Cardinal Points of Gold Jewelry

The west, east, south and north of the styles of gold are found all over India. Jewelry design in this country has a lot of influence from the people living in it. Painters and sculptors have disobeyed the limits that exist between the imaginary, the ideal and the real. A lot of writers used gold to provide great visual images. Back in the day, rulers of the land owned jewelry as a statement of their prestige and power.

From older times, women in India have been quite creative in their use of jewelry. The diversity tradition of India left its print on the design of the jewelry and you can see different nuances in the design, depending on the region where they’re from. You can see inspiration taken from dance, architecture and different religious customs.

In north India, women enjoy exquisite jewelry and they also like experimenting with different design types, like antique embellishments and finishes.

In south India, women use different types of jewelry than those from the north. In most cases it will be flaunted, worn and enjoyed, for everyone to see, even if the situation doesn’t require great accessories. A lot of women started using body jewelry lately, right a gold made scarf or a gold sheath. A lot of the jewelry used in the south will have an antique design, like the chains made out of coins, called Kasu-malai.

In east India, you will find jewelry with a great quality, handcrafted with care. In most cases the parts are filigree and made of wire, but they are done manually, since machines can’t do it. For over five hundred years, the jewelers from Bengal have used the art of wire work.

In west India, jewelry is extremely diverse and different from one region to another. The one thing they have in common is the use of gold in their jewelry.

Jewelry Design as a Career

A lot of people are looking for ornaments that are branded these days, so new designers of jewelry are in demand. The same thing can be said about gem appraisers. If you want to get into this field, there are a number of institutes that have courses specialized in this area. While in the past this was a family tradition, now it’s considered more of a money making career. If you think you have what it takes to create designer and custom made jewels, give it a go.

This industry is no longer one that is closed for outside people. In the past, it was something open to family of jewelers, the trade being kept a secret. Now that the technology advanced in huge leaps, a lot of companies design jewelry with the help of the computer and the industry is open to new people.

Once technology evolved, so did the needs of those that bought jewelry. Most of the market right now is made out of working women that need something they can wear during a regular day.

You can find a number of institutes that can introduce you to the jewelry world, with the help of short term, long distance courses on designing jewelry. You learn both how to use the tools of a jeweler and the basic skills you need to cut, cast, polish and engrave jewelry. Other skills learned during these courses include anodizing, coloring metals, electroplating, stone setting, enameling and silversmithing.

A lot of courses that deal with custom jewelry see an increase in demand these days. In most cases these courses will take anywhere from half a year to two years. Check one of these institutes out and you will see in most cases the latest technology at your disposal, to learn how to create custom jewelry.

Wooden Jewelry

Wooden jewelry has a natural and elegant look that a lot of people appreciate. The designer uses a number of different types of wood to carve great looking pieces of jewelry, made with different patterns and designs. These wooden pieces of jewelry have the natural color of the wood or are colored artificially in some cases. These pieces of jewelry will be made according to different specs, to suit the needs and tastes of many people. When you make a piece of wooden jewelry, you need to pay attention to color, details and to the design.

The wood used for these pieces is either naturally or artificially seasoned, to make sure the jewelry has enough longevity in it. The natural type of seasoning is about wetting the wood, while the artificial seasoning is about keeping the wood in an environment that is controlled. There are two main types of wood that is used for jewelry, and they are classified as hardwood or softwood.

Softwood types include Poplar, Mongo, Haldu, Kadam and Cheed. Hardwood types include Rosewood, Sheesham, Teak and Ebony.

There are other sub-categories, under the hard and soft wood main categories. These subcategories are determined by the grain or the wood natural texture. For example, woods like Kadam, Haldu, Poplar or Mango don’t have any grain, while Teak does. If you want a light shade color, go for the Kanju or Poplar, while for darker shades you should choose Tun, Ebony and Rosewood.

With the wide variety of finishes that one can choose from when he makes wood jewelry, the number of choices available to customers is endless. They can look great if designed properly and give your outfit a bit of class. You can find them both in unpolished and polished form. Carved, painted, dyed, polished or perforated, these jewels are loved by many.

Jewelry History

There are a lot of forms that jewelry takes. It can be beaded, it can be made out of gemstones or out of gold, it can take the form of ancient or modern designs and it can influence the look of people differently, depending on who wears them. While they might look similar to the old designs, jewelry has went through a lot of changes over the time, improving all the time.

Even now, in modern times, designers find inspiration in the ancient designs of jewelry. It’s not easy putting the modern jewelry in the same categories as the ancient ones, as they are very different. The jewelry that was found initially in India is known as ancient. These jewels include beads, earrings, seals, amulets and many others.

Looking at the ancient gold coins found in India, we find out about the flowers, gods, birds and animals that were important in those times, along with their religious and social culture.

If you take a look at the leg and arm ornaments from those times, you will find out a bit about the personality of the person that was wearing them. Since ancient times, Indians have used head jewelry, which consisted of nose rings, tikkas, bindis, ear ornaments and forehead ornaments. They have been passed from generation to generation, so present families have them.

Rulers had their own special jewelry, that wasn’t found on regular people, and that was turban jewelry. These turbans were worn by kings and they were full of gemstones and they were finely crafted by the best artisans of the time. Because they have a specific design to the area where they were made, you can trace them back in time to their regions.

Some of the most important pieces of Indian jewelry were necklaces and pendants and no jewelry history would be complete without them.

Design Inspiration and Sources

Design is an area that is influenced a lot by different sources of inspiration. You need to be very observant to understand new forms, shapes, figures and structures and to remember them in detail. For this reason, a lot of designers will keep a sketchbook with them, to write down what they observe.

In most cases, designers are inspired by:

1. The materials that are used
Different materials give you varied experiences, which allow you to combine and move things around in your design. For example, if you’re into wax modeling, you can try jewelers wax to change things around.

2. Art & History Eras
In all the history, humanity went through a number of different art eras, like Egyptian, Medieval, Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Baroque. Each different and offering you magnificent views into the past. Everything that has to do with these art eras can offer a designer inspiration. Even a mix of different styles of design can offer you new ideas.

3. Nature
The number of ideas you can get from nature is endless. Wherever you look, you see different textures, shapes, flower varieties and colors, in birds, insects, animals and trees. Every form of life can inspire you in some way.

4. Symbolic Sources
Take a look at organizational symbols or signs, Zodiac signs, logos, monograms or occupational symbols. You can easily get new design ideas from the way they are made, both for shapes and compositions of colors and styles.

5. Concepts & Themes
If you have an open mind, you can understand themes and deeper concepts easier. You can create new designs for politics, nature, religion and so on.

You can go visit exhibitions, stores with jewelry, museums and many other places where you can get information and inspiration for your designs. Make sure you also add your own style to those designs.