Featured Fine Silver Indian Ornament with Enamel, What is it?

I have spent too long trying to ID the purpose and name of this Indian silver ornament.

I have determined it was made by P. P.Zaveri in Rajkot, India. I believe a correct term may be chabi ka guccha or kamar challa key chain worn at the waist of a saree/sari. (Spelling of any of these Hindi words has variations.) But, I'm not sure!

It measures 4” high (hook alone is 1 1/8”) and about 1 1/8” wide.The eight-pointed sunburst in the center is engraved with two different alternating patterns on the copper color petals.

The waterside scene has aqua blue water with tiny waves, an island of brown with a silver house with copper roof and green door. A tall palm tree with brown trunk spreading green fronds. The teardrop element which swings below is also bright green. Both items have a clear glossy finish.

The back is stamped “P. P. ZAVERI, RAJKOT, 100T”.I have tested the item and tests as .999 pure silver. Zaveri or Jhaveri is an Indian surname which originally was applied to jewelers and, in this case, the actual name of the jeweler who created this colorful piece.

So, for all that info, I don't really feel confident I have the right name for it; what would it be called in India and also in western countries? How is it worn or used?

Thanks in advance!

 

Oops! I didn't get the last pic uploaded...

 

The only thing I would call it is a mess.Bad casting and fabrication and looks like a number of poor repairs.

 

I concur........quality was not top of mind here... whatever it's used for..

 

Agree on the quality. (Thritto)

I would call it a hip latkan or saree latkan. India has many languages and dialects and I am sure there are different names for it.
A latkan is a garment clip. Latkans can be worn on the hip, slipped over the edge of the saree, but also on the back of the blouse, or to fasten a headscarf.
Yours is a hip latkan for a saree or a separate skirt, and you can attach anything you wish to the chain.

To get a better view, the top bit is slipped over the waist part of the saree, the dangles and chain are on the hip:

 

Not the same as yours, but you get an idea of where it is worn on the saree. The tassel type is seen more than your chain type. Which doesn't mean yours is more valuable.


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Indian-W...n-Dangles-Saree-Lengha-Keychain-/222616604103

 

Thanks all, I now know what it is and that it appears to hold little interest or value.

 

welllllllllllllll.......not so fast.....
while we may not rally to the cause........we are not the world.....an Indian woman may find it's right for her....or for a gift.......

Thanks to your good photo's, we can spot the flaws.....& that's what you wanted....to know what you have......& I can not say what interest or value it may have to others....

just sayin...

 

Thanks for your perspective, balances out the bleh!

 

Nothing is ever black or white......
it's an interesting cultural item, and I wish it were finer.....
but it is what it is......and if we were to put lipstick on a pig.....you would not be well served by our expertise !

Good luck what ever you do with it !!!

 

I did want the truth, just not so much of it at once! Ha ha! I will not claim the quality is great but where are the numerous poor repairs to which several in the forum referred?

 

I'm not the jewelry buff they are but....the excess solder where the chain meets the hook at the top of this photo...and the O ring it sits in is not as cleanly set on the main body of the enamel as the other 3 are.......
that's what is evident to me at a glance...

 

Gotcha, thanks! and G'nite!

 

Sleep , the sleep of Angels !!!!

 

Yes. This means key chain. "Chabi" is key and "ka gucha" can loosely be translated to bundle of. hence a bundle/bunch of keys.

You got the Zaveri part correct, it is a surname and it does mean a jeweler. Rajkot is a place in Gujarat. This must have been made there.

How this key chain workss - The chain comes off the hook and you slip your keys into the chain. The larger hook is used for hanging it on your saree.
Everything else the kind and awesome members of this fantastic website have said is correct and so informative.

I think this is a repair work done when the chain must have broken. may be due to the weight of the keys

 

Thankyou for showing it @Curioser . It's not something I am familiar with so interesting to see.

 

Even more interesting info! Thanks to you all. Maybe time for me to chic-up my look with a new keychain--with only a select few keys on it.

 

Silver ones?

 

The repairs just might mean someone cared enough for it to keep fixing it. I'm intrigued by the house with the palm tree because it seems out of place for an Indian item. It looks more Polynesian. That leads me down a path that suggests it was part of a costume. My daughter does Kruti dance and they don't use expensive jewelry on their costumes.

You can't see the costumes up close in this video but it gives you an idea. Kruti is the traditional Indian dance with all the moves having meetings. That is different than the flashy Bollywood dancing.