Oh my, it has been months, since I made any flower jewellery or so I thought earlier this August. I was getting a flurry of emails from clients inquiring if I could create sets for them. But alas none of them turned into real orders. I resigned myself to think maybe the trend cycle for floral bridal jewellery was over. People have moved on to shinier things. Then I got a message from a client asking if I remember her asking for a set somewhere in March. “Yes, I did remember discussing a set using rather large pink flowers,” I replied. At the end of the discussion, I had an order for Pink Sunflower baby shower jewellery.
Pink Sunflower baby shower jewellery
My client wanted to have a pregnancy photoshoot at her Bridal shower. She wanted a certain look and asked if I could replicate jewellery based on an internet image. Typically, I do not replicate designs of other designers. It is not just for copyright reasons but for also the fact that I would never be able to do justice to someone else’s design. After repeated discussions, we were able to reach a consensus on the design. It was a rather grand nine piece set in pink with paper sunflowers and gold beads.
Baby shower celebrations in India
Valaikappu, poochutal, Godh Barai or Seemantha/Seemandam is a baby shower that is celebrated either in the 7th or 9th month of pregnancy in most parts of India. Some communities observe it in the 8th month as well. Some are more religious that the others. For instance at a valaikappu, the mother would be adorned with glass bangles which the mother-to-be could jingle to attract attention if she was in distress. At the poochutal, she would be adorned with flowers of all kinds. I had written about Seemantham, which is more religious in a post on Seemantham Flower jewellery earlier.
Regardless of the name, it would be a celebration to bless the expecting mother and child as the father declares paternity of the unborn child. In olden times a midwife who would perform the delivery would be invited. She would create a birthing kit specifically for the pregnant woman, which would be then blessed and sealed. It was to stress upon issues of paternity and hygiene when home births were the norm.
Sunflower baby shower jewellery set
The women in my community usually wear their wedding gold during their first baby shower. Subsequent ones are not celebrated with pomp and show. The jewellery worn at these events would be minimal so as to not attract the evil eye. So it was quite a challenge for me to create a grand set with big flowers. The set includes two necklaces – one choker and one multi strand necklace (rani haar) with two flowers each on either side. The earrings are studs. They look large but are practically weightless as they are made of paper and acrylic beads.
To adorn the arms, hands and fingers, I have made a pair of armlets (bajuband) and slave bracelets (haathphool). For her waist I made a waist belt (kamarpatta) using a soft metallic ribbon. I made a forehead ornament (mathapatti) as you can see in the second picture of this post. Even though the set looks extensive, I had an easier time putting it together than the previous sets that I have done.
Here is a picture of the full set. The flowers were in a very tricky shade of pink so in each photo depending on the settings, the colour looks either reddish or magenta-ish. As I was leaving on a trip the next day, I was in a big hurry to photograph this set.
I wish that this Pink Sunflower baby shower jewellery set brings the mother and her family a lot of joy. It is an adjustable set. So the client can wear parts of it for the naming ceremony of the child if she wishes to. I hope it serves as a good luck charm for the mother and child as I send them the best of my wishes.
I hope you found it interesting
Cheers
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