Indians are both uniquely sentimental and passionate about adorning themselves with ornaments. History is replete with instances of its importance in personal adorment - as ancient as the dancing girl of Harappa, who stands alluringly naked but for body jewellery and bangles on one arm stretching from the wrist all the way to her shoulder.

Sculptures from Gandhara and Gupta periods again show a minimum of clothing but an abundance of jewellery. Ornaments adore the hair, neck, ears, wrists, arms and ankles, waist and toes.

Infact, the instinct of self-adornment is manifest very early in the development of mankind, motivated not only by the urge to decorate and beautify, but also by the need for personal talisman to provide protection against potentially destructive forces.

Gold and silver are specially coveted not only for their beauty but also their scarcity.

Another historical function is its potential to act as a store of portable and accessible wealth, a significant benefit in a land so prone to invasions from all quarters.

For the Hindus, jewellery also provides a symbolic mark for each phase of life. Ears are pierced for earrings at an early age, while childhood is symbolically ended by wearing of the sacred thread across the torso, as a symbol of entry into responsibility. A woman adores a necklace, mangalsutra, during her marriage ceremony. Women, after marriage, also proclaim their new status through the ornaments they wear. On the death of the husband, the widow breaks her bangles and keeps aside her jewellery.

At the end of life, precious metal serves to deter evil and ensure purity; a piece of silver or gold leaf, wrapped in a holy basil leaf, is placed in the mouth of the corpse.

It is obvious from the Vedic and Puranic scriptures that from an early date the nobility wore and hoarded magnificent jewellery in precious metals as a mark of distinction.

The styling of jewellery is unique to various regions as well as caste and communities. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, more than in any other area, the tribes and communities wear their strikingly individual attire of clothing and jewellery. The women continue the custom of wearing their dowry jewels day and night as a precautionary habit. Their men-folk too are not averse to wearing necklaces, earrings and chokers, often of Solid Silver or Silver wire.

Gods and Goddesses too are traditionally adorned with jewellery. In the olden days, respect for royalty depended on the amount and quality of jewellery they offered to their deity. Going by the lavishness and brilliance of jewellery that drape the idols, one would not wonder the reasons for Afghans, who so often came over the mountains to raid the Hindu Pilgrimages over ten centuries ago.

Advent of the moguls added a new dimension to the jewellery in the northern and central parts of India. The formal and the geometric rigour of the Muslim style enriched figurative expressions so dear to the Hindus. It is thought that the nose jewellery owes its origins to these invaders. With them also came the era of lavishly detailed jewellery with techniques like enameling, setting of stones in gold leaf etc.

The art of Mogul-inspired techniques of setting of stone, known as Kundan, is still kept alive in centres like Delhi, Jaipur and Varanasi.