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A shimmering collection of Indonesia's traditional jewelry
The sparkling beauty of Indonesiaâs traditional jewelry takes the center stage at the ninth edition of the Mutumanikam Nusantara jewelry exhibition, which aims to further promote the finest designs from across the archipelago
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The sparkling beauty of Indonesia's traditional jewelry takes the center stage at the ninth edition of the Mutumanikam Nusantara jewelry exhibition, which aims to further promote the finest designs from across the archipelago.
'Apart from preserving heritage, we want to also show people the richness of our traditional jewelry,' said exhibition coordinator Lisa Ayodhia.
Lisa said a total of 275 participants from 14 provinces were taking part in the exhibition being held at Balai Kartini in South Jakarta until Sunday, selling both traditional and modern jewelry.
Some participants from several regions ' such as from Jambi, Yogyakarta and Southeast Sulawesi ' showcased their antique jewelry in the exhibition.
One of the participants, Manjusha Nusantara from Jakarta, offers accessory enthusiasts the experience of wearing traditional jewelry in the modern day. The company was founded in 2011 by Ina Symonds and her three friends who liked collecting Indonesia's heritage jewelry after realizing that it was getting harder to find fine examples of it.
Ina said the company specialized in producing replicas of heritage jewelry from across the archipelago.
'Indonesia's traditional jewelry is very unique and a lot of women don't realize that. We're replicating that wonderful jewelry, bringing it to Jakarta so that women would want to wear it as part of their daily fashion,' she said.
Ina said that before making the pieces, Manjusha usually conducts research into the stories behind the jewelry and also about the details of the designs.
They then take the ideas to local jewelry makers to be crafted.
'We're working with local craftsmen from many places in order to get the real soul of the jewelry, so we can have the right colors and designs for the pieces,' she said, adding that the collection was mostly made of alpaca metal, which was then plated with silver and gold.
Manjusha's collection includes a taiganja (amulet) necklace from Central Sulawesi, which was used as a protective pendant in the 16th century, three Kerongsang brooches, which were commonly used by Acehnese and Medanese women, and a gold-covered Dome ring from North Sumatra, which was originally a man's ring and was adorned with granulated balls and filigrees that showed the excellence of Karo smiths in the 19th century.
Bali's jewelry craftsmanship is represented by, among others, Budaya Ayu from Bali.
Owned by Ni Made Nuriasih, she inherited the business from her parents who were also silver- and goldsmiths.
As Bali is known for its carving, many jewelry pieces that she produces also feature traditional Balinese carving.
Golden carvings surrounding stud pearl earrings, rambut sedana (crystal-clear stone that features jumbled yellowish gold hairs) bracelets, black coral bracelets featuring golden dragon carvings and carved brooches were among the best-selling items in her store.
'We sometimes combine the latest jewelry trends, like Dior earrings, with Balinese characteristics. And every year, we always make new motifs, so even if the items that we sell are the same, the motifs of the carving are different,' Nuriasih said.
Apart from becoming a trade fair, Mutumanikam also serves as a platform to promote local culture and tourism potential ' as jewelry also represents the culture and life of its people.
Nurlaini from Jambi's Siginjai Museum and a member of the Jambi Council for Handicraft (Dekranasda Jambi) said their previous participation in the exhibition attracted visitors to directly visit the province.
'Many visitors asked us about things to do in Jambi and also where to buy traditional jewelry there,' she said.
Jambi's traditional jewelry is usually marked by the use of Islamic symbols, plants and other things from the wild.
'This Candrata necklace has lots of lotus decorations and back then it was used only by brides. We have modified it, adding a modern touch with the use of fossil stones,' Nurlaini said.
'Today, many young women in Jambi have started to wear Jambi's traditional jewelry to spruce up their daily looks.'
' Photos by JP/Jerry Adiguna
