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India is one of the great River Valley cradles of civilization. While we know little about the Indus Valley civilization. The adornment with jewelry is notable in all subsequent civilizationms for which information is available. One source writes, "It is rare to find any woman in India who may not have ever loved to decorate herself with jewelry." The emphasis may have been on adorning women, but Indian male potentates were also among the most heavily adorned rulers. Indian is famed for its jem stones, especially rubies and diamomds, but we also see emeralds, pearls, and sapphires. India also produces some gold, but most of its gold is imported. We believe that no know rulers in history possessed such richs in precious metals and jem stones than the great Moguls (16th-17th centuries). But it is not just the ruling class that appreciated and wore jewlry. Jewelry was appreciated not only for its traditional value and beauty, but for the common people was a source of security in uncertain times before banks and other investments existed. And the quantity of jewelry owned by a woman was an expression of her and her husband's status. Jewelry was used to accentuate a woman's beauty. Dancers performed with exquisite sparkling Indian jewelry. The rtpes of jewelry is huge. There was essentially an an ornament for virtually every part of her body beginning with the hair, including the ears and nose, down to her toes. Indian jewlry has been traditional heavy, includuing voluminous gold pieces. The ordinary people turned to silver. More modern jewlry is lighterr, probably because as India becomes more porosperous, more people can aford gold, but not large heavy pieces. HBC of course is primarily concerned with children amd we see laces, neckaces, pendents, rings, waist bands, and bracelets (for both wrists, and ankles). Much of this jewelry for children is done in gold. India continues o be ine if the worls's impprtant markets for gold.
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