Kalgi Sarpech: Turban Ornament

Sarpech: Ornament for the Turban

The sarpech is a compound of two words, namely sar literally meaning `head` and pech, referring to a feather. As an ornament, although it was flat, it was shaped like a single vertical feather, with a curved tip. Crafted from metal, it was set with gems on the obverse side. Sometimes, even the reverse was elaborately enamelled or decorated with precious stones. It was worn by tucking its gold stem, usually called the quill, into the folds of the turban.

Sarpech is the proud and prized ornament that used to adorn Turbans in all the princely states of India. It turned out to be as a mark of high distinction among the royals. They appear quite often in the court of Nizam and the Sikh court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.A Sarpech was earned or conferred by Emperor or king for great deeds, service and acts of bravery. Obviously, not everyone was entitled to wear it, associated as it was with princes and others.

As Queen Victoria became Empress of India in 1857, no Indian Prince was supposed to adorn his Turban or head with a crown, and this perhaps explains the emergence of Sarpech as main head ornament that had its own style transmitting the regality.

It has a fixed shape with certain variations in detail and materials. They are seen in Indian paintings of the times.

Sometimes the Sarpech was worn with a sar patti.The broad sarpatti contains several pieces beautifully hinged together for smooth tying and secured with strings and tassels round the head.What actually made it flamboyant and enhanced its beauty was the vertical piece that rises from the centre of the band in the form of a Kalghi inclining at the top towards one direction and ended generally with a pearl pendant from it.


This beautiful crafted ornament set with matching diamonds gives a feeling of richness that could happen only in India of the Maharajas.

Thewa Jewellery

Thewa is an art of fusing gold sheets on to glass but different to enameling. Different type of designs are engraved on the gold sheet and put on to the glass and encased in silver.

Thewa is a craft practised by a few craftsmen who specialise in the art of fusing filigreed gold sheets on to glass. The craft of thewa is still practised by hereditary craftspersons in the small fortified town of Pratapgarh in district Chittorgarh of south Rajasthan and in Rampur in Madhya Pradesh. This unique craft uses plaques of glass as its base material. Till today the tradition of using red, green, and blue glass continues.The technique of thewa has been used to create extremely interesting ornaments, plates, trays and jewellery, as well as small objects for daily use. This skill and the expertise required to create thewa objects is unique to Pratapgarh and Rampur. However, in the 19th century the towns of Indore and Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh also achieved widespread fame for this jewellery craft.

The art of thewa can be traced back 400 years when the rulers of Pratapgarh gave a land grant to the families of artisans in the area practising the craft. The artisans, all Hindus, belong to the Soni caste. Unconfirmed sources claim that the technique actually originated in Bengal where it did not do well, leading the Bengali artisans to move westwards in search of patronage. They are supposed to have finally settled in Rajasthan where they taught the Soni family the thewa technique. Women do not practise this craft and the daughters are not taught as it is feared that they may take the family secrets with them to the home(s) of their in-laws. T.N. Mukherji in his book Art Manufacturers of India which was compiled for the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1888 mentions the technique of thewa as a kind of imitation enamel that is very effective in appearance. He also states that the technique used was kept a family secret.

The process followed in thewa work is detailed and intricate. Broken pieces of terracotta, finely ground, are mixed with chemicals and oil to produce a thick fine paste. This is spread on a wooden piece that serves as a base for the mixture. The gold sheet (pure 24 carat gold of 40 gauge thickness) is then spread over the mixture and the design is etched on it. Black paint is spread over the gold sheet so that the design becomes clearly visible and can be worked upon further. The craftspersons then work on the pattern, removing the excess gold and creating the filigree design. The gold sheet is peeled off gently, by heating it. This has to be done very carefully for the fragile gold crafted sheet can break or lose shape. The gold patterned sheet is now thoroughly washed and all extra substances are removed with a mild acid. A piece of glass of the same size as the gold pattern is chosen and encased in a frame of silver or silver wire. The thin sheet of patterned gold is then fixed to the silver border. While it is still hot, the rim of silver and film of gold are delicately slipped over the edge and pressed on to the surface of the glass. The piece is then heated until the gold and the glass are firmly fused together. A thin silver foil is fixed on the other side of the glass to provide the final finish.

Only gold sheets of the highest purity are used, for this purity lends itself to the thewa technique. All gold is heated to remove impurities before it is rolled out and the sheets (mostly of 40 gauge thickness) are cut. As the work requires intricate detailing and skilful fusion of the gold into the glass base, the wastage is high.Overheatingcan break the glass or melt the gold. Alternatively, if not treated properly the gold filigree does not fuse well and soon comes off. It is only after two years of intensive experimentation and many failures that an artisan can learn the the thewa technique with 98% quality.

The craftsmen at Rampura have been using Belgian glass, from windowpanes of old houses and buildings, as the base for thewa articles but this source has now been exhausted and finding glass with the right colours is becoming difficult. As a result, thewa pieces can now be found in a new range of colours and materials: lemon, white, black. Some of these are original, while others are obtained, often using plastics. Experimentation with other metals, including silver, is also being done. The motifs taken are equally from Hindu mythology and Mughal courtly scenes and include floral motifs, enactment of historical scenes, animals like elephants and deer, winged fairies, scenes from the battlefield, and picturisations of rulers. Products made include jewellery and ornament pieces, boxes, plates, photo frames, belts, perfume bottles, and vases. Unlike other gold jewellery the value of a thewa piece comes not from the intrinsic value of gold but, instead, from the skill required to fashion an article.

Some of the finest examples of the thewa art can be seen in museums in India and abroad. Presently the craft is witnessing a revival in India, with thewa jewellery pieces being made available in urban markets through designers.

Jhoomer Hair Jewellery

What is Jhoomar?

Jhoomar or Jhoomer is a fan shape hair ornament worn on the left side of the head.

It is a very popular accessory for Indian Bride for Head / Hair Decoration.

Jhoomar is also known as Passa or Side Tikka.

It is made of Gold,Silver, Pearl,Kundan or Crystal materials.


How to wear a Jhoomar:


There is a hook at its end which is to be attached in the hair.

As per latest fashion trend, Jhoomars can be also creatively worn on center of the forehead like a maang tikka.

Indian Bridal Bangles-Choora/Chura/Chooda

Indian Bridal bangles are known as Choora/Chura/Chooda/Chuda and are the special types of set of bangles, which are worn by a Punjabi Sikh bride at the time of her marriage with a traditional attire known as "lehenga". Originally these bangles are made out of elephant's tusk.The choora decorates the bride in a unique and extra ordinary way.

The latest design trend of Chura available in the markets is personalised with the bride and grooms name on it.It is known as "Dulhan Ka Naam Wala Suhag Chooda"

Dulhan Ka Naam Wala Suhag Chooda

Before marriage the bride's maternal uncle put Chura in the arms of bride. Usually these bangles are in red, white, ivory and maroon colors.

Wedding Chooda washed in milk and rose petals

 There is special function called chooda ceremony which is held in morning on date of marriage.Pandit does puja with bride and her family member.Chooda is washed into milk and bride's uncle makes the bride wear her chooda.Bride's maternal uncle (brother of bride's mother)gets a gift from bride parents. Bride is not allowed to see the chooda before the time of chooda ceremony.It is not good sign(upsagaun).Bride has to keep her eyes close ,till the time white clothes is tied on that and she is allow to see it in evening of marriage. Chuda is always worn in combination with bell shaped hangings known as "kalire" which are tied on by the female cousins and sisters. The shape of the kalire has a symbolic meaning. The top is shaped like a coconut, to show that the bride will always have food in her new home. There are metal pieces hanging from it, to show that she will always have wealth.The bride moves the "kalire" above the heads of her un-married cousins for good luck, in hopes that they will get married soon.

Bridal Chuda worn with Kalire

 Choora is worn by the bride for 40 days from the day she puts it on. On the 40th day only the husband's sister means sister in law can take off the choora. Then the bride leaves it at her mothers house. She can wear other choora's after that for as long as she likes in any color. It is a cultural tradition in many Sikh/Punjabi families.

Nath Nathni-Nose Pin Ring

Nose piercing is a cult-like tradition in India.The nose and ear piercing dates back to vedic times on India and and the ear/nose piercing is a religious custom. The left nostril of Hindu girls as young as five years old is pierced. On the wedding night, the bride wears a Nath (Nose ring). The Nath is hooked by a chain to either the earring or hair. The bridegroom removes the Nath, symbolizing end of bride's virginity. A widow does not wear any jewel in the pierced nose. It is claimed that nose piercing decreases pain of menstruation and eases the child birth.Apart from parents, it was considered that only maternal uncle or husband can offer the gift of nose ornamental jewellery to a woman. Taking a gift of nose ring or nath from any outsider, is considered to be an act of indiscipline.

Woman follow this tradition with the fervor of a cult even if they don't have their nostril pierced, or they may not be virgin. They would wear a clip-on Nath connected by a chain to a clip-on earring, just to be removed by the groom on the wedding night.

Marathi Karwari Nath in Pearls

Jodha Akbar Jewellery

Jodha Akbar Jewellery is inspired by the signature painting on canvas of a tribal self confident lady done by an artist awarded by the Government of India MR. GIRDHAR(1920-60) and has been displayed at even big auction houses of the world like Christies.

Two hundred craftsmen worked for 600 days, moulded 400 kg of gold and precious and semi-precious stones to recreate jewelleries of Mughal era in Ashutosh Gowariker's historical romance Hindi film "Jodhaa Akbar" .

Tanishq, the leading jewellery brand, unveiled the jewellery worn by Aishwarya Rai, who plays the Rajput princess Jodhabai and Hrithik Roshan, who features as Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Akbar, in the movie.

The exquisite pieces include sarpech (feather pin), archer's ring, arsi (mirror ring), bhor (head jewel like in Indian tika) and hansali (choker).


A blend of Mughal and Rajasthani designs, the handcrafted jewels on display are breathtakingly beautiful and give an insight to India's glorious past.

The total weight of the jewellery will be about 300 kg and it's a huge investment on the part of the company. There were 13 ensembles for Aishwarya and eight for Hrithik. Designers have used gold and gems like emeralds, pearls, ruby, tourmaline and jade.

'Jodhaa Akbar' became a design and research challenge because it had to be the specific Rajput and Mughal traditions of the 16th century and there was very little available from that time. It was a research from the combination of miniature paintings, 'Akbarnama' and old royal families. We also did a lot of research in museums and archives, private collection of various royalties and at the Chitrakala Parishad.

The basic difference was that Mughal jewellery was much finer in craftsmanship and Rajput jewellery was more rustic. At that time - Mughals used a lot more pearls than the Rajputs did."

Akbar's favourite gem was the emerald. In 'Akbarnama' there are actually blue prints of emerald mines, which Akbar had started and wherever you see him, he wears emeralds, which is the symbol of power.

Ornaments were created keeping in mind its relevance to the two rich Indian traditions. It was a tedious job for the team working on the jewellery to find details about Jodhabai's jewels.

For Akbar, there were a lot more literal references, but for Jodha there were very few. We got references from Rajput designs of that time, used motifs that were prevalent at that time, architecture, miniature paintings and through existing pieces from that time.

Jodha Akbar Jewellery

In the 16th century, Rajput women use to wear 12 pieces of jewellery. Starting with the 'borla' (hair pins) to anklets and it was made sure that designers followed the same definition of an ensemble.

The designs are mostly "kundan and meenakari"- inlay work common to Rajasthan. The interesting thing about most 'kundan' and 'meenakari' is as many as five craftsman worked on one single piece. One made the mould, another set the stone, one inlaid the pearls and others made the colourful 'meenakari' work. So, each jewel takes a long time to craft. It's not factory-made. The jewellery was handcrafted.

Women used to wear large thumb rings with mirrors so that they could see their faces in the mirror. Now, setting a mirror in that mould is a special skill and it doesn't exist today. Designers had to find craftsman who could recreate it.

The dazzling array of precious ornaments worn by Emperor Akbar and Jodhaabhai in the movie Jodha Akbar truly brings to life the opulence of the Mughal and Rajput trousseaus.

From intricate neckpieces, rings, bangles, earrings and chains to more traditional pieces such as the sarpech (turban ornament), hathphool (hand ornament) and bhor (forehead ornament), the collection is nothing short of extravagant!

Some of the pieces that are worth noticing are:

Emperor Akbar’s Sword:

Akbar the Great – mighty emperor, conqueror of nations, vanquisher of foes – wielded the sword with great élan. This magnificent weapon, with meticulously sculpted elephants, was symbolic of Emperor Akbar’s power, masculinity and leadership. 8 specialists took 11 months to breathe life into the magnificent gem-encrusted, 3.5 feet long ceremonial sword.

Akbar’s Sarpech:

Turban ornament was the ultimate symbol of royalty, worn exclusively by Emperor Akbar in his durbar. Large emeralds crafted in elaborate floral motifs were used in his sarpech to fulfill his fascination with this green stone.

Jodha's Aad:

An ornament that adorns the neck and flows down to decorate her chest, the Aad is the most elaborate ornament of the Rajput queen. It was the central piece of the bride’s wedding trousseau that symbolised her transition from girl to woman.

This ornament was also meant to display the wealth and rank of the bride’s family; the bigger and heavier the aad looked, the greater was the status of the bride’s family.

Shringaar Patti/Matha Patti

Matha Patti Indian Bridal Hair Jewelry

Matha Patti is an hair accessory worn by the Indian bride on her forehead on her wedding day.It is also a part of temple jewelry and worn during special dance performances like Bharatnatyam.This unique and gorgeous Indian Bridal Head  Ornament Maatha Patti is also alternatively known as Shringaar Patti or Damni

"Matha" means head and "Patti" means band.So the meaning of the word Matha Patti is a decorated head band for the hair. Matha Patti is a traditional Indian Bridal Jewellery and is a type of an extended or complete Maang Tikka. This hair ornament has a central Maang Tikka along with one or several layered extender chains. The central Tikka and supporting extender chains are joined to form a single jewellery piece popular as Matha Patti. The center portion of the jewelry is placed on the head along the centre hair parting and the extensions on either sides run along the hair line above the forehead.

Latest Style Design Trends in Matha Patti

Several styles of Matha Patti headpiece are available for sale in many online jewelry shops as a bridal or wedding hair accessory. These come in several simple single layered to more elaborate multi layered designs. These may be made of gold, silver, crystal, diamond, kundan or pearl materials.



Pakeeza Style Half Matha Patti: The trend of half Matha Patti is becoming quite popular among the brides. Half Matha Patti also known as Pakeezah Style Matha Patti or Side Matha Patti or Pakeezah Jhoomar is worn only on one side of the hair as opposed to both sides. This allows the bride to have a side parting of the hair rather than centre parting that is required for the traditional Matha Patti.

Pakeezah Style Half Matha Patti

Rajasthani Style Matha Patti: Rajasthani Matha Patti is different from the traditional Matha Patti because of the central pendant known as borla that is spehrical and not flat as in regular Matha Patti.

Rajasthani Matha Patti with Borla

Layered Style Matha Patti: This regal style of Matha Patti has more than one layer of side panels to make a more ornate and elaborate design. It is worn mostly by the brides.It truly gives a royal princess style of look to the wearer.

Hathphool

Hathphool is a beautiful ornament worn on the back of the hand.Hathphool is a Indian jewelry that embellishes the wrist as well as the fingers of the bride. It is a bracelet with one or the more strings attached to it, having rings at the other end.