Actress Locket Chatterjee and model Pamela display ornaments at the inauguration of a jewellery exhibition at Central Cottage Industries on Wednesday. Picture by Rashbehari Das

A list of indigenous West Bengal jewellery is not likely to include much more than shell and pith ornaments (though shankha and shola bridal decor cannot be strictly considered jewellery). Even the dokra jewellery of Purulia is nowadays said to be finding better representation in Bihar. Little surprise therefore that while hunting for traditional ethnic jewellery, the people of Bengal turn to meenakari, kundan, oxidised pieces and filigree work.

Since authenticity and finesse are hard to come by, the annual jewellery show of the Central Cottage Industries (CCI) is something to look forward to. As a suitable run-up to the festival season, the CCI showroom at Esplanade boosts its jewellery collection with selections from all over India in July.

The show, which opened on Wednesday, has a fine assortment of bangles, bracelets, necklaces, chokers, pendants, earrings, anklets and cufflinks from Rajasthan, Karnataka, Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.

From Rajasthan come chunky silver ornaments, lac jewellery and kundan. The chunky silver jewellery, necklaces and bracelets from Jaipur find great favour with visiting celebrities, observed a CCI spokesperson. Bearing intricate designs crafted by hand, which make them a little pricey at Rs 1,200-2,331, they go well with both westerns and ethnics.

Precious embellishments to party wear can also be the meenakari broad and thin bangles (ranging from Rs 555 to Rs 1,323) and necklaces for Rs 1,554. Kundans are considered hip costume jewellery, while silver and gold-plated jewellery, lavishly set with glass and crystals, can dazzle the eye at Rs 2,500-4,000.

A great favourite with teenagers is meenakari lac jewellery. Here silver foil imprinted with designs is wrapped around brightly coloured lac. The best thing about such necklaces and earrings is their colour ? bright blues, reds, greens (including lemon and bottle green), yellows and black. Easy to match with multi-hued clothing, these are priced between Rs 75 and Rs 800.

Designer lac jewellery from Delhi also finds a place in the exhibition. The essentially tribal designs look quite modern and should go well with jeans and tops. Lac rolled into round and cylindrical beads are complemented by oxidised silver decorative beads. They cost anything between Rs 70 and Rs 200.

Oxidised silver jewellery with fine designs from Maharashtra, priced at Rs 200-450, are guaranteed to keep their lustre for a while. In Karwar, oxidised silver teamed with semi-precious stones are used for delightful neck and arm pieces. A plain broad silver bracelet with a single turquoise or ruby could cost Rs 2,000-4,000. One can choose from a large collection of pieces studded with sparkling half-moon-shaped black sandstone, cat’s eye, tiger’s eye, blue onyx and rose quartz.

Lace-like filigree work from Orissa is well represented in the collection. Thin necklaces with pendants, earrings (danglers and tops) in sets and otherwise are priced between Rs 328 and Rs 964.

Rarest in the collection, however, is the thewa jewellery from Madhya Pradesh. According to a CCI spokesperson, there are only two or three people in the village of Neemuch who still practise this unique craft. Thewa involves designs made out of 24 carat gold fused into glass and backed by silver with gold coating. The glass, coloured deep green, blue or red, forms a fantastic background to the gold designs. The items on view are priced between Rs 2,100 and Rs 4,625. One can pick up thewa ear tops for Rs 1,480.