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A glitz and glam of rare radiance
Indonesia is rich in jewelry, but many are unaware of the countryâs heritage
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ndonesia is rich in jewelry, but many are unaware of the country's heritage.
For Ria Glenn, one of the founders of the Majusha Nusantara brand that specializes in making replicas of Indonesia's traditional jewelry, the country is rich in jewels.
'We used to be known as great jewelry artisans. Unfortunately, not many of us care about the heritage now when compared to Indonesian fabrics,' she says.
The brand's designs were recently displayed alongside works from E.P.A. Jewel, Greetika Jewels and others at the Tugu Kuntskring Paleis. The Bijoux Deluxe jewelry showcase offered beautiful jewelry from the hands of talented designers.
Ria said Majusha Nusantara, set up in 2011, meant a jewelry box from nusantara (archipelago).
'My three other lady friends and I are huge fans of the country's jewelry. But this kind is getting hard to find,' she said, adding that Indonesian jewelry was most commonly seen at traditional wedding ceremonies.
As Manjusha has aimed to make the replicas part of Indonesian women's daily fashions, the brand uses reasonable price tags, starting from Rp 500,000 (US$47) to Rp 5 million each.
'We use copper as the basic material, mixing it with gold and silver coatings. Some of our items use pure silver, while others use beads as embellishment,' she said, adding that the brand wouldn't use valuable gemstones like diamonds or rubies to maintain the price.
Manjusha creates replicas from rings to earrings, brooches and necklaces in collaboration with jewelry craftsmen from Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Lombok, Bali, Padang and Palembang.
'We've produced hundreds of items from the Peranakan, South Sumatra, Batak, Java, Sulawesi and East Indonesia collections. We usually release two collections per year,' said Ria, adding that Manjusha released Swarna Dwipa, a jewelry set from the Sriwijaya Kingdom era, in April.
Ria and her friends are still curious to expose a certain necklace from Lampung as well as sets of jewelry from West Java and Sulawesi.
'Artisans we collaborate with are still facing difficulties making replica jukung necklaces from Lampung. The thing is that they are losing trace of the people who know the original technique to make the necklace,' she says.
'Meanwhile, West Java's jewelry is still big homework for us because it seems like the area doesn't have its own traditional jewelry.'
Manjusha Nusantara items are also available at Hadiprana Jewelry and Dia.Lo.Gue Artspace in Kemang, South Jakarta, as well as the Alleira outlets in Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta and Senayan City in South Jakarta.
At another spot in the event, E.P.A Jewel by Elianaputri Antonio brings an international, classic ambiance as well as an edginess to the gallery.
Coming down with Royal Vintage, Glam Rock and Sam and Eli, Eliana presents an exclusive view of metal with Swarovski crystals on most of her jewelry sets.
The Royal Vintage represents heritage-like cutting. Glam Rock items are dedicated for daily wear, applying a casual style with modern flair. Sam and Eli, taken from name of the designer's daughter and herself, applies an art deco design that fits the current trend.
E.P.A makes handmade jewelry in the form of earrings, pendants, rings and hair pieces, with prices ranging from Rp 2.5 million to Rp 20 million each.
Eliana believes contemporary designs in jewelry have been a hit and will continue in the coming years.
'Trends in customized jewelry are a bit longer than fashion. They last up to three or five years,' says the designer, whose brand's signature carries messages of love, peace and freedom spirits.
All the way from Jaipur, India, Geetika Jewels offers exotic Jadau jewelry, or highly skilled craftsmanship jewelry, to the Indonesian public for a limited time.
Geetika Jewels present interesting Maharaja-style sets of jewelry that represent a stunning collection.
A ring with mirror as an embellishment has been a trend in Indian high fashion and is one of the 55 items flown to Jakarta, with prices ranging from US$850 to $7,000 a piece.
'This is Jadau jewelry, which is from India. This falls into a category of royal jewelry and the making of royal jewelry is very ethnic and modern. Our style sees us combine the traditional and the modern because of the style today. We keep the culture alive, but we're maintaining modernity as well,' said Geetika Sharma.
A visitor checks out the exhibited jewelry.
Photos By JP/Nurhayati
