The traditional meenakari art has donned several modern avatars to keep up with the demands of the modern fashion market, observes Shankar Sen
There are hardly any women on earth who are immune to the attraction of jewellery. A woman’s obsession for jewellery is quite the pursuit of her identity. Jewellery comes in various styles and designs. The enameling work on “meenakari” jewellery creates a magical effect of colours that cannot be achieved from even the most sparkling of gems. The meenakari jewellery is available in almost each and every imaginable colour.
This art was cultivated centuries ago and with the use of latest technologies and the expertise gathered over a period of time a stage has come where it has become the most loved and admired form of Indian Jewellery. Meenakari has come a long way—from being the most exquisite to only a colour option and again in the league of the classic and elegant work of art. With the Indian meenakari (enameling) getting hugely popular in Indian and foreign regions alike, it’s time we took a look at the journey of this art.
The process of making enamel jewellery appears to have begun during the 13th and 11th century BC. An innovation in the manufacturing of enamel jewellery took place during the Renaissance when gums were used during the manufacturing process. The gums held the enamel before heating and prevented residue from being left on the surface of the metal after firing. Today it is a popular style of jewellery and is being sold like hotcakes by a number of jewellery stores.
The word ‘meena’ stands for enamel and the work ‘kari’ is the art. The art of meenakari came to India with the arrival of the Mughal era and was also done on the palace walls of Rajasthan. In this form of jewellery, precious stones are set and then enameled with gold. The art requires higher skill, and each piece is of metal on which the work is to be done, and fixed on a lac stick. Designs of flowers, birds, fish and other naturely items are engraved on it. This leads to the creation of walls or grooves, to hold colour. Enamel dust of required colour, is then poured into the grooves and each colour is fired individually.
The depth of the grooves, filled with different colours, determines the play of light. Silver and gold are most commonly used as a base. Choice of colours, in case of silver, has to be green, yellow, or blue, as these are the colours which stick with it. As for gold, any colour can be applied to it and this is also the reason why the metal is most preferred for meenakari jewellery.
Meenakari jewellery has come back with a makeover this season and is the most preferred jewellery at present across the globe. It's a craze, it's a passion and it’s an obsession. The art itself has evolved, and has come up with new unconventional colours like sea green, azure blue, hot pink, and even brown along with the traditional red and green. Exotic patterns and exquisite artwork can be seen in the market now in the form of playful enamel designs and clever patters of meenakari.