Shopper's Paradise: Precious Stones

PRECIOUS & SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES

India's fame in precious and semi-precious stones was well established before the arrival of the British. The land that spells royalty is the home of nameless precious stones like mother of pearl, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, lapis lazuli, aquamarines, amethytis and others. The process of transforming a rough stone into a shapely object of beauty and luster calls for a great degrees of skills in which Indian craftsmen are adept to the core.

IDEAL PLACES TO SHOP

Kashmir, Rajasthan, Mumbai.

COSTUME JEWELLERY

For the hi-fashion woman of today there's nothing quite like the offbeat style of self adomment… pick the style that suits you most! For, with the passing of centuries, the old appears offbeat today, having an irresistible lure for women the world over.

India is one of the most important countries for the manufacture and export of costume jewellery. It has the largest production base for glass beads. Varanasi is famous for its glass beads made from fused glass rods, while Purdilpur is famous for black glass beads.

Mathura is noted for lovely glass beads, stringing glass and wooden beads in necklaces together with rudraksha (sacred seeds associated to Lord Shiva) and tulsi (basil) in variety of interesting combinations. Ferozabad has a rich selection of fragile and delecate lightweight beads.

'Germal silver' jewellery created to modern tastes is made in Agra, while Meerut produces exquisite metal jewellery.

Silver ornaments are specially popular in Rajasthan, while Karnal in Haryana produces hollow silver beads. Rohtak has well made peasant jewellery and graceful head ornaments are made in Maharastra.

TRIBAL JEWELLERY

India has a large tribal population. Their jewellery is a major attraction within the country as well as abroad. The adornment fashioned from flowers, leaves, stones of creepers and fruits are unbelievably charming, shells, seeds and berries- rudraksha being, the most celebrated. Shell bracelets of W.Bengal, specially filigreed gold bracelets will, for certain, capture your heart.

IDEAL PLACES TO SHOP

Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.