Imitation jewellery
Mankind, especially the distaff side has been fascinated with trinkets and baubles of all kinds from ancient times. Large tracts of land have been known to be bartered away in exchange for such knick-knacks. Magpies and other birds are also attracted to shiny pieces of jewellery, and steal them from window sills and the like and collect them in their nests.
All the world over, there is a great demand for imitation jewellery as against real gold, diamonds and precious stones because they cost a miniscule fraction of the real thing and appear as elegant, if not better and are easy to use and keep. The designs are traditional or ever-changing keeping in mind the fashion trends of the day. Imitation jewellery is the best option to go for if one wants to make a fashion statement or just simply set a new trend. There is a wide range to choose from, with quality to match and orders that can also be made to suit ones specifications.
India is one of the biggest producers of jewellery, (even imitation jewellery) in the world and this distinction has come about because of a large and skilled work-force with craftsmanship that has come down from generations. There are well-equipped design studios with professional designers who endeavor to create the newest designs along with the traditional, in order to keep up with the latest fashions and trends world-wide. Imitation jewellery provides the best accessories for any outfit and any occasion, casual or formal. This is a feather in the cap for all artisans who toil behind the scenes to bring out the beauty of these items.
.There is a wide variety to choose from in fashion handcrafted jewellery, like bracelets, pendants, earrings, anklets, necklaces and cuff links in different designs and styles. There are alloys in rhinestone inlay, crystal bead earrings, fish hook earrings, crystal bracelets, plastic bracelets etc. There are those with rhodium plate backing, crushed stone, resin and rhinestone, metal base, shell, gold plated items, imitation diamonds, brooches, bracelets with pendants and so on. There are fancy earrings in bead work of plastic, colored beads, shells, artificial pearls, stainless steel etc. There are beaded necklaces with earrings, in fact, whole sets of imitation jewellery.
The Indian kind of jewellery ranges from meenakaari, kundan, polki and temple jewellery. One can even buy imitation Victorian jewellery. Also available is copper and brass based gold plated jewellery as also silver plated imitation jewellery. Costume jewellery is in great demand and it can be made of such cost effective materials as glass or bone. There are brass metal cuff links, Celtic bangles and semiprecious gem stone jewellery. There are claw clips, butterfly clips and hair clips. Kundan jewellery is said to be one of the oldest forms of jewellery, with kundan arm bracelet, kundan hath panja, kundan tikka/earrings and toe rings. Also available are belly chains, brooches, rings, kadas, jhumka chandelier earrings and so on. There are tennis bracelets, filigree bracelets, metal or lac base bangles, chokers and items made of natural, crystal or artificial gemstone beads.
Imitation jewellery or costume jewellery is the most cost effective item that can be bought in the international market. The price is so economical that people forego the real thing and go in for imitation jewellery as it looks as good as the real thing for a fraction of the value. Gone are the days when people wanted only the real thing, whether they could afford it or not. One is reminded of Madame Loisel in Guy De Maupassants short story, The Diamond Necklace. She goes to a party wearing a borrowed necklace which she lost on the way back. Thinking that it was a genuine piece of jewellery, she replaces it after borrowing and spending a fortune she could ill-afford. To repay the lenders, she slaves away for the next ten years doing menial work, when she so desperately wanted to be a Lady of means. Ironically, a chance meeting with Madame Forestier, the lady she borrowed the necklace from, reveals to her that it was made merely of paste and would not have cost more than five hundred francs. This only goes to show that imitation jewellery can pass off for the real thing and look as stunning, but cost next to nothing.
Todays manufacturers of costume jewellery or imitation jewellery have a large and growing customer base all over the world. They have a steady and loyal clientele, and the clients are growing in number by word of mouth and other means. So the makers of imitation jewellery are a prosperous lot today and their businesses are growing in leaps and bounds. The causes are a large group of skilled workers to whom art is more important than money; all the resources needed readily available, great designs churned out every year at the most competitive prices. These designs are as beautiful as the ones for gold, diamond or precious stone jewellery but they hardly pinch the pocket because they cost so little.
In conclusion, we might say that imitation jewellery has become the rage all over the world and it looks like that this fascination for costume jewellery is here to stay. There are intricately carved designs and stones, beads and crystals worked in many imaginative ways and set in metal or plastic base or such cost effective products to give an elegant and fashionable look to everyone who tries it on. The artisans have to be credited with popularizing all the designs they have painstakingly created and bringing the industry to its peak today, because of their caliber. The manufacturers keep an eye on quality and see that delivery schedules are kept. The beautiful designs and the equally beautiful materials with which they are made and most importantly the economical cost make imitation jewellery the most wanted item on anybodys shopping list. All this keeps the fires burning in the imitation jewellery industry and helps in bringing out new and improved, beautiful works of art in imitation jewellery.
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