Jewelry, as they exist in India can be broadly classified into following categories depending on their style:

1. Beads in their different forms.

2. Chase or embossed work

3. Charms, amulets and conventional jewelry

4. Claw and closed setting (Modern jewelry)

5. Crude setting

6. Enamel

7. Crustari or encrustation of semi-precious stones

8. Gem setting

9. Filigree work

10.Ivory, Shell, Lac, Glass etc.

11.Granular ornamentation.

12. Kundan setting

13. Reposse or engraved work

14. Silver ornaments or folk jewelry

15. Tribal jewelry.

The style of workmanship like the setting of gems, the types of designs and the persisting fashions had a continuous link with the past on present Indian jewelry. As one moves from region to region in India, one can clearly distinguish jewelry of the particular region and at the same time innumerable similarities.

North-West India

North West region of India, spanning Kashmir, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Saurashtra have jewelry of metal and gems and fashioned like the ornaments of ancient India. However, today, modern media have replaced faience, steatite and terracotta. Metal embossing and cutting (repousse work) is a special feature of jewelry of these regions. Gems setting, beads of semiprecious stones of all sizes and shapes as also engraving are popular.

Kashmiri jewelry is encrusted with gems and beads and is mostly made of silver. Numerous types of beads in different shapes like globular discoid etc. fringe the silver jewelry. Carnelian, jade, amethyst, jasper, cat's eye, turquoise and lapis-lazuli are the gems used in Kashmiri jewelry. Kashmiri jewelry in both dull oxidized silver as well as glittering variety brings out the beauty of the encrusted gems.