An old-world charm

Back to the roots

Jewellery has a deep-rooted connection with India, its culture and its women. It has been inbuilt into our psyche that girls tend to look bland without adornments though womenfolk are doing everything they can to change this notion. But the world of jewellery has not entirely lost its appeal; in fact, old and traditional designs are being reinvented everyday to be in tune with the contemporary world yet retain their classical charm.

One has to look no further than the evolution of the traditional coin jewellery to realise the truth of this statement. Once seen only in South Indian temple jewellery, this design has now made its way into the trendy accessories shops of the metro cities in completely new avatars.

M S Vandana Jagwani, creative head at Mahesh Notandass Fine Jewellery, says “I feel craftsmen and artisans have been making coins into jewellery since the inception of coinage. The craftsmen added beautiful patterns onto the coins and imitated the shape of the coin rather than using the coin itself. The coin motif signified a form of richness and was associated with holy symbols of Indian gods and goddesses. Today coin jewellery has found its way back into the market. Mimicking and using old elements and methods, modern styles are being adopted to revive the trend. I have tried reinventing them in my
own ways and introducing a young and fresh appeal in the form of clustered bangles with dangling coins.”

Agreeing with this sentiment, Vishakha Singh, founder and CEO, Redpolka.com, says, “The traditional coin brings a vintage touch to today’s design. And the old world charm definitely outshines other designs in elegance. Coins are used in both traditional as well as contemporary jewellery. They are also used in beautiful cufflinks for men. The traditional setting is more popular in South India. Contemporary jewellery, which uses old coins in abstract settings, can make a jewellery piece look quite attractive. These are statement pieces that would set apart the person wearing them.”

While designers love experimenting with this age-old motif, there are certain others who feel that the oldest and purest form of this traditional jewellery surpasses all successors.

Says Vidya S Varma, a college student, “I love the antique golden coin necklace in its original form. It has a certain elegance and allure that are not quite matched by any other piece of jewellery I own. It has been my staple for most functions too. And while I do admire and appreciate the new trends that are coming out with this motif in mind, I have not really got around to buying one.”

And this fascination for the round metal design is not limited to jewellery only. Says Ankita Mantri Lahoty and Srishti Nadhani, from ‘Store Untold’, “Fusion is the theme nowadays and people are finding ways to show it in every aspect. Everybody wants to get back to their roots, find deeper inspirations and create something contemporary by adding their own element. Vintage value like old art, weaves and pieces are quite popular right now and coin-jewellery is one of the most popular examples of this. The trend has manifested itself in every way possible; from full accessories to embellishments on garments. It is used in necklaces, earrings, head chains, bangles, detailing on garments, shoes, bags and so on.”

Arvind Singhal, COO, BlueStone.com, agrees, “Today, coin jewellery is getting more attention than ever and desired by everyone because of it’s universal appeal”.
Seems like this trend is here to stay.