Assamese Traditional Jewelry

There is something eternally endearing about jewelry. Jewelry is one kinda product which can proudly claim – “Age no bar!” , “Culture no bar!”, “Geography no bar!”

We love to flaunt our jewelry in our office, functions, different occasions and while your colleague, friend or relative praise what you are wearing, don’t you feel chest up?

While we talk about ethnic Indian attire, it has an eternal and unending love story with traditional jewelry. When one complements their beautiful traditional attire with the vintage/antique styled jewelry, the results are amazing. Indian wear and traditional jewelry make a great match; one heightening the beauty of the other. 

This world has countless traditions and cultures, and that brings the creations/innovations in style quotients. Huge diversity prevails in our country too. As we all love our own culture and tradition, many a times we look for the designs that connect us with our roots. Let me talk about Assamese traditional jewelry today.

Traditional Assamese jewelry is totally hand made by specialized hands. These jewelries are mostly inspired by nature like birds, animals, musical instruments like dhol, drum, pepa etc. or other things of day to day life of the region, like japi...a handmade headgear. They are skillfully designed by jewelers of Assam, which make them unique. 

The base of the Assamese ornaments is made of silver or lac and then they are covered with very thin gold foil. So, this particular kind of jewelry are very affordable. But, to be contemporary, people now a days prefer to have gold base also. There are three methods involved in the whole process. 

1.    The main frame is made with 24 carat gold and lac is used as a filling material.

2.    Gold foils are used over a silver frame. This method is very popular because of its affordable price.

3.    Silver made jewelry which is gold plated.

In all three methods, stones and meenawork is used. Originally, these ornaments were studded with rubies, moonstone emeralds and garnets, which were colloquially referred to as "Dalimiya Pathur" (The stone colour was compared to pomegranate seeds.). 

These jewelries are mostly manufactured in particular places of Assam, like Nagaon, Jorhat and Barpeta. Jewelry from Upper Assam are predominately stone studded whereas people of Lower Assam wear jewelry that has intricate gold design with one or no stones. 

Assamese jewellery include the, jon biri, lokaparo, thuriya, jethi poti, doog doogi bana, gaam kharu, keru, gal pata,and dhol biri. They are named after the design it has taken from like Jon Biri (Half Moon/crescent shaped pendant ), Lokaparo (two pigeons placed back to back), Jethi Poti (lizard's tail and has a row of small medallions in the shape of a V and a central pendant), Dhol Biri(shaped in the form of a drum) etc. 

I have selected my favorite pieces to show you :

Junbiri

Jaali junbiri

Dhulbiri

Jaapi Chain

Dhansiri Kharu

Junbiri

Muga muhura dhulbiri

Dhul dugdugi

Mayur Haar

Jaapi dhansira

Junbiri dugdugi

Borpetia Junbiri

Borpeta Pepa dhul Jaapi Maduli

                       

Taar Junbiri

Keru Necklace

Golpota

Dholbiri

Dugdugi

Jethipota Junbiri

   

Barpeta Jaapi Mayur Junbiri

Thuria : Earring

Thoka

Mayur Haar

Golpota

Junbiri Pepa Necklace

Jaapi Chain

Jaapi Kharu

Jaapi Ring

Junbiri

Kasijun Dugdugi

Loka paro

Maazbiri Necklace

Sewali khaaru

Red Jaapi Mantaza

Jaapi Bracelet

 

Silikha Gaamkharu

In Assam, the dazzle of the bride’s attire is uncomplete without these jewellery. The dangling earrings, long and short chains, multiple bracelets and bangles highlight the beauty and elegance of the bride. Few pictures I picked from Internet :

         

        

      

From where you can buy :

- "Assamese Traditional Jewellery Axomia Gohona"
- http://onlineplus.co.in/assamese-jewellery 

 Photo Courtesy : Colours and Emotions , CamaraderieBonds 

While dream becomes a love story

“Don’t wear that dull pink dress, wear the red one, which aunty has sent.”  Mridu commanded. 

“No Mridu, I don’t want to wear that red dress. Let him see me the way I am.” Dhaani countered.

“What did you see in that punk anyways, I mean really?” Mridu smirked.

“Shut up Mridu,” “One more word against him and I’ll break your nose. I didn’t even get time to search him also.” 

“Oh come on, you just meet Rahul today…You can search your hero after your engagement with Rahul, also. There’s still time. Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge may repeat too!!!”

“It’s actually my fault….why I gave liberty to my parents to choose my groom.” Dhaani sighed.

Mridu and Dhaani had attended Landlord’s daughter, Swati’s marriage, the previous week. Their landlord was a wealthy business man. He owned 5 bhk apartments in Noida, which is a girls’ PG, a 25 acres farm house in Greater Noida and a huge mansion in GK phase 3, where his family lived. Swati was his only daughter. She was very sweet and down to earth girl. Mridu and Dhaani had quite cordial relations with her as all three worked in the same company. 

The wedding arrangements were extravagant. The landlord spent around 30 to 40 crores. The wedding was arranged in his farm house. And it was one hell of a wedding, with marvelous flower decoration. The whole banquet was decorated like the sets of a big-budget movie. Thousands of food stalls were hailing every one with their irresistible aroma. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mexican, what not!!! Few Foreign musicians were playing soothing romantic songs. A bald and bearded handsome man was playing a violin, a long haired hippie styled guitarist and a man with mesmerizing voice were attracting all’s attention. 

The Baraat had arrived. Swati took her soft steps towards the stage along with all the brothers, sisters, cousins and friends in full traditional way. The boys on all four corners were holding twines jutting out from a small sheet of flowers and petals that went atop Swati and everyone else, including Mridu and Dhaani, who were escorting her to the stage. The romantic instrumental music was playing in the background. Two/ three drone cameras were hovering right in front of her. All the lights were dimmed except those focus lights which lightened up the path for Swati. The whole path was smothered with rose petals, whose fragrance scented up the entire atmosphere. It was spectacular. 

Suddenly, Dhaani caught one guy staring at her, but she just ignored. It happened again and again. He was quite good looking, almost 6 feet tall, had some intense look in his deep blue eyes. With white kurta, he was actually looking quite dashing. To make her surprise, all of a sudden, he came forward and whispered in her ear, “You are stunningly beautiful…”

Few minutes were weird for Dhaani. Soon, she could feel some sudden changes in her dynamics. Her gaze unconditionally followed the sight of that boy. He too kept looking at her over and over again. Infact, she could feel few focused clicks from his mobile phone too. It seemed inevitable. She also tried her best not to get noticed while looking at him. She knew she shouldn’t be doing this, as her marriage had been almost finalized by her parents. After two days, her to-be-fiancée would be here in Delhi to meet her for the first time. But, this guy was becoming so harder to ignore. She couldn’t figure out why all this was happening. There was something in this boy. Something that was driving her crazy. Was it a love at first sight? Or was just the infatuation? But whatever it was, she knew one thing for sure that he’s never gonna get his face off her head. 

Unfortunately, Mridu and Dhaani had to leave suddenly as their cab arrived at 11 pm. Dhaani was silently wishing to talk to him, exchange phone number, but resisted herself somehow, someway. Since then, Dhaani had been in khoya khoya mood and Mridu was teasing her all the time, singing the song – “Haamari aadhuri kahani….”

Knock! Knock! 

Mridu opened the door of their room. 

“Someone called Rahul has come to meet Dhani didi.” 

Mridu quickly went to the balcony to see in what car, Rahul had come.

“Hey Dhaani!!! There is an Audi Car…I think he is wealthy enough….!!! O’ my! My!” Mridu was quite excited.

Dhaani had no other way, but had to surge towards the living room. 

As soon as she entered, she saw one tall guy wearing white shirt, looking through the window, keeping his back towards her. She could clearly see that he was holding a bunch of red roses.

“Excuse me, is it Rahul?” Dhaani initiated…..

“Yes!!!”, Rahul turned back……

“You?????” Dhaani somehow controlled herself. She was shocked, was it a dream, she could not believe, she pinched herself. 

“Hey Dhaani! Happy Valentine day!! How are you? Shocked huh? I recognized you at Swati’s marriage only…. Can we go out now?”

“Give me few minutes plzzzz……”

Dhaani ran to her room to wear the red dress which her mom had sent.

Who was she???

Massaging with hand cream, Reeta sat down on the floor behind the armchair. She almost finished all her work. She was on the fly since morning. Luckily, the part-time maid also came on time. Generally, on Saturdays and Sundays, the maid also loved to take off.  Anyways, now, the dinner was ready. The fresh flowers on the pots, room - freshner, scented candles, the deem decorative lights, all were making the ambience quite romantic. She kept Raj’s favorite cashew nuts on a beautiful red stone-studded trey on the center table.

It was already 6 pm. She would start dressing up in few minutes. She had spent three hours in the morning, doing pedicure, manicure, threading, curling her hair. Why not she would do!!! She would meet Raj after 14 years.

Reeta wore her most favorite, beautiful black dress…along with matching Swarovski earrings that kept dangling and playing hide and seek with her hair. She kept her long black curly hair open, bringing few logs to the front, as if they were lying carelessly on her shoulders.  She saw herself in the mirror at least hundred times since morning.

It was 7 pm. Raj told her that he would reach her home approx 8 pm. She would have to pass her time restlessly for another hour now. Something stroked her mind, suddenly she remembered her diary. It was lying in a dusty corner for years...which fell down from the almirah and knocked on the floor, while cleaning her home today.

She switched on the table lamp and curled up in the cosy nook with her diary. She had written every detail there during her affair with Raj. 

‘Handsome’ was so little a word to describe this magnificent, outrageous and gorgeous young man. He had this intense look in his deep blue eyes that would make a girl to quiver and shiver at his mere look. She fell in love with Raj, at the first sight. Not only she, but many girls from her class. Fortunate was she, as Raj fell for her long curly hair, and they started going around making other girls jealous. 

They were in full-fledged affair for four years, but some destiny made them separate after college. They had no connection. Raj went to Australia and she moved to Bangalore.

Reeta was quite hesitant to say ‘Hi’ to Raj, when they faced each other at Delhi airport, last week. Both were on business trips. Reeta was coming back to Bangalore and Raj also had few meetings there. Awkwardness prevailed in the initial stage, but gradually, both became easier.

“Where your husband works?” Raj was curious, probably.

“I am yet to find a good guy to marry…”   

“Huh??? Really??? I think you could not remove my existence in your life…” Raj was a bit shocked, but smiled nicely, probably felt his chest up by few inches.

“What about your wife? How many children you have? Must be having at least four???” Reeta muttered.

“I am still a bachelor too…”

“What????” Reeta was embarrassed.

Boarding announcements made them separate again…. Reeta was wishing silently, if Raj would have come with a request to exchange his seat with the one, next to her. But, unfortunately, both the seats, next to her were occupied by a couple.

They exchanged the numbers at Bangalore airport and planned to meet on Saturday evening, rather night. Reeta invited him to her home, where she lived alone. She had bought the house two years back and tried to make as cosy and artistic as possible.

The calling bell rang. She jumped up, and opened her eyes wide.

Her heartbeats were racing. She started blushing! Probably, few drops of sweating pouring from her face! 

Reeta opened the door. Raj was standing outside with a beautiful girl with a bunch of red roses.

Who was she?????????