This choker, cast of sterling silver – 92.5 percent silver and rest other metals, usually copper, the world standard of pure silver, a magic ring moving from one end to other, unsurpassed in magnificence and visual effect, consists of a number of strange-looking units, all exactly similar – probably die-cast repeats of one form, a crab or one of the many awkward looking animals crawling on its short legs concealed under its flattish mound-like body, a form too conventionalized to recognize, at least not in its exactness. These units, this necklace is composed of, with a back or back-like body-part and a form, looking like a multi-legged spider or octopus, superimposed on it, besides a pair of elongated loops, much like its legs, branching from its belly, are little attractive, if not repulsive; however, all conjoined, lined in perfect profile as if ready to move in a ceremonial parade to right or left, or into a ring, create the beauty of the rarest kind. It simply astonishes how in a tiny insignificant odd-looking form the designer could have seen the great magic that a chain of its repeats was to effect. The necklace manifests one of the cardinals of aesthetics : ‘beauty reveals in the whole, in the part only sometime.

This rare art-piece consists of forty-one main units and forty-two, subsidiary – the loop-units, used for joining each two of the main forty-one constituents, besides the usual chains on both ends, one provided with a hook to lock the two ends adjusting the length. Both, the main and subsidiary units, uniform and precise, appear to be die-cast, though each piece manually dressed and polished, the two pearl-like fine beads, crowning the two ends of the length of the subsidiary loop-unit, and the domical upper of the main unit in particular. Unique in linear effects producing bright and dark zones : various effects of light, a feature that better reveals in silver, the necklace looks like an antique piece. The necklace’s design-pattern, its total look, ethnic character, all suggest that silver alone could be its medium.

A metal, irrespective of whether expensive, less expensive or inexpensive, and an ornament’s design are significantly linked. A design that manifests its ultimate beauty in gold shall not necessarily do so in other metals, say silver. It is the same vice-verse. Though costlier, gold has much less range of ornament-designs than the less expensive silver has. Besides its far wider design-range silver is the medium not only of art-jewellery or art, but it is also in silver that ethnicity, traditionalism and the most of the regional tribes’ ornament-fashions best reveal. Silver is often designated as artists’ metal, poor man’s pride and the sufferer’s balm for among other metals silver alone is believed to have immense healing powers and is being used as one of the most powerful amulets since long time. Silver is the jeweler’s medium world-over now for over six thousand years. Excavated materials bear evidence that Indians have been using silver, not merely for ornaments but also for utensils and shrine-equipments at least for some five thousand years.

Besides Indians, Greeks, Romans, Scottish highlanders among others were the earliest users of silver. Scottish highlanders had frequent clan wars and those with England. As a rule no Scot would go to battlefield unless he had on his person a silver ornament, even a brooch or pin. Not so much a piece of jewellery, silver was to them a ‘good-luck’ symbol and protective amulet. As the tradition had it, even if a silver ornament wearing soldier did not have good luck to survive and was killed, the silver on his person assured him an honorable and graceful burial, some accrediting the silver he wore amuletic powers ensuring such honour, and others, its value, as the person performing the rites was to receive in exchange his silver. For a brief span during Middle Ages silver had lost the status of favourite metal in personal use, though in monasteries and ritual paraphernalia its significance was ever the same; however, like many other things Renaissance brought a rebirth of people’s love for silver and the metal was seen again flooding Italy, France, England by its presence. The Islamic world gave to silver the utmost boost and now in contemporary lifestyle silver fashions more figures by its exotic translucent beauty than does any other jewellery medium.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.