Anything made with human hand has more value than machine-made things, especially when it comes to jewellery. In jewellery, handmade jewellery is valued higher than any other kind of jewellery.
Handmade jewellery is considered priceless because it follows the skills of artisans of the old days who were experts in making jewellery by hand. Though there is the use of lathes and drills at some point, the dominant part of the work has human effort only.
A beautiful jewellery design that is handmade was considered auspicious by the queens and kings of old days. The artisans who made jewellery were treated with a lot of respect. The pomp and poise of the royal clan seen in the jewellery they wear is the result of the skill and effort of jewellery craftsmen.
Some of the materials used in handmade jewellery designing are gemstones, precious metals, coated wires, beads and pearls. There are few designs that are very intricate and look very captivating at a single glance.
There are several myths about handmade jewellery having originated at several places. The early purposes of such jewellery included satiating the wishes of kings or queens who even used up all the people’s resources to make jewels.
As there was no formal jewellery designing education in those days, it all depended on the whims and talent of the artisans who used to do lot of hard work in satisfying the royalty.
In today’s fashion world, where jewellery still largely holds an important place in a woman’s life, handmade jewellery has got its undiminished relevance. Especially as an heirloom, handmade jewellery is considered and preserved as valuable possessions.
Handmade jewellery is also bought and worn on a special occasion, marking a cherished memory.
The different types of handmade jewellery which has been around for ages include jewellery made with precious metals like gold and silver. Other materials like terracotta, lac, bead and stone jewellery, filigree, meenakari, kundan and ivory jewellery are also in vogue.
With the evolution of handmade jewellery designing from the old times, the craft has involved a lot of cultural depictions with historical prominence. Tribal culture has their own kind of jewellery reflecting their ideology and customs. Even in the fashionable jewellery scene, a variety of handmade tribal jewellery occupies an important place as trending ornaments.
The transformation of the handmade jewellery from older days to today has undergone extensive experiments like trying to make jewellery with crochet, cardboard, coins and paper. Handmade jewellery often comes under the category of alternative jewellery by means of materials like wires used, weaved with beads in between or gauged to look like jewellery without any additions or embellishments.
People who are really interested in making jewellery can opt to join in jewellery designing courses that became part of the mainstream disciplines at some point in the process of evolution of jewellery making. There is a good scope of understanding the values of handmade jewellery through such courses.
Even though there is a huge market of jewellery of different types, experts teachers in jewellery designing courses say that handmade jewellery’s demand still stays high.
The evolution of jewellery from traditional to modern shows a huge change in customer’s mindset of getting attracted to simple and alternate jewellery. In the process, traditional handmade jewellery is facing tough competition as the artisans specialised in old styles of handmade jewellery are finding it hard to sustain in the face of favorable trends for unconventional designs and makes.
In an attempt to popularise the charisma of handmade jewellery, students of jewellery design courses are encouraged to set exhibitions of handmade jewellery. Reminding the customers of the history of handmade jewellery, these kinds of exhibitions establish the “timeless” factor of handmade jewellery.
Jewellery exhibitions like these wallop the mass produced machine-made jewellery with its appeal of cultural and historic background. Appreciating the artwork of the artisans, handmade jewellery is reviving its popularity in the jewellery world.
Whether it is to adorn oneself with a beautiful piece of handmade jewellery or to gift someone special, handmade jewellery always is the best choice to create a timeless memory. Hamstech is an institute that trains its jewellery design students to create personalised designs with intriguing techniques and materials.