Western celebs, and particularly First Lady Michelle Obama, are apparently enthralled by Indian jewelry these days. The Times of India reports that Michelle Obama recently dazzled her guests at a White House dinner with a Nizam-inspired necklace. The piece, which was made in Delhi, featured fresh-water-pearls, Swarovski crystals and zari thread. Other celebs like pop star Gwen Stefani appear draped in anklets and neckpieces with Sanskrit inscriptions, while Victoria Beckham adorns herself with maang teeka.



Indian exotic jewelry is definitely in, from chandelier earrings and Nizam-inspired neckpieces to Maharani anklets. The jewelry designer who designed Michelle Obama's neckpiece, Pieter Erasmus, noted: "Indian jewelry is inspired by history. The neckpiece for Michelle was inspired after reading William Dalrymple's White Mughals. At present, I'm working on a line inspired by colonialism from the period 'After Gandhi'. The West finds jewelry inspired by India exotic as it has old-worldly charm with a modern twist."



The Times of India also quotes Rajiv Arora of Amrapali Jewels: "Indian jewelry has lost its over-the-top, gaudy image. The jeweled look is royal, bold and distinctive." Arora designs jewelry for actresses Sandra Bullock, Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie.



Attesting to the West’s attraction to Indian jewelry is the fact that Sotheby's recently auctioned rare jewelry pieces designed by two Indian artists - Anish Kapoor's 22-carat gold and enamel Water Ring and Subodh Gupta's ruby pendant encrusted with diamonds. There appears to be a particular interest in 'art jewelry,' and even established artists are designing jewelry.