Egyptians, men and women, both rich and poor wore forms of jewelry.  It served decorative, religious, and magical purposes.  Some were worn as amulets, or charms, believed to help the wearer in the afterlife.  Gold, semi-precious stone, and even colored glass were common.They weren’t the only ones. You may encounter the art of body adornment in other antique cultures like greeks ,chinese ,mongolians ,japanese and  aztecs. In some tribes in Africa body adorning has still religious and magical purposes.

Fashion today is reviving the art of body adornment. Young labels from India , like Outhouse and Valliyan are proving that it’s time to update your understand of what jewelry means.

Art Deco body harness by Outhouse

Layered body harness by Outhouse

Yellow peplum waistband from Valliyan by Nitya Arora

A cross between the biker’s glove and the haathphool, by Nitya Arora

The jhumka-inspired ear cuff by A Peace Treaty Image: Shopbop.com

Manish Arora’s modern haathphool for Amrapali Image: Amrapali

Givenchy jet crystal ear cuff
Image: Kirnazabete.com

images via vogue.in