065

A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.

Posted by Carla Alicata on August 4, 2011 at 3:30pm

Rajasthan

Comments

Eva Baby August 4, 2011 at 7:26pm

She has beautiful jewellery, especially the necklace seems extraordinary!
Carla Alicata August 4, 2011 at 9:15pm

The choker you can see here is very common in Rajasthan. When I go there I always buy by weight the tiny flower-shaped plaques from old, broken necklaces and then I restring them into bracelets.
Alaa eddine SAGID August 4, 2011 at 11:16pm

Nice picture Carla. I rememeber one i saw a completely silver covered woman in the bus station of Pushkar, it was like having an animated jewelery catalog. brilliant

where do you purchase silver items in india? I have only some buying experiences in Pushkar and delhi was a plain desert!!!!
Carla Alicata August 5, 2011 at 8:24am

Thank you Ayis. This picture was actually taken in Pushkar. Yes, it is not easy to buy in India: Pushkar is the place where you find shops in the street, selling old silver, and a good price /quality ratio. As to Delhi, you must have addresses, otherwise you'll find nothing in the shops. In any case, Delhi is more expensive. Bundi should be another good place to buy, or at least it was when I was last there 6 years ago. It's a nice place off the beaten track: silver shops line a section of the main street and the prices are even lower than in Pushkar.

I was in Southern India twice but I've never found anything to buy in the shops, and I don't have any addresses of sellers there.

Are you a collector? a seller? both?
Alaa eddine SAGID August 15, 2011 at 1:28am

thanx for your answer Carla, i collect mainly and do sell when i need to refurbish my collection or fail to keep a sheer interest on one item and change for another!

In india i was thrilled about the quantity available and the very low price for silver per gram (prefer to buy by gram rather than by piece)

Pushkar was a heaven where i bought many islamic related items, callygraphy, and stuff related to militaria, all these i like.

In kolkatta, nothing around even in central market, In jaipur only high scale antique dealers with hefty prices and in Delhi nothing in DARIBA QALAN (silver market) only one shop in LAL QILA (entrance of red fort) where i missed one great oppurtunity; a pair of heavily worn silver anklets from gujarat (KDLA of KOLI women) they weighed in excess of 1 KG of high grade silver and they were offered for a piece of bread but it was my last day in town and i had already completely gone bankrupt and was already carriying tons of jewelry and souvenirs from my multi'months travelling across asia!!HAHAHA!!

Anyway, i would love to come back someday in india a go more thouroughly in old cities of rajhastan and gujarat and also my dream is to visit Kashmir, the land of Shangri-La!!

Are you going back to India any soon?
Carla Alicata August 29, 2011 at 10:38am

Hi Ayis, thanx for your comment. Yes, I'm going to India again at Christmas: Delhi, Pushkar, Bundi.

I was in Kashmir in 1993, didn't see very much of Srinagar because it was dangerous, there was curfew at 6pm and most shops were closed and at night we could hear distant shooting, but I have wonderful memories of the week I spent staying in a houseboat on the lake. Then I left by car to Leh: only 350 km but the road was terrile because of recent heavy rain and we had to spend one night in Kargil..lots of roadblocks and soldiers in that area. We eached Leh though a pass at 4300 metres..the scenery was breathtaking.