Beautiful pearl accessories made by weaving tiny little seed pearls and precious stones together is an ancient craft that has been practiced in India for centuries. The Rajputs , Mughals , Nawabs , Gaikwads all had a passion for wearing lovely pearl jewelry.
It is said that the Nizams of Hyderabad were so partial to pearls , that they set up the Pearl Industry in Hyderabad , Andhra Pradesh . And till today this city prides itself in being called the Pearl City Of India Inspite of the fact that Hyderabad is neither a coastal area, or near a coastal area. it has the a wide variety of pearls from all over the world being sold in hundreds of shops scattered around the city. which dates back to 400 years . Nizams in Hyderabad lead a rich life, inviting craftsman from all over the world especially from the Middle East, where rare pearls were in abundance. And these craftsmen drilled , polished and beautified the pearls still more to make intricate jewellery from pearls , which was a pride of every woman.
But like all other ancient crafts the pearl weaving too dwindled and today not many craftsmen ( called patwa in gujarati ) can create intricate designs like the bygone era. Now only a handful of these craftsmen ( patwa ) are ready to twist the fine silk thread and interweave the pearls with holes so small that it takes a needle finer than a human hair to string it!.
Rare and unique designs sometimes surface in family heirlooms , and , sometimes sadly broken strings due to unavailability of a patwa surface in discarded and forgotten jewel boxes of some Indians.
The Bhatia community from Kutch region of Gujarat still wear traditional pearl jewellery . No auspicious occasion is complete without the family pearls comming out of the family jewel boxes . A feast to the eyes , the Bhatia women adorn themselves in the traditional gharchola ( a typical tie and dye bandhani saree with zari (gold thread ) checks that all the married women in the family wear , along with lots and lots of pearl jewellery .
Keeping this traditional art of the Bhatia community in mind , I had created the Frill And Lace collar in my earlier post. As using real basra pearls is still out of question , ( I have a lot of practice to do before I even get around to stringing the needle , let alone weave the design ! ) I have used seed beads instead .
And my joy knew no bounds, because , at least to look at , my creation appeared in the same level as the other pieces worn in the photos. And ofcourse not to forget the heart felt thanks of a satisfied friend when she wore it at the wedding !
motidana
It is said that the Nizams of Hyderabad were so partial to pearls , that they set up the Pearl Industry in Hyderabad , Andhra Pradesh . And till today this city prides itself in being called the Pearl City Of India Inspite of the fact that Hyderabad is neither a coastal area, or near a coastal area. it has the a wide variety of pearls from all over the world being sold in hundreds of shops scattered around the city. which dates back to 400 years . Nizams in Hyderabad lead a rich life, inviting craftsman from all over the world especially from the Middle East, where rare pearls were in abundance. And these craftsmen drilled , polished and beautified the pearls still more to make intricate jewellery from pearls , which was a pride of every woman.
But like all other ancient crafts the pearl weaving too dwindled and today not many craftsmen ( called patwa in gujarati ) can create intricate designs like the bygone era. Now only a handful of these craftsmen ( patwa ) are ready to twist the fine silk thread and interweave the pearls with holes so small that it takes a needle finer than a human hair to string it!.
Rare and unique designs sometimes surface in family heirlooms , and , sometimes sadly broken strings due to unavailability of a patwa surface in discarded and forgotten jewel boxes of some Indians.
The Bhatia community from Kutch region of Gujarat still wear traditional pearl jewellery . No auspicious occasion is complete without the family pearls comming out of the family jewel boxes . A feast to the eyes , the Bhatia women adorn themselves in the traditional gharchola ( a typical tie and dye bandhani saree with zari (gold thread ) checks that all the married women in the family wear , along with lots and lots of pearl jewellery .
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| Wow , dressed in the traditional best |
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| A happy friend indeed! |
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| henna and pearl bangles adorn the brides hands |
Keeping this traditional art of the Bhatia community in mind , I had created the Frill And Lace collar in my earlier post. As using real basra pearls is still out of question , ( I have a lot of practice to do before I even get around to stringing the needle , let alone weave the design ! ) I have used seed beads instead .
And my joy knew no bounds, because , at least to look at , my creation appeared in the same level as the other pieces worn in the photos. And ofcourse not to forget the heart felt thanks of a satisfied friend when she wore it at the wedding !
motidana
