Adorn - March - April 2108

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Gold has been integral to the culture of luxury even as far back as 3,000 years. This is amply evident in a new exhibition, Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas that is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is the culmination of a painstaking journey that lasted five long years to find, document, restore and showcase many artefacts and historic jewellery pieces from the Ancient Americas. The exhibition traces the culture of luxury in pre-Columbian societies such as the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs, from around 1000BC to the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century. Many of these creations miraculously survived the Spanish Conquest and would have been forever lost to mankind had it not been for the combined efforts of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Getty Research Institute. Admire some of these exquisite gold ornaments in Museum Tour. Ancient techniques have always been a reference point for contemporary artists. Ukrainian jewellery artist Stanislav Drokin, one of the three winners of the prestigious Artistar Jewels 2018 contest in Milan, speaks about the making of the ring titled Two Rivers by using the long-forgotten ancient Indian jewellery technique of double casting, known as Ganga-Jamuna, named after the union of two rivers in Allahabad. He says, “In a world where modern technologies replace craftsmanship and traditions, passed on for centuries, no technology can replicate what was created in ancient India centuries ago using the Ganga-Jamuna method. I am glad that I have discovered the Ganga-Jamuna method by myself, and have re-introduced it to the world!” This issue also focuses on two new jewellery designers from India – Sonali Sheth who heads Sphere, and Geetanjali of Moha, a silver jewellery brand. In Style Quotient, up-and-coming fashion designers Saaksha and Kinni illustrate striking outfits that are paired with luxury jewellery by Istanbul-based jewellery brand Gilan.