Antique Jewellery vs New Temple Jewellery: Which to Buy?
Imagine yourself at the counter where you’re offered to choose between two pieces of jewellery. One of them seems old-fashioned and even slightly used while the other one is new and shines brightly. Which one would you select? This is exactly the type of choice that many Indian jewellery buyers face. When deciding whether to buy antique or temple jewellery. And let’s be honest: there is no correct way of making this choice; it all depends on your preferences. But let’s talk about both types so you can make an informed decision.
Image source : Unsplash
The Charm of Antique Jewellery
It would be wrong not to say that antique jewellery has something special about it. Firstly, each piece has its own unique character which modern jewellery cannot provide. Each antique piece has been lived a long life of its own. Each one has its own unique story to tell. All of them were worn by some person, all of them were made in particular time periods and all of them were worked on by goldsmiths using specific methods. And the imperfection you see is what makes them so special.
And visiting antique stores is a unique experience. Walking in, you feel like you enter a completely different time period. The owners of the right antique store understand the history behind each of their pieces, and that’s the kind of value which you cannot recreate using an assembly line. The customers consider antique gold a valuable investment because the price of antique gold does not drop; in some cases, it even goes up because of the scarcity of the material and the fact that it is no longer produced. There are no more copies of the piece once it is sold, and there is no other design left in the back room.
Still, antique jewellery has its problems. Sizing may be difficult because people did not have the same body proportions as we do now. The purity of the pieces may differ, and you should not expect the same results cleaning the piece of jewellery as you would expect with your new gold. Still, if you are a person who enjoys finding, researching and possibly restoring jewellery, then antique jewellery will be an ideal option for you.
Temple Jewellery: Antique Traditions Redefined for the Modern Era
Image source : Vecteezy
Now that we have touched upon contemporary jewellery, let us discuss temple jewellery, which seems to be a trend at present, and one understands why. Temple Jewellery is inspired by the carvings on South Indian temples, images of gods and goddesses, and age-old techniques used by traditional goldsmiths. Thus, Temple Jewellery combines the classical beauty with the perfection of modern technology. Temple Jewellery gives one the sense of ceremonially and richness while it is designed to be worn rather than displayed inside a glass case.
That is another reason why temple jewellery is such a popular option for weddings. Brides want their temple jewellery to have all the features characteristic of the temple jewellery style – namely, the images of deities, the ruby and emerald borders and the elaborate nakshi work – yet they need a piece which is comfortable to wear and will be a good photograph under the bright wedding lights; brides definitely do not want fragile ancient Indian jewellery handed down for generations. Modern pieces guarantee the same level of purity, so when one is browsing through 22k temple jewellery online, there are no doubts about its authenticity.
There’s another practical aspect to it as well. Fresh temple jewellery pieces will always come with accurate bills, hallmarked certification and sometimes even a guarantee of returns in case of an exchange, which becomes significantly harder in the case of antiques. Plus, when building up your personal collection of temple jewellery for all those weddings — mehendi, pre-wedding and reception included — you’ll have more chances of tailoring a perfect look by yourself, because you’ll be able to pick up the colour of stones that you like and adjust the design to your fashion colour palette.
The Comparison Between the Two: Character vs Consistency
So, here’s a way to make the decision in your mind.
When rarity is your priority, you want to find some sort of a one-of-a-kind antique piece in a trusted dealer’s collection and make sure that no amount of money in the world will ever create another piece like that one again. When shopping for temple jewels, every single collection of Indian jewellery that you happen to find at an auction or a heritage jewellery store gives you some sort of a historical background on the region, its aesthetics and its goldsmiths’ techniques.
However, if you value reliability more, that is, reliable purity, comfortable fit, easier resell and insurance, and the design created for the wedding aesthetics of today – then new temple jewellery wins undoubtedly. After all, you get all the beauty and luxury of temple-styled looks – the coin patterns, jhumkas with dancing figures, various layers of beautiful necklaces – without all that unpredictability related to buying an antique item.
Indeed, most of those who buy this type of jewellery do not go one way or another. They mix both styles – maybe it is just a single piece of antique jewellery, like a nose ring or some vintage bangles, complemented by full modern temple jewellery.
Tips to Remember before Purchasing
Image source : India Today
Anyway, before you decide to buy an antique temple jewellery or new – remember the following recommendations:
- Check its purity and hallmarking, which is crucial for antique gold because of lacking certain regulations in the past.
- Try to find out the origin of the jewellery. If it is sold in any decent antique store, its age and history should not be a problem to reveal.
- Try it on before you decide. Temple jewellery worn during a marriage ceremony looks very differently in normal light than when it’s on a photograph during the wedding.
- Take into account your intentions about wearing it regularly. In case it is not a special occasion but an everyday piece of jewellery, new temple jewels would be more resistant to daily life.
- Set your budget boundaries early. Prices in both types vary a lot and can be from moderately expensive to high-priced items worth collecting.
Conclusion
All in all, there was no race in between Indian jewellery. It’s all about you and your needs. Antique jewellery is full of mystery and will be appreciated by those who are willing to find it. Temple jewellery offers the same feeling of tradition but it is way more durable, thus suitable for events such as weddings. No matter which type you choose, or even mix both – the most important thing is that it will fit you personally, since jewellery should reflect the owner.
