous development of art forms for
some 5000 years.
One of the first to start jewelry making were the peoples of
the Indus Valley Civilization. By 1,500 BCE the peoples of the
Indus Valley were creating gold earrings and necklaces, bead
necklaces and metallic bangles.
Before 2,100 BCE, prior to the period when
metals were widely used, the largest jewelry trade in the
Indus Valley region was the bead trade. Beads in the Indus
Valley were made using simple techniques. First, a bead
maker would need a rough stone, which would be bought from
an eastern stone trader. The stone would then be placed
into a hot oven where it would be heated until it turned
deep red, a color highly prized by people of the Indus
Valley. The red stone would then be chipped to the right
size and a hole drilled through it with primitive drills.
The beads were then polished. Some beads were also painted
with designs. This art form was passed down through the
family.
Jewelry in the Indus Valley was worn
predominantly by females, who wore numerous clay or shell
bracelets on their wrists. They were often shaped like
doughnuts and painted black. Over time, clay bangles were
discarded for more durable ones. In India today, bangles
are made out of metal or glass.
Other pieces that Indian women frequently wore were thin
bands of gold that would be worn on the forehead, earrings,
primitive brooches, chokers and gold rings. Although women wore
jewelry the most, some men in the Indus Valley wore beads.
Small beads were often crafted to be placed in men and women’s
hair.
India was also the first country to mine diamonds, with some
mines dating back to 296 BCE. India traded the diamonds,
realizing their valuable qualities. This trade almost vanished
1,000 years after Christianity grew as a religion, as
Christians rejected the diamonds which were used in Indian
religious amulets. This, combined with Arabians from the
Middle East, restricted their trade and India’s diamond
jewelry trade lulled.
Today, many of the jewelry designs and traditions are still
used and jewelry is commonplace in Indian ceremonies and
weddings.
The Indian subcontinent has the longest
continuous legacy of jewelry making anywhere since
Ramayana and Mahabharata times. While Western traditions
were heavily influenced by waxing and waning empires,
India enjoyed a continuous development of art forms for
some 5000 years.
Before 2,100 BCE, prior to the period when
metals were widely used, the largest jewelry trade in the
Indus Valley region was the bead trade. Beads in the Indus
Valley were made using simple techniques. First, a bead
maker would need a rough stone, which would be bought from
an eastern stone trader. The stone would then be placed
into a hot oven where it would be heated until it turned
deep red, a color highly prized by people of the Indus
Valley. The red stone would then be chipped to the right
size and a hole drilled through it with primitive drills.
The beads were then polished. Some beads were also painted
with designs. This art form was passed down through the
family.
Jewelry in the Indus Valley was worn
predominantly by females, who wore numerous clay or shell
bracelets on their wrists. They were often shaped like
doughnuts and painted black. Over time, clay bangles were
discarded for more durable ones. In India today, bangles
are made out of metal or glass.