'The Jewel Expo 2012', at Poompuhar showroom, Anna Salai, was recently inaugurated by J. Chandrakumar, Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, Government of Tamil Nad.
Undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited, it aims to preserve the ancient crafts and uplift the standard of living of the craftsmen. .
Types of jewellery
Almost 10 different types of jewellery from various States have been exhibited here.
The ‘Meenakari jewels' grab our attention immediately. The huge brass necklaces and ear rings coloured by wax, are available in gold and silver coated metals. .
Eco-friendly tribal jewellery, coloured using vegetable colours with beads of different shapes and sizes from Himachal Pradesh, looks like the perfect accessory for the modern day women.
Right next to these are fashion jewellery made by Devi, Kasturi and Subha, who pursue jewellery making as family business. .
Traditional silver jewellery such as anklets, toe-rings and crystal jewels, made in Salem and Jaipur and gold-plated jewellery are also on sale. Kolkata jute, Hyderabad pearls and gem stone jewellery are also appealing. The Rudraksha mala stall is unique. The strands have been made using various shapes and sizes of the bead, brought from Nepal, Indonesia and Rishikesh . Single-faced to twenty-face of Rudraksham are available. Necklaces made of crystal, jade are also on display.
Craftsmen
The lac bangles from Jaipur catch the eye with bright colours. Each bangle, hand-made by Ganpat Varma, is a beauty in itself.
“There are around 20 craftsmen here. They are the major contributors to the Poompuhar showroom. If we had invited all our contributors, there would have been 40-60 stalls. But due to space constraint, we had to restrict ourselves,” said Krishnamurthy, superintendent, Poompuhar.
The ‘Jewel Expo 2012' is on at Poompuhar Showroom, (next to Higginbotham's) 108, Anna Salai between 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (including Sundays). A a discount of 10 per cent is available on all items. The exhibition closes on June 16.
( Shreevarshini is a third year student of English Literature, Ethiraj College for Women )
