SHAMILA JIWA

Marquise Lale Lapis & Sapphire Earrings
with 18K Gold Accents

At over eight hundred years old the majestic Qutub Minar mosque stands prominently in India’s capital city Delhi.  

With a height of 238 feet it is the tallest mosque in the world, and is also renowned for its stunning blend of “Indo-Islamic architecture.”  India is also the ancestral home to featured jewelry designer Shamila Jiwa.

APARNA

Sterling Silver Splendor Necklace with Purple
Composite Turquoise

Standing within the East Indian town of Uttarakhand is the ominous mountain Thalay Sagar.

With terrain that is steep and rocky the mountain is considered the most difficult to ascend; yet climbers from around the globe are eager to travail along its unforgiving peak.

India is also home to featured jewelry designer Aparna.

MAHAVIR

Sterling Silver Regal Blue Necklace with
Lapis Lazuli Beads & Chalcedony

Known for its ancient forts and temples that include the Osiyan Temple, Jodhpur, India is a popular
destination.

Considered one of India’s “most magnificent” palaces is the lavish Umaid Bhawan Palace.

Constructed of marble the edifice holds gardens, courtyards and spacious rooms.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Mahavir.

GAURI TANDON and RADHIKA TANDON | ISHARYA

18K Plated Brass Goddess Honeycomb Earrings
with Green Amazonite

Considered the largest of five observatories constructed by 18^th century emperor Jai Singh II is Jaipur City’s Jantar Mantar.  

Constructed of stones, bronze sheets and marble the observatory contains the world’s largest sundial “which predicts seasons and eclipses.”  

India is also the ancestral home of design team Gauri and Radhika Tandon.

BHAVESH

22K Gold Plated Sterling Silver
Island Fantasy Necklace with Amazonite

Known locally as the House of Magic, the 200-year-old Indian Museum is a place of awe and surprise.  

Located in Kolkata, India the structure houses over 60 galleries and over “a million artifacts.”  

Items ranging from a 4,000-year-old mummy to an emerald goblet owned by Shah Jaran are among the fascinating sights to see here.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Bhavesh.

SHUBHRA SINGH

Sterling Silver Mystic Dreamer
Pendant Necklace with Amethyst

The astounding Hawa Mahal Palace (Palace of the Winds), located in Jaipur, India, is a visual stunner with its pink exterior, over 900 windows, and double floors.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Shubhra Singh.

ASHA KAMAL MODI | ART KARAT

22K Gold Plated Chandrika Earrings
with Pearls, Turquoise and Gold Balls

India is renowned for its plethora of Jain faith temples.  Depending on their location—Uttar Pradesh, Jharkkhand or Hastinapur—the temples are alternately ornate, exotic or conservative in their architecture.  

India is also home to featured jewelry designerAsha Kamal Modi.

RITU AGGARWAL

Sterling Silver
Navy Shimmer Earrings with
Pearl and Chalcedony

Overlooking Moatha Lake is the majestic Amber Fort.  Located northeast of Rajasthan in Amber, India the centuries-old structure is well-known for its distinctive exterior made with red and white sandstones.  

Its interior boasts extraordinary fresco paintings and mosaics.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Ritu Aggarwal.

PARUL

Sterling Silver Moonstone & Emerald Illusion
Pendant Necklace

Along the Bay of Bengal that runs along the coast of India is the untouched beauty of coral reefs, sandy beaches, and translucent sea water.

The lush, tranquil scenery can be found amidst a chain of islands that make up the Andaman Islands.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Parul.

RAJESH AJMERA and RAJIV ARORA | AMRAPALI

 Sterling Silver and Meenakari Enamel
Nawait Earrings

The East India town of Uttarakhand holds an imposing and majestic mountain known as the Thalay Sagar.  Standing at over 22,000 feet it is one of the most treacherous summits for climbers.  

However, somewhat milder activities including white-water rafting and skiing are alternative thrill-seeking activities.  India is also the home base to jewelry brand Amrapali.

POONAM SONI

Ruby Bracelet

The city of Jodhpur, located in Rajastha, India, is a rousing location filled with stunning attractions built during the 15^th century.  

The Umaid Bhawan Palace and Osiyan Temple are a sampling of the remarkable architecture of this storied city.  India is also home to Poonam Soni.

RANJANA KHAN

Lapis and Crystal Chandelier Earrings

Made of white and red sandstone with interior decorations of fresco paintings and mosaics, India’s Amer Fort is considered one of the country’s most imposing hilltop forts.  India is also the birthplace of Ranjana Khan.

NARAYANI



Lapis Lazuli Natural Sophistication Torsade Bracelet

Pilgrimages to India’s Girnar Temples occur annually.  Considered as an “anthology of mountains,” eight thousand steps lead to stunning architecture amidst the backup of spectacular mountain ranges.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Narayani.

ARUN BOHRA | ARUNASHI

22-Karat Gold Aquamarine
Pendant Necklace

Located in southern India, in the state of Tamilnadu, is the 11^th century structure known as the Brihadeeswarar Temple.

Flanked by two “guardian statues,” the temple’s interior contains small shrines, a tower, and a columned hall.  India is also home to featured jewelry designer Arun Bohra.

HEMA

At over a thousand years old, India’s Ellora Caves is a stunning archaeological site that highlights a rock carved temple of Buddha; and thirty-four caves that represent the faiths of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. India is also the home of featured jewelry designer Hema.

KALYANI GUPTA

At over two hundred years old, Jaipur, India’s Hawa Mahal Palace is still a stunning architectural triumph with its exterior of pink and crimson sandstone, and white lime. India is also to featured jewelry designer Kalyani Gupta.

NEERU GOEL

The 16th century structure, Agra Fort, located in Agra, India is one of the country’s most important structures of the Mughal dynasty.

Built of red sandstone, it stands 70 feet tall and encompasses a “great courtyard”, and gorgeous mosques. India is also home to featured jewelry designer Neeru Goel.

TARANG and MANAS

The 354-year old mosque Jama Masjid, located in Delhi, India, was ordered for construction by the same emperor who commissioned the making of the Taj Mahal, and the temple is touted as one of Asia’s largest mosques. India is also home to featured jewelry design team Tarang Gupta and Manas Arora.

I am most familiar with India’s gloriously colorful, gold and enamel meenakari jewelry.

By `familiar’ I mean that I know what this style of jewelry looks like but for years I never knew the actual name for it until I started this blog.

While I can not say the exact date I first saw this exquisite jewelry, I no doubt believe it occurred during my childhood while flipping through the pages of National Geographic.

For years I was unaware that the stunning, elaborate gold and crystal Kundan jewelry was also a traditional Indian jewelry style. I was most surprised to learn that sterling silver jewelry is very popular in many states of India including Kashmir, West Bengal and Kanpur.

Intricately carved forms, granulation, and embossed textures are just a few of the superlative details you will find in the powerful designs of Tarang and Manas.


In 2003, after completing a course in jewelry design and manufacturing, the two joined forces to create beautiful designer jewelry influenced by majestic Indian architecture, and the ethereal floral structures of nature.

“We are recognized for our fine, handcrafted sterling silver and gemstone jewelry,” says Gupta, “Our designs emphasize traditional Indian styles, including floral motifs. We melt silver alloy and draw the metal into sheets. We engrave, chisel, and hammer the sheet into a beautiful piece.”

The gorgeously cultivated iconography of elephants, peacocks, and dragons is spectacular and regal evoking ancient cities and maharajahs. The sterling silver cuff bracelets, called Dragon Majesty, that depict three-dimensional semblances of dragons are standouts. The painstaking detail and sense of weightiness is breathtaking.

The delicacy of pieces such as their sterling silver Light Drums Drop Earrings, and the engraved imagery of a singing bluebird featured on the aptly titled Bluebird Pendant Necklace again reflect the designers’ unquestionable skill at varied and complex jewelry making techniques, as well as their ability to create specific tones and moods through a piece of metal.

“We have developed a large collection and we are extremely happy to share our art with the rest of the world as part of the Novica family.

We hope customers feel the same joy wearing our jewelry that we feel creating it.”
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Photo 1 (top right): Sterling Silver Dancing Moon Dangle Earrings
Photo 2 (center): Sterling Silver Dragon Majesty Cuff Bracelet
Photo 3 (bottom left): Sterling Silver Bluebird Pendant Necklace

DEEPSHIKHA

Built over three hundred years ago, the ominous Red Fort located in Delhi, India stands on the shoreline of the Yamuna River and is a popular tourist attraction. India is also home to featured jewelry designer Deepshikha.

AWADHESH

Today we visit the extraordinary Ajanta Caves of Maharashtra, India. Complex yet beautifully detailed portraits depicting the life of the Buddha cover the caves' walls, pillars, and ceilings. India is also the home of featured jewelry designer Awadhesh.

Here again India's renowned jewelry history includes the painstaking intricacy of gold and enamel meenakari bijouterie, and the exquisite Kundan style characterized by luminous glass or crystal set in gold.

Since gold items and jewelry are considered highly valuable in many cultures, I was surprised to learn that in many regions of India, such as the Kashmir region, silver is a prominent component of decorative items including headdresses, and filigree jewelry.

According to the country's historical records, both silversmiths and goldsmiths were highly regarded. Based on the items I have viewed at Novica.com, Awadhesh works entirely with sterling silver, and in some ways, his aesthetic brings to mind the superlative work of Balinese silversmiths.

His accents of small, silver granules to frame a design, like his Paradise Bracelet, are one such similarity. Overall, I think his design approach combines the lavish style of meenakari with a modern flair.

Awadhesh's lyrical style is largely informed by instinct. "My family has a long lineage in business, but I was different. I was energetic, creative and I always wanted to do something different in life," he recalls.

"I used to meet people who were involved in some form of art, be it painting, designing, writing, or theater. I fell in love with theater work and I joined the National School of Drama.

At the same time, I met someone who designed jewelry, and he encouraged me to take up designing. Although my father did not approve, I visited different kinds of craftsmen, instead of taking professional courses and I learned from them."

His beautifully crafted pieces feature low relief casts, and unique surface textures, accentuated by citrine, red onyx, and lapis.

Oxidation and granulation hint at India's ancient maharajas and regal décor. The complexity of the design quality clearly displays Awadhesh's deft ability at silversmithing.

"I am doing what I love. Presently, several artisans work with me. I also help young design students by promoting their designs. I am very grateful that Novica provides an international platform to show my designs."
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Photo 1 (top right): Sterling Silver Chandelier Earrings
Photo 2 (bottom left): Sterling Silver Desert Tapestry Cuff