Indian Golden Berry Earrings

Description

For over five thousand years, India’s jewelry craftsmen have drawn upon the rich sources of gold and gems throughout their land. Gold and silver, the quintessential metals of Indian jewelry, are worked in various techniques including granulation, filigree, thewa work (a fused appliqué process), and kundan (an inlay process). In the Museum’s collection is an Indian necklace (18th–19th century) in the form of a circle of uniform gold beads, each pendant attached by a tiny flower, probably representing the flower and berry of the evergreen mulsari. Our dazzling earrings adapt the berry-shaped pendants of the original gold necklace.

22K gold overlay. Matte finish. 1''L. Pierced, with gold-filled posts.

Art History

The tradition of jewelry making on the Indian subcontinent is characterized by a vast and complex heritage spanning at least five thousand years. Created and worn as symbolic expressions of religious beliefs and as indicators of social and economic status, Indian jewelry embodies a rich cultural significance beyond the value of its precious materials.