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 Jewellery
has been around since the dawn of man, to satiate his vanity and
fuel his narcissism. The Stone Age man adorned himself with topically
available materials — pebbles, bone, animal teeth, shell, wood,
stone and the like. Eventually, gold became the preferred metal
for jewellery. It was rare. It did not tarnish and best of all,
it was malleable. So, it could be easily moulded. Ancient Egyptians
produced magnificent gold necklaces, bracelets, pendants, rings,
armlets, earrings, head and pectoral ornaments. By 300 B.C., the
Greeks added colour to the monotony of pale gold by using emeralds,
garnets, amethysts and pearls.
Eventually, the word ‘jewellery’ became synonymous with glittering
gold and gemstones. Wearing tons of precious jewellery was a blatant
display of wealth and power. However, bosoms covered in endless
chains of gold could hardly be called attractive.
 Today,
the tides have changed — jewellery is worn as a statement of personal
style. And this personal style is expressed through various colours,
designs and materials. Family heirlooms and grandmother’s jewellery,
with no disrespect to their exquisite designs, are reserved for
those rare social occasions that are few and far between. For contemporary
cocktail jewellery, the buzzwords range from wood and terracotta
to leather and crochet.
Deviating from the norm
Santosh Bathija, the proprietor of Popli — primarily a silver
gallery based in Mumbai — concedes that it is imperative to constantly
experiment with innovative materials to keep up with changing trends.
“Copper, when combined with silver, makes a bold style statement,”
he says. The advent of fashion jewellery in platinum and sterling
silver relieved many women, who shied away from gold to accompany
their western outfits. Stringy, feminine jewellery in copper, glass,
suede and leather have taken this trend a step further as they complement
western wear perfectly.
 Jewellery
designer Shaheen Abbas works with pure silver but experiments with
the polishes. Lately, she has been using crystals and zircons in
her designs. Commenting on unconventional fashion jewellery, Shaheen
recalls seeing paper pendants with intricate paintings of Hindu
Gods and Maharajas on a trip to Nepal. “They were set in silver
and covered in clear glass. The miniature style pendants caught
my fancy immediately,” she adds. Elucidating on forthcoming trends
in fashion jewellery, Shaheen foresees the return of wooden jewellery
in addition to artificial turquoise and coral.
 In
fact, wooden jewellery is in vogue this season with stores and designers
vouching for the trend. While wooden bangles and pendants have been
around for a while, wooden earrings are a relatively new entrant.
They are available in various shapes including leaf and floral motifs
and are often embellished with silver studs, kundan work and semi-precious
stones. Reaffirming Shaheen’s statements, Aminder Madan, owner of
Cypress, a jewellery store in Mumbai, makes her forecast for 2007.
“Wooden earrings and bracelets with jadau work will be big. Shells
and semi-precious stones strung on thread cords make stylish and
bold neckpieces,” she says.
Glass is another favourite with designers and jewellery houses.
The Murano Medallion collection from the House of Rose has a variety
of impressive hand-crafted medallion-style pieces. According to
Biren Vaidya, Managing Director, Rose Group, the collection is a
mélange of the art of the Murano glass blowers and Indian
design aesthetics. The colourful glass medallions are filled with
precious metals like gold, silver or copper and complimented by
Rose’s designs in diamonds and gold.
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Borrowing
from the past
The
good thing about sporting leather, wood, glass etc. is that they
transcend boundaries of sex-specific dressing. For instance, jewellery
designer Mariam Khan’s silk thread neck pieces can be worn by both
men and women. And you can add a dash of feminine chic to it by
stringing a stone pendant through it. 
Furthermore,
with a little adjustment to the length, you can wear thread cords
with bronze and copper beads as anklets or as a choker. But, unlike
their classic counterparts, unconventional materials and designs
have a shelf-life. Jewellery designers are unanimous in saying that
certain materials and styles are temporary fads. “One can look terribly
outmoded if they do not keep up with current trends,” says Aminder.
She adds that alternative materials are particularly popular between
the age group of 18 to 32, who are more experimentative. Ultimately,
it’s about your personal judgment. After all, not everybody can
carry off a tiger’s claw with panache!.gif){kind=small}
