Tribal jewellery: then and now!

When talking about jewellery, our mind starts picturing gold, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, etc. But in the tribal style jewellery, none of these elements figure. Their jewellery is usually made of materials such as animal bones, teeth, ivory, stones, semi-precious stones, shells, wood and other such natural materials found around their habitats.

Elephant hair jewellery is another example of using animal body parts into making ornaments. Even dried berries or seeds of fruits were turned in to beautiful jewels. But if dig deeper into their history, you will know that egg shells were probably one of the oldest materials to be used.  

Jewellery was usually made by stringing these simple materials together and fastening the strung beads around various body parts - the wrists, the ankles, the neck, the waist, etc. FYI, animal sinew or tendon was used to string the elements together.

However, in the present time, the tribal jewellery designs have become staples for city women too. From red carpet to streets, you can see them around you often. But yes, instead of materials obtained from their surroundings, more refined techniques and things are used to recreate their ancient designs.

Author: Deepa Mishra

Disclaimer: All images used in the blog have been sourced from Google purely for the purpose of informative reference. The models, celebrities or products showcased in these pictures are not to promote any brand in any manner.