Celebrating Diwali

I decided to celebrate Diwali this year with a piece of silver. Silver makes everything better!

Those who follow my blog might recognize the symbolism on the obverse as similar to that on another piece I shared recently: Laxmi & Ganesha 9.85 Gram Silver Round. About that piece, I had stated:

This silver round features two depictions of deity on the obverse (front). On the left is Laxmi, that aspect of The One who bestows Spiritual Abundance, and on the right is Ganesha, that aspect of The One who helps devotees deal with obstacles.

There are some lovely designs on the back of the round, along with the designation of .999 for Fine Silver, and the words: "Shubh Labh" for good/auspicious luck/benefit. There is also a mark of the mint "MMVV" which I think represents Mumbai Bullion (if anyone knows differently about this mark, please let me know!).

This was a [relatively] pricey piece, but figured it was worth it because it is so pretty. I say "pricey" because it is only 10 grams of .999 Fine Silver, but cost about the same as 1 troy ounce (31.1 grams) would cost (USD $22.95, shipping included). However, this is a very artistic piece, in my humble opinion — not only was it minted with a attractive design, but it was hand-colored with Meena work!

According to Utsavpedia, a project of Utsav Fashion, the skill of Meena work (Meenakari) was brought to India by the Mughal invaders. The craft is accomplished by adding mineral oxide powders to glass powder to achieve various colors, which are then carefully layered thinly over metal and fused into place by heat.

Regarding the application of the Meena coloring, iLoveIndia.com reports that the different colors of Meena fuse at different temperatures, so the most heat-resistant colors are added first and fused, then other colors are added, one-by-one, and fused at successively lower temperatures as other colors are added. It sounds like a painstaking craft, but the results are lovely! 😊

The silver piece was nicely packaged in a plastic holder, which was placed inside a handcrafted cloth jewelry pouch/bag, which was a nice little bonus!

This might become my lucky "carry piece" as @silversaver888 recently suggested!