Assamese Jewellery

Assam, one of India's seven sister states, is known for its beautiful landscapes and interesting cultural backgrounds. As the name ‘Assam’, derived from the Sanskrit word Asoma meaning peerless or unparalleled, everything about this parallel is unique. The same goes for its jewellery too. Assamese Jewellery is known for its amazing handcraft and the fine detailing with which each piece is made.

Assamese adornment designs are influenced by nature, musical instruments, animals, birds and all things associated with daily life in a village. These ornaments are made as part of a traditional job by gifted craftsmen from the rural villages and this art of making adornment dates back a few centuries. Assamese ornaments are usually made from gold, silver, brass, bronze, copper, amber, etc and some rare ones from ivory and rhinoceros’ horns. And most popular designs have red, green, blueand black enamel works on it.

Here we are going to see some traditional and elegant Assamese jewellery designs.

Kerumoni: Kerumoni is an ethnic ornament set containing earrings and a necklace. This jewellery set has a hollow space in the middle - called ‘keru’ and is attached with pearls - ‘moni’ as decoration. Thus the name Kerumoni. It is round in shape- one side large and the other small.

Jethi pota: Jethi pota resembles the beautiful orchid flower known as ‘ Kopou Phool’ in the Assamese language. In this jewellery set, a wide band of cloth is placed in a miniature medallions row, with a pendant in the middle.

Thuriya: Thuriya ornaments, especially thuriya earrings are among the favourites of Assamese village women because of their simplicity and beauty. With beautiful red stones embedded in gold, it has a flower design in the front and bottom sides. The middle side is thinner making it easier to be worn.

Pepa: This adornment design is inspired by ‘pepa’- a hornpipe. This musical instrument is made from buffalo horn which is used in traditional music in Assam. With stone and enamel decorations, this ornament is a favourite among Assamese women on special occasions.

Lokaparo: Inspired by the beauty of ‘paro’- meaning pigeon, this Assamese jewellery will make the wearer look prettier than ever. Decorated with colorful stones - usually red, blue and green - embedded in gold, is the best example of how Assamese artistic jewellery is.

Muthi-kharu: It is a traditional bulky bracelet. It can be worn as a bold statement ornament. This bracelet is embellished with gold or silver enamelling over the base material. It is locally known as Hilikha muthi kharu, and Rontholi of Nagaon district is famous for making this adornment piece using the technique handed over by ancestors.

Dugdugi: Also known as doog-dog, this ornament also represents the authentic grace of Assamese jewellery. Shaped like a spade, you can find earrings, necklaces, rings, etc. in this design.

Golpata: Made of gold, this adornment has floral designs in it. Stunning stone works are also done by hand in the process. Usually, golpata necklaces are worn around the neck like a choker with matching earrings.

Gam-kharu: Gam-kharu is a solid bracelet or bangle with a clasp. It is comfortable to wear and gives a stylish look. Made of heavy gold plated material it is quite bulky, and a single piece itself is enough. It is usually worn on special occasions or ceremonies like Bihu or marriage. Not only women, but men also wear Gam-kharu; but they prefer silver ones.

Jonbiri: The name ‘jonbiri’ comes from the words ‘jon’ meaning moon and ‘biri’ the designs around the adornment. That is an ornament in the shape of a half-moon with colored enamel embellishments on it.