Thewa Jewellery:- History, Style, Innovations, and Origin
Thewa is a special art of jewelry making which involves embossing of intricately worked-out sheet gold on molten glass. It evolved in Pratapgarh district, Rajasthan India. Its origin dates back to the Mughal age. India and ethnic accessories are more or less synonymous with each other. Famous for delicately created, beautiful pieces of jewelry, India’s love for Gold is unending. One such fascinating process of creating jewelry by embossing intricately worked-out Gold on a sheet of glass is known as Thewa. This beautiful form of jewelry making evolved during the Mughal era. Gold is embossed on the glass so delicately that the glittery effect of Gold comes across beautifully. Skilled craftsmen spend a whole month on creating a single piece. The motifs used on this jewelry give us a peek into the strong culture and tradition of Rajasthan, the land famous for this craft. The intricately designed jewelry showcases tales of romance and valor that Mughal history has carried since time immemorial.
Process
Thewa is a traditional art of fusing 23K Gold with multicoloured glass. The glass is treated by a special process to have glittering effects, which in turn highlights the intricate gold work. The whole Thewa piece is hand crafted over a period of one month by skilled artisans. Thewa, an art that pulsates with life, caught seemingly in movement, in motifs used on jewellery, which shows the culture, heritage and tales of romance and valour of Rajasthan with nature and happiness depicting the art of the fine craftsmanship. The process of making thewa work is detailed; time consuming and intricate, taking up to a month to complete each piece. It starts with broken pieces of terracotta, finely ground, mixed with chemicals and oil to produce a thick paste. The paste spread on a wooden base has a 23carat gold sheet of 40gauge thickness set onto the mixture and the free hand design etched on it. Black paint spread over the gold sheet that highlights the design so it becomes clearly visible for further detailed work with fine tools. The craftsman removes the excess gold creating a design often based on the Hindu mythology or Mughal court scenes, historical events or with flora and fauna motifs.
Global Influence
Indian ornaments are extremely popular, especially in the west due to their elaborate and flamboyant appeal. International designers have imitated the basic designs of Thewa jewelry to make their own impersonations and styles of jewelry. Popular Indian actresses such as Rekha, Vidya Balan, Sri Devi, Madhuri Dixit, and Aishwarya Rai have flaunted this form of jewelry in their movies and for special red carpet events, which has brought about many admirers from far and wide.
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