Indian wedding jewelry, via Brides.com

Whenever I travel, I always look for amazing jewelry. Jewelry represents a country’s style, history, culture and of course, its natural elements.

Jewelry created by natives and locals is truly reflective of a country’s heritage. And, because jewelry has intrinsic value, you have an ROI – it’s not like buying a scarf or a bag, it has worth.

I like to think of gemstone jewelry as a way to literally wear a piece of the earth. Each special stone is entirely unique in its natural form and design.

There’s nothing I love more than oxidized diamonds – diamonds that are darkened to achieve a beautiful contrast of dark shimmer and sparkle – and Indian jewelers use the technique as part of their traditional Indian aesthetic. Combining gold and silver is another classic Indian style and pieces typically have very intricate and romantic inlaid patterns.

While Jaipur – an Indian city full of brightly colored free-roaming peacocks and elephants painted with flowers – is known as the jewelry capital of India, I found my favorite pieces in Udaipur.

This incredible oxidized diamond bracelet is from The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur. A photograph cannot capture the shimmer and beauty of this piece. I think I tried it on 5 times. While the price tag was a bit too high (sigh) I did manage to buy a bangle and earrings.;)

Trying on the bracelet of my dreams…ahhh! I should have bought it.