The Timeless Handcrafted Jewelry - A unique gesture of love

Have you ever been given a handmade “something” from someone? A small piece of origami from your daughter or probably a colorful birthday card from your best buddy at school- those might not be perfectly symmetrical but don’t you cherish them over all the store-bought and machine-made gifts you’ve received? Such is the beauty of handcrafted products.

If we peek into the world of jewelry, handmade jewelry stands out there as well. It is considered priceless because of its very special connection with culture, humanity and history. The love, soul and the personal attention artisans infuse into their work, is pretty evident in the masterpieces that they create. A handmade jewelry is considered more of an investment due to the time, emotions and feelings attached to it.

History of handmade jewelry

The origin of handmade jewelry dates back to prehistoric age. Animal bones, teeth, seashells etc. were used to adorn the bodies. Eventually about 5000 years ago civilizations started to view it in a more serious light. Fashion oriented countries including Egypt, US and China witnessed the boom of jewelry as a status symbol.

The introduction of precious metals such as gold, platinum, precious gemstones including emeralds, diamonds and rubies took handmade jewelry to another level. The market for Jewelry became quite huge over the time. Around the Victorian era as Industrial Revolution took a plunge, manufacturing processes were created to mass produce Jewelry.

Mass production made it easily available to the majority of the population which gradually impacted the uniqueness and quality of the Jewelry over the course of few years. Right now, as mass production is in its full swing in the jewelry industry, handmade Jewelry fearlessly stands out in the crowd.

Types and techniques

There are various types and techniques of making handmade jewelry which have evolved to a great extent over the course of several decades. From beading, carving, engraving to knitting, painting, sequincing, wire wrapping etc., there are various techniques followed around the globe for handicraft arts.

Handmade jewelry artisans have been using different types of metals and gemstones like silver, gold, copper, crystal, quartz etc. Many contemporary jewelry artists are using more unique materials such as glass, beads, fabric, acrylic as well as natural material like wood, leather, shell, animal horns, bones and even teeth. Modern jewelry world is witnessing a lot of innovation in the world of handmade jewelry too.

Reasons you should give Handmade Jewelry a try

We can make you count a plenty of reasons to pick handmade jewelry in your next shopping spree. From handcrafted neckpieces, rings and earrings to pendants, you have a lot of options made entirely with love. Let’s look at few of those reasons:

• Personalized and unique factor

Handmade jewelry can give you a sense of personalization and ownership instead of settling for something which has been mass-produced in a factory. Like something which is as important as a wedding ring or as basic as a regular wear bracelet, there is a certain uniqueness and depth attached to it. Straight from the first cut to the design and clarity, everything is personalized and perfectly curated as per your preference. The pieces are one of a kind and make the wearers stand out amongst the crowd.

Since these items are handcrafted one at a time, it is therefore uncommon to create identical products. Artisans use the age-old skills to create each piece and therefore each piece is different & special. There may by differences or slight blemishes that are not flaws or defects, but characteristics of hand making. We call these little imperfections “the birth marks” of this soulful manufacturing process, which make every single piece one-of-a-kind.

• Environment aspect 

These beautiful epitome of superior craftsmanship are not only unique but also help you stay green. Handmade pieces are majorly executed using safe and eco-friendly components.

• Emotional aspect 

The artisans or makers share a very special relationship with each piece they work on. As a maker, their energy and emotions go into their artwork and hence it’s a privilege to own a handmade jewelry piece.

• Ethical sourcing 

Handmade jewelry is made using ethically sourced materials. This adds up to the cost in comparison to the mass produced products, which are sourced from refiner or dealers with low prices and mediocre quality. Ethical sourcing gives an edge to handmade jewelry in terms of unique designs and excellent quality.

• Quality

One of the most commonly escalated problem with machine –molded gems is that the jewels or stones aren't safely set or embedded. On the other hand, when an expert artisan sets stones or jewels individually by hand, he considers its depth, shape, size etc. while doing so. Machines work on “One size fits all” in which it considers that every regular stone is made equivalent which is not usually the case. On the other hand, it’s easier and more important to maintain the quality in case of small scale production since the process can easily be monitored and corrective actions can be taken timely. Additionally, artisans source good quality materials, closely monitor their work and make sure to produce a high quality end product.

• Curated with Love

What if we told you that you can contribute to your community by purchasing handmade jewelry? The local artisans aren’t recognized many times and their years-old art dies a silent death. Well, you can support local artisans along with reduced carbon footprint if you invest in the handmade jewelry.

Handmade jewelry is timeless, unique and is a language of the heart

The evolution of mass-production of modern pieces of jewelry has been impacting the traditional and local handmade jewelry market as the artisans specialized in old styles of handmade jewelry are struggling to sustain in the face of favorable trends for unconventional designs.

Crafting of a handmade jewelry takes hours and sometimes days since its completely carved and shaped by hands, eliminating the use of machineries. In case you’re wondering why handmade jewelries are expensive, it’s because when a machine produces 100 pieces of adornments in mass, a person creates only one piece at the same time giving it all its personal attention and unique factor.

Handmade pieces of adornments are “timeless” and special and should be given their due share and importance. So, the next time you consider investing into a handmade piece of jewelry, remember that even though it looks like you only bought a lovely jewel piece, you are supporting something even bigger in reality. Also, the feeling that you own a special piece of the artist’s heart in your jewelry collection is paramount and can’t be bound in words.

Shop silver handcrafted jewelry by Nirwaana here.