Tribal Jewellery of Gujarat

Traditional tribal jewelry remains an integral part of village dress. Each silversmith specializes in a type of jewelry that embodies a particular community’s traditional design. The jewelers and the communities with whom they work have strong relationships since they have lived and worked together for generations. Kachchh silver is known for its white quality which resists tarnish. Artisans use brightly colored glass called meena to accentuate traditional designs.

Ornaments are crafted using soft metal such as lead and white metal by the Bhils from Panchmahal and the Rathwas from Chote Udepur located in eastern Gujarat. In order to create earrings or necklaces coins and beads embedded on to the metal. The tribal people have a fascination for often coins, which they string together with beads. Pancham George was fondly known for the coins of Britain’s King George V. A dream of every woman was bor- ganthi, a double-chained silver necklace made of 16 one rupee coins in the Dangs. In central Gujarat the tribal jewellery was made with abundance of cowrie shells, beads and ghughariI/ tassels.