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Aofy Gold - Brief History of Indian Jewellery

Indian jewellery is enchanting, captivating the hearts of people globally by its ornate varieties, heavy embellishments, and diverse design and materials. The use of jewellery in the Indian subcontinent traces back to a long history.

Over time the use of jewellery, its making, modes of creation, have been influenced by socio-cultural and political factors. So, it’s absolutely not surprising that the present day varieties of Indian jewellery and its legacy has charmed the world, igniting new ideas of creative fusions between western and Indian trends.

Let’s delve into the journey of Indian jewellery through brief visits to its developments over time and how it continues to prosper at present days.

Brief History of Indian Jewellery

The use of jewellery in India goes back to more than 5000 years ago, touching the eras when the great epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana took place. The physical traces of some ancient Indian jewellery are found from the Indus Valley civilization. The initial jewellery was simple, made from beads, strings, and stones. Later on, people of the Indus Valley region learnt to make ornaments and jewellery from metals.

The advent of the Mughals in the 16th century brought about innovations in jewellery use and design. They brought in the art and knowledge of jewellery engineering in the use of gems and metals. Also, the possession of precious metals and gems was restricted as it began to be used as a symbol of social status.

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Gems and Jewellery Industry in India - Aofy Gold

Once the stones are set, using only heated gold and no other adhesive, the jeweller proceeds with the meenakari work, patiently working on the piece one colour at a time. This time-consuming process results in a stunning piece of jewellery that was, and still is, fit for kings. The much-loved Karanphool Jhumka also evolved during this period, with each region having its own special embellishment added to the basic flower-shaped ear ornament.

The Asaf Jahi Nizams of Hyderabad were also famed for their legendary jewels. The last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan (once called the richest man in the world by the TIME magazine), had an unbelievable collection of jewels.

The Rockefeller Sapphire, a Burmese blue sapphire of 62.02 carats, also belonged to the Nizam of Hyderabad before it was acquired by John D. Rockefeller in 1934. Then there is the Jacob Diamond, the enormous diamond that was apparently used as a paperweight by Mir Osman Ali Khan after he found it inside his father’s slipper.

Also among the Nizams’ jewels are fabulous head decorations, known as aigrette or sarpech, from the word sar for head and pech for screw. Veritably dripping with fine gemstone drops, the sarpech was worn by the Nizams as a turban ornament. Just one of these contained more gemstones than most people could afford to acquire in an entire lifetime.

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Style of Mughal jewelry | Aofy Gold

Ancient Indian designs were gently modified to incorporate various geometrical, floral and nature-inspired designs. The combination of crescent and stem – earrings had a small stem at the top of a crescent from which a fish was suspended, and further led to a bunch of pearls – became a regular feature of Mughal jewellery.

The kundan method of setting stones in pure gold was also perfected by artisans in the Mughal period. Here, the gold used for jewellery was fused at room temperature. Another technique that was developed by the Mughals was the inlaying of stones with gold.

The repetitive colour palette of green, red and white in Mughal designs corresponds to the intensive use of emeralds, rubies and diamonds. As much as these gems were a symbol of the opulence and dignity of the empire, they were also treasured as protective talismans. Emeralds were enormously popular with the Mughal Court, whose emperors referred to them as “Tears of the Moon.”

The Jadau technique is believed to have been brought to India by the Mughals but Indian artisans of Rajasthan and Gujarat perfected the craft and added their unique touches to make it their own. The process of Jadau-making involves beating or heating pure gold until it is pliable, creating a frame and motif, filling lac in the hollow frame and setting precious stones in the appropriate spaces.

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Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence | Jewellery | Aofy Gold

The advent of Mughal rule further embellished the world of Indian jewellery. The fusion of Indian and Central Asian styles and patterns resulted in a great outburst of ornamentation, elegant and exquisite, and of a lush extravagance never seen before. Although traces of enamelling in jewellery (the reverse side of each jewel is covered with intricate enamel work) have been found at the ancient town of Taxila, this technique reached its zenith only under the Mughals.

Ancient Indian designs were gently modified to incorporate various geometrical, floral and nature-inspired designs. The combination of crescent and stem – earrings had a small stem at the top of a crescent from which a fish was suspended, and further led to a bunch of pearls – became a regular feature of Mughal jewellery.

The kundan method of setting stones in pure gold was also perfected by artisans in the Mughal period. Here, the gold used for jewellery was fused at room temperature. Another technique that was developed by the Mughals was the inlaying of stones with gold

The repetitive colour palette of green, red and white in Mughal designs corresponds to the intensive use of emeralds, rubies and diamonds. As much as these gems were a symbol of the opulence and dignity of the empire, they were also treasured as protective talismans. Emeralds were enormously popular with the Mughal Court, whose emperors referred to them as “Tears of the Moon.”

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Aofy Gold - Representative Jewelry In India

The sculptures at Bharhut, Sanchi and Amaravati and the paintings at Ajanta depict a wide range of jewellery worn by man and woman, by king and commoner.While Silappadikaram, an ancient Tamil classic of the Sangam era, talks of a society dealing in gold, pearls and precious stones, the chronicles of Paes, a Portuguese traveller, describes the dazzling jewellery worn by the people of the Vijayanagar empire.

Initially, these intricate pieces were crafted solely with the purpose of adorning the idol. However, with the passage of time, dancers who regaled audiences at the temple with their renditions of devotional pieces began to wear imitations of the jewellery style adopted for the idols. Along with the spread of Bharatnatyam, temple jewellery became an accessible style and soon made its way into the world of trousseau and heirloom pieces.

Temple jewellery is generally large and chunky, with figures of various gods and goddesses in gold fused to or forming the pendant on pearl string necklaces. Shiny rubies and emeralds are set in these pieces in attractive patterns that catch the eye while some pendants also resemble the ‘gopuram’ or temple entrance towers in design. Representative pieces of this sort signified the wearer’s special relationship with gods and the mythic universe..

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Aofy Gold - The history of jewellery in India is, to a large extent, the history of the country itself

Spanning a legacy of 5,000 years, the jewellery of India is a striking expression of the country’s aesthetic and cultural history. The small number of jewels that have survived from different periods and different parts of the country, references in literature, texts on gemology, myths, legends and chronicles provide evidence of a tradition without parallel in the world.

For more than 2,000 years, India was the sole supplier of gemstones to the world. Golconda diamonds, sapphires from Kashmir and pearls from the Gulf of Mannar were coveted and drew merchants across land and sea to India. For the rulers, jewels were a statement of power, prosperity and prestige. But for Indian women, jewellery was, and is, in many parts considered a social and economic security, the value of which will almost always appreciate, never depreciate.

At that time, India was the largest manufacturer and exporter of beads to the world. India was also home to the diamond and invented the diamond drill, which was then taught to the Romans.The craftsmen of the Indus Valley Civilisation used semi-precious material like carnelian, agate, turquoise, faience, steatite and feldspar, fashioning them into tubular or barrel shapes, decorating them with carvings, bands, dots and patterns, or setting them minutely with gold.

Going by the jewellery they made and wore, the ancient people of the Indus Valley Civilisation were an extremely sophisticated lot with a finely developed aesthetic sense, backed by intricate engineering skills. Take for instance the necklace excavated from Mohenjodaro now on display at the jewellery gallery of the National Museum in Delhi.

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Journey of Indian gold jewellery through different eras | Aofy Gold

Among the treasures discovered in the tomb of Queen Ashhotep (18th dynasty) is a typical Egyptian bracelet. It is rigid and can be opened by means of a hinge. The front part is decorated with a vulture, whose outspread wings cover the front half of the bracelet. The whole figure of the bird is inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, and vitreous paste.

A first sign of outside influence occurs in the 18th dynasty and consists of earrings, which are imported jewels, unknown in classical Egyptian production. Another evidence of the influence of foreign styles in some of the jewelry of the 18th dynasty is a headdress that covered nearly all of the hair, made of a network of rosette-shaped gold disks forming a real fabric (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City). Foreign influence increased to an ever greater extent during the last dynasties and with the arrival of the Greeks. Like all other forms of artistic expression, in spite of three centuries of the Ptolemaic dynasty (up through 30 BCE), the great artistic tradition of Egyptian jewelry slowly died out, notably with the introduction first of Hellenism and then of the Romans.

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Culture And Heritage - Ancient History - Aofy Gold

Necklace beads—generally made of gold, stones, or glazed ceramic—are cylindrical, spherical, or in the shape of spindles or disks and are nearly always used in alternating colours and forms in many rows. The necklaces have two distinct main forms. One, called menat, was the exclusive attribute of divinity and was therefore worn only by the pharaohs. Tutankhamun’s menat is a long necklace composed of many rows of beads in different shapes and colours, with a pendant and with a decorated fastening that hung down behind the shoulders. The other, much more widely used throughout the whole period, was the usekh, which, like the vulture-shaped necklace from the tomb of Tutankhamun, also has many rows and a semicircular form.

Of the many diadems made by Egyptian artist-craftsmen, one of the earliest was discovered in a tomb dating from the 4th dynasty (c. 2575–c. 2465 BCE). It consists of a gold band supported by another band made of copper, to which three decorative designs are applied. In the centre is a disk worked with embossing in the form of four lotus buds arranged radially. On the sides are two papyrus flowers linked horizontally at the base by a disk with a carnelian, while the upper line of the flowers comes together to create a kind of nest in which two long-beaked ibis crouch. The floral and animal symbology is carried out with a style that interprets and characterizes the theme.

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Aofy Gold - The Fascinating History of India's Jewels and Jewellery

The sensational discovery of the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun (18th dynasty; 1539–1292 BCE) revealed the fabulous treasures that accompanied an Egyptian sovereign, both during his lifetime and after his death, as well as the high degree of mastery attained by Egyptian goldsmiths. This treasure is now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and represents the biggest collection of gold and jewelry in the world. The pharaoh’s innermost coffin was made entirely of gold, and the mummy was covered with a huge quantity of jewels. More jewels were found in cases and boxes in the other rooms of the tomb. The diadems, necklaces, pectorals, amulets, pendants, bracelets, earrings, and rings are of superb quality and of a high degree of refinement that has rarely been surpassed or even equaled in the history of jewelry.

The ornaments in Tutankhamun’s tomb are typical of all Egyptian jewelry. The perpetuation of iconographic and chromatic principles gave the jewelry of ancient Egypt—which long remained unchanged in spite of contact with other civilizations—a magnificent, solid homogeneity, infused and enriched by magical religious beliefs. Ornamentation is composed largely of symbols that have a precise name and meaning, with a form of expression that is closely linked to the symbology of hieroglyphic writing. The scarab, lotus flower, Isis knot, Horus eye, falcon, serpent, vulture, and sphinx are all motif symbols tied up with such religious cults as the cult of the pharaohs and the gods and the cult of the dead. In Egyptian jewelry the use of gold is predominant, and it is generally complemented by the use of the three colours of carnelian, turquoise, and lapis lazuli or of vitreous pastes imitating them. Although there was a set, fairly limited repertoire of decorative motifs in all Egyptian jewelry, the artist-craftsmen created a wide variety of compositions, based mainly on strict symmetry or, in the jewelry made of beads, on the rhythmic repetition of shapes and colours.

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Jewelry - American Indian | Aofy Gold

Among the most ancient examples of jewelry are those found in Queen Pu-abi’s tomb at Ur in Sumer (now called Tall al-Muqayyar), dating from the 3rd millennium BCE. In the crypt the upper part of the queen’s body was covered with a sort of robe made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, agate, and chalcedony beads, the lower edge decorated with a fringed border made of small gold, carnelian, and lapis lazuli cylinders. Near her right arm were three long gold pins with lapis lazuli heads, three amulets in the shape of fish—two made of gold and one of lapis lazuli—and a fourth amulet of gold with the figures of two seated gazelles. On the queen’s head were three diadems, each smaller than the one below it, fastened to a wide gold band: the first, which came down to cover the forehead, was formed of large interlocking rings, while the second and third were made of realistically designed poplar and willow leaves. Above the diadems were gold flowers, on drooping stems, the petals of which had blue and white decorations. On the back of the headdress was a Spanish-type comb, with teeth decorated with golden flowers. Huge golden earrings, in the shape of linked, tapered, semitubular circles, completed the decoration of the head. On the neck was a necklace with three rows of semiprecious stones interrupted in the middle by an openwork flower in a gold circle. Many rings were worn on the fingers. There were large quantities of other jewels—among them wrist and arm bracelets and pectorals—belonging to the handmaidens, dignitaries, and even the horses that formed part of the funeral train. As was the custom, the queen’s attendants had killed themselves in the crypt after the burial ceremony.

As this description suggests, Sumerian jewelry forms represent almost every kind developed during the course of history. Nearly all technical processes also were known: welding, alloys, filigree, stonecutting, and even enameling. Sources of inspiration, aside from geometry (disks, circles, cylinders, spheres), were the animal and vegetable world, and expressive forms were based on an essential realism enriched by a moderate use of colour.

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Aofy Gold - The History Of Jewelry Design

The possibility of tracing jewelry’s historic itinerary derives primarily from the custom, beginning with the most remote civilizations, of burying the dead with their richest garments and ornaments. Plastic and pictorial iconography—painting, sculpture, mosaic—also offer abundant testimony to the jewelry worn in various eras.

It is probable that prehistoric humans thought of decorating the body before they thought of making use of anything that could suggest clothing. Before precious metals were discovered, people who lived along the seashore decorated themselves with a great variety of shells, fishbones, fish teeth, and coloured pebbles. People who lived inland used as ornaments materials from the animals they had killed for food: reindeer antlers, mammoth tusks, and all kinds of animal bones. After they had been transformed from their natural state into various elaborate forms, these materials, together with animal skins and bird feathers, provided sufficient decoration.

This era was followed by one that saw a transition from a nomadic life to a settled social order and the subsequent birth of the most ancient civilizations. Most peoples settled along the banks of large rivers, which facilitated the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Indirectly, this also led to the discovery of virginal alluvial deposits of minerals, first among which were gold and precious stones.

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Aofy Gold - How to Test Gold with Vinegar

Gold is a beautiful metal that can be found in jewelry, coins, and watches. You may have just bought a new piece and want to see if it’s real, or test the genuineness of an old family heirloom. Testing gold with vinegar is a simple method to see if your gold is real, and by using white vinegar and an eyedropper, you can conduct this test yourself at home while keeping your gold pieces safe.

Fill an eyedropper with white vinegar. White vinegar is the most acidic vinegar, so it works the best for testing gold. It is also clear-colored, so it will show a color change the best. You’ll want to use an eyedropper to pour your vinegar so that you can control the amount that you put on your gold piece. Fill the eyedropper about halfway, or enough for a couple of drops.

You can buy eyedroppers at most drug stores or online.

If your gold piece is particularly large, you can use a measuring cup to pour vinegar on it instead.

White vinegar is also very good for cleaning household appliances, so you can keep any that you have left over for another use.

Clean your gold with a cloth or rag to remove dirt or debris. Your gold piece should be clean so that your test results are clear and you don’t have anything else discoloring the vinegar. You can use a wet or dry paper towel or a glasses cleaning cloth to gently wash your gold piece.

Real gold is soft and can get marks or indents left in it, so use caution while cleaning your gold.

Use an eyedropper to put 2 or 3 drops of vinegar on your gold. You can set your gold piece in a bowl or on a plate to collect any vinegar that runs off of it. You only need to put a couple of drops of vinegar on your gold, or enough where the vinegar can stay in contact with it for a couple of minutes.

You don’t need to soak the gold in the vinegar. Simply letting the vinegar touch your gold piece is enough to test it.

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Aofy Gold - How to Calculate the Value of Scrap Gold

If you have scrap gold, you can sell it. Gold prices tend to increase when the economy is flat or there are worries about war or inflation.However, before you bring gold jewelry, dental fillings, teeth, nuggets, or bars to a scrap gold dealer's counter (or send it off by mail), you should know exactly what it's worth to be sure you are getting a fair price in exchange. Most scrap gold dealers keep the calculation a secret, you can find all the information you need to figure out the value of your scrap gold for yourself.

Use a magnifying glass to decipher the karat number on each piece. The first thing you have to do is find out if your gold is real. Separating your gold by its karat weight will not only help you begin to assess its value, but it can point out items that are not even gold.

If it is unreadable, you could choose to have the gold tested by a reputable dealer. There's also the possibility that some of the gold is actually just gold-plated, which a dealer would determine with certainty by performing a chemical test.

Take note that much of the gold jewelry manufactured before 1980 is slightly below its marked karat value. For example, jewelry marked 18K would actually be between 17K and 17.5K. In 1980, the laws regarding the marking and purity of gold jewelry were changed.

Perform an acid test on any items you are unsure of. If you're still uncertain as to whether or not an item is gold after inspecting it with a magnifying glass, prepare to test it. You have two options here: the acid test and the Skey test. The first, the acid test, will require a gold testing kit or the individual parts that make one up (the acid and stone).

Supplies for this test can be purchased from online or physical jewelry suppliers for a small price, and are available separately or as a set. A kit will come with 10K, 14K, 18K and 22K bottles of testing acid, which will normally be nitric acid. It will also come with a test stone, also known as a streak stone or touch stone, that will be made from many different materials, including novaculite or other types of flint material. Kits can also be purchased with an accompanying scale.

For suspected 14K jewelry, rub the item on the stone and place a drop of 14K acid onto the mark it leaves. If your item is indeed 14K gold, it will stand up to the acid and not change. If it is 10K, the 14K acid will turn it brown. If it completely disappears, it isn't even gold.

If it is an unmarked item, go up to the 22K acid incrementally until it turns brown, and when it does, consider it to be the next lowest karat. For example, if the 18K acid has no effect, but the 22K acid turns it brown, then consider your item to be 18K. If the 14K acid has no effect, but the 18k acid turns it brown, consider it to be 14k, and so on for other karat fineness tests.

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Aofy Gold - How to Clean White Gold

Gold that has been mixed with other alloy metals, like palladium and silver, is what constitutes white gold. It’s generally plated with rhodium, and it’s popular because it’s so shiny! It’s not difficult to care for, but there are a few special steps you can take to keep your jewelry looking like new. Use warm water, detergent, and a soft cloth to clean your pieces, and visit a jeweler if any stones start to come loose.

Inspect your jewelry for loose stones or broken clasps. Before you begin, take your piece of jewelry and gently look it over. Loose stones or broken pieces need to be dealt with before you submerge the jewelry in water, otherwise you might lose something.

If you notice loose or wiggling pieces, take your jewelry to a professional to have the piece repaired. Use a resealable plastic bag to transport it so that nothing gets lost along the way.

Mix mild dish soap with warm water to soak your white gold. Use about 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of mild dish soap and 1 to 2 cups (240 to 470 mL) of warm water. Stir the water with your fingers or a spoon to make the water bubbly. The warm water and soap will gently dislodge any dirt or grime on your jewelry.

If your jewelry is really dirty, add 3-4 drops of ammonia to the soapy water.

Don’t use hot water to clean your jewelry.

Soak your jewelry in the soapy water for 20-25 minutes. This is the easy part! Just gently place your pieces in the water, set a timer, and walk away.

If your jewelry has pearls or onyx stones, don’t soak it. Rather, wrap the metal parts in a soft cloth that has been soaked in warm, soapy water.

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Aofy Gold - How to Tell Gold from Brass

Gold and brass are both shiny, yellow metals. Telling them apart can be difficult for someone who has no experience with metals. Luckily, there are several ways to differentiate between gold and brass. If you know what to look for, there are often markings on a metal that will identify it. You can also test the metal's physical and chemical properties to determine whether it is brass or gold.

Test the density of the metal. The most accurate way to test the density of the metal would be to measure the volume and the mass, then calculate the density mathematically. Luckily, there's a faster and easier approach. Use your hand to toss the metal lightly up and let it come back down (or you can just lift it and lower it quickly without it leaving your hand). Since gold is more dense than brass, it will feel heavier than you might expect. Since brass has a lower density, it will feel lighter.

Look for a karat count. The karat is a measurement used to designate the purity of gold. Higher ratios of gold to other metals in a piece means a higher karat count. Pure gold is 24 karat. A brass piece will not be marked with a karat count. The karat count is typically found in an inconspicuous place such as the bottom or inside of a piece, though it varies from piece to piece.

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Aofy Gold - Two Ways To Detect Gold At Home

Gold is a precious metal that comes in a variety of colors and different levels of fineness. The value of a piece of jewelry or another object will depend greatly on whether or not it is plated or pure gold. To identify the quality of a metal object, start by taking a close look at its surface. If you're still unsure, move on to more in-depth testing, such as a vinegar application. As a final option, consider applying acid to the metal item and watching for a reaction.

Look for spotting on the piece’s surface. If you hold the piece under a bright light, do you notice white or red spots anywhere on it? The spots may be very tiny and difficult to see. That is why it’s important to examine the piece under a bright light and maybe with a magnifying glass. These spots indicate that the gold plating may be wearing away showing the metal underneath.

Place a magnet against the potential gold item. Hold a magnet directly above the piece. Lower the magnet until it is almost touches the surface of the item. If you feel as if the magnet is being drawn or pulled downward, then the item is not pure. The other metals in the item, such as nickel, are responding to the magnet. A pure gold piece will not draw the magnet, since non-ferrous.

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Aofy Gold Authenticity Test Guide

Gold is a valuable metal, so it is often imitated in fake jewelry and metal blends. By most international standards, anything consisting of less than 41.7%, or 10 karats of gold is considered to be fake. If you’re wondering whether your gold is real, the most reliable test is to take it to a certified jeweler. If you aren’t ready to do that yet, you can form an opinion by inspecting the gold and testing its basic properties. You could also try doing a density test or nitric acid test for more accuracy. Go through several tests and, if they all come out well, you can rest assured knowing that your item is the real deal.

Check for a letter marking indicating that the gold isn’t pure. Some of the common letters you may see are GP, GF, and GEP. These letters indicate that your gold piece is plated, which means the maker put a thin layer of gold over another metal, such as copper or silver. Your item has some gold in it, but it isn’t considered to be real gold.

GP stands for gold plated, GF means gold filled, and GEP means gold electroplate.

The markings vary a little depending on where the gold is from. For instance, gold from India contains a small triangle symbol indicating the government council responsible for the rating system. It then has a number rating and a letter code, such as K, for the jeweler.

Find any noticeable discolorations where the gold has worn away. Gold is pretty soft for a metal, so plated gold often rubs away over time. The best places to check are around the edges of jewelry and coins. These spots often rub up against your skin and clothing throughout the day. If you see a different metal underneath the gold, you know your item is plated and not considered real gold.

For example, a silver coloring might indicate silver or titanium. A red coloring could mean copper or brass.