Government of India has excavated vast stores of jewelry from various regions in India, covering Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Saurashtra and South India belonging to different eras. Many of them date as far back as 3500 years.

Ancient Sites

The story of Indian jewelry is quite well defined from times of Mohenjo-daro and Harappan culture. A large variety of beads of different materials such as semiprecious stones, faience, steatite, terracotta, glass and crystals belonging to these times were found. Evidence of bead jewelry in different shapes, sizes and media suggests that the art of bead making (lapidary) was a highly evolved craft even during the earliest times of Indian Civilization.

Besides beads, gold, silver, bone and ivory were also excavated belonging to the same era. A combination of gold beads of beautiful shapes and varying sizes and semiprecious stones in jewelry were also unearthed.

Terracotta figures of the Quetta culture revealed ornaments for the head, for the full neck, the lowest necklace ending in a pendant (more beads) bangles and hairpins. These hairpins were some times studded with semiprecious stones specifically Lapiz-lazuli.

Chalcolithic Period

Motifs

Motifs