The bride’s treasure : Jewellery

Indian weddings are growing more lavish and exuberant with every wedding season that passes by. Every little detail involved asks for attention. Food,decor,attires, invitation cards,jewellery etc.Out of all these things the only thing that stays lifelong and even beyond is her jewellery which is actually the bride's treasure Picking up the right kind is not  an easy task. Indian Brides love adorning themselves with different pieces of jewellery to make them look complete, grand and extravagant. Earrings, neck pieces, anklets, bracelets, rings and what not. Jewellery adds to the festive aura to the bride’s attire and makes her look resplendent. The market is huge and endless catering to different styles and the likings of the brides. Stones, gems, diamonds toped on the jewellery make it look more extravagant. To make it look that extravagant alot of hard work is put by the artisans. The art and tradition of making jewellery is being carried on since ages and the only difference is that the act has become more vigorous.

Talking about various styles that the brides opt for are :

1) Meenakari:

Gleaming meenakari works of Rajasthan has greatly influenced the Indian bridal jewellery. The beauty of this art lies in the strength of technical skills which are required for its creation and giving it a perfect finish. Raja Man Singh of Mewar is regarded as the promoter of the meenakari art in Jaipur due to whose efforts this art gained a wide popularity among the people. Jaipur became the hub of meenakari art with the large invasion of highly skilled craftsman from Lahore.

Bridal Meenakari in green complimenting the contrasting red color of the outfit completely.

2) Kundan:

Kundan jewellery is believed to have begun in the royal courts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is commonly accepted that Kundan work flourished in the Delhi courts of the Mughals.This style was highly prized by Mughal royalty .With the passage of time these artisans migrated to the state of Rajasthan and gained popularity there as well. The artisans also spread to the neighbouring state .Jaipur, Bikaner and Nathdwara places that are very famous and highly prized.

Layered Kundan neckpiece enhancing the neckline of the blouse.

3) Polki:

Polki is almost similar to Kundan in terms of technique. However, the real difference between the two is that instead of glass, uncut and unfinished natural diamonds are used to create the jewellery.This makes polki highly in demand by the brides. The jewellery blends very well like a charm with any kind of outfit.

Uncut Polki diamonds with pearls perfectly matching the coral attire of the bride.

4) Jadau:

Jadau is a skill that uses Polki, Meenakari, Kundan, Rubies, and Emeralds .Jad means to embed precious and non precious stones in gold sheets. Jadau was introduced in the country by the Mughals. Later it was then perfected by the Indian craftsmen of Rajasthan, specifically Bikaner. Even today Jadau work from Bikaner is accepted as exceptional. However, Bikaner is not the only place where Jadau work is done. With the passage of time this tradition has spread to other cities as Jaipur and states such as Gujarat. Today, these two places are the best known states for Jadau work. Jadau work is intricate and involves a team of skilled craftsmen. The jewellery takes a long time for it’s production – embedding four to five stones only can take time of a whole day.

Jadau neckpiece ,embedded with pink stones.

5) Temple jewellery:

Temple jewellery sums up for quite a treasured and precious in the parts of South India. It is inevitably preferred by other brides as well. It is either created in pure gold or other pure metals with semi-precious & precious gemstones encrusted, Temple jewellery is unique in its own way and it visibly stands out from the rest. The motifs used in making the jewellery pieces are usually that of gods, goddesses, lotus flowers, swans, royal figurines etc. These make these jewellery pieces more aesthetic,traditional & culturally exquisite.

Earings designed with beautiful goddesses as motifs.

So this is a big shout out for all you brides to be,consider the above choices for your "THE DAY" and complete your look by looking royal and extravagant and let your groom's eyes pop out.