The craft of making beads from different
material is ancient and a large number of
beads have been found from various sites
belonging to the Indus valley civilization.
The craftsmen of this civilization made
beads out of wood, gold, silver, copper,
clay and ivory. The discovery of a hoard
of finished and semi-finished beads from
various sites, during excavations, reveal
that bead making was a popular form of industry
at that time.
The Mughal rulers were great patrons of
jewelry making. Bead necklaces of all sizes
and shapes, made up of precious and semi-precious
stones were a commonplace during the Mughal
era.
Bead making got an impetus during the arrival
of the Europeans to India, who demanded
large amounts of transparent and semi-transparent
beads. The British took beads made of semi
precious stones from India during the 19th
century.
The contemporary bead making craft tradition
of India is vast and varied:
Beads are not only used for making necklaces
and amulets etc but are also used in embroidery.
The process of making beads is simple but
time consuming. The material out of which
beads are to be made is firstly chiseled
to obtain a desired shape and size. Then
a hole is drilled into the material, so
that a string passes through it, to facilitate
stringing of a number of beads together.
However beads made from glass are created
during the process of glass blowing itself. India has the largest production base for
glass beads. Banaras is the main center
for the production of glass beads and is
known for beads made from fused glass rods,
while Purdilpur is famous for its black
glass beads. Beads from Banaras are exported
in large quantities.
Mathura is also popular for its production
of lovely glass and wooden beads, which
are strung together in various combinations
in Rudraksh necklaces (necklaces used in
ceremonies to praise Lord Shiva, made with
a type of dried seeds). Ferozabad produces
fragile and lightweight glass beads.
Indian craftsmen have known the making
of silver beads since ancient times. Karnal
is known for hollow beads made out of silver.
These days beads made out sterling silver
is gaining popularity.
Mizoram is known for necklaces and amulets
made out of amber beads. The beads used
are quiet thick and heavy.
Fancy glass beads, colored glass beads
and crafted metal beads are now becoming
a part of the jewelry worn by urban women
in India. Beads made from semi-precious
stones continue to be popular in India.
Beads come in an assortment of shapes and
colors and at times they are carved also.
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