Indian Jewelry in Folk and Tribal Style

Myth is the foundation of the jewellery of rural and tribal peoples; it is not in the intent but in the material, therefore, that we should distinguish their jewellery from that tof the classical tradition. There is a similar, perhaps greater, richness of belief and symbology; it is only that the expression takes different forms because of the relative lack of affluence. Gold is replaced by silver, precious stones by semi-precious ones; but now other materials enter, glass beads, cowrie shells, feathers, beetles, seeds, bone, dried flowers and grasses. As if to make up for their modest nature, they are worn in profusion, necklace upon necklace clasping the body from throat to breast; armlets and bangles from upper arm to wrist; multiple rings in ears pierced at life-enhancing points.

There are instances where the richness of so-called folk or tribal jewellery seems but another view of the opulence of mainstream tradition; equally, there are examples where stark minimalism dominates and where we must look beyond the surface to the meaning underneath.Jewellery extends beyond its conventional definition to include all forms of ornamentation such as festive or ritual head gear. Enough to say here that entire voumes could be written on this subject without exhausting it; of necessity, we can touch upon only a few areas.