Jewellery: Of ornamentation and adornment
Thu Feb 05 2026
"I don't think you will find anyone in India who doesn't wear a piece of jewellery [of some sort]. The Amrapali Collection is a pan Indian one. The jewels in this book are worn by pastoralists, the agricultural communities, the villagers of our country. I look at jewellery as works of art. Our villagers are no longer what they were. So it was important for me to document this art form before it vanishes and the memories of it vanishes. I think every piece of jewellery has a soul and right from birth to death, it is very much a part of our living heritage."
- Usha R Balakrishnan, author, Silver & Gold; Visions of Arcadia, talks to me about the general Indian love for noble metals like gold and silver, our long traditions of finely crafted jewellery, how techniques like granulation and filigree came with the Greeks and minakari with the Portuguese, the belief that gemstones ward off malevolent planetary influences and "nazar", and how class, caste, ethnicity and marital status and more are conveyed through jewellery
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"I don't think you will find anyone in India who doesn't wear a piece of jewellery [of some sort]. The Amrapali Collection is a pan Indian one. The jewels in this book are worn by pastoralists, the agricultural communities, the villagers of our country. I look at jewellery as works of art. Our villagers are no longer what they were. So it was important for me to document this art form before it vanishes and the memories of it vanishes. I think every piece of jewellery has a soul and right from birth to death, it is very much a part of our living heritage." - Usha R Balakrishnan, author, Silver & Gold; Visions of Arcadia, talks to me about the general Indian love for noble metals like gold and silver, our long traditions of finely crafted jewellery, how techniques like granulation and filigree came with the Greeks and minakari with the Portuguese, the belief that gemstones ward off malevolent planetary influences and "nazar", and how class, caste, ethnicity and marital status and more are conveyed through jewellery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices