Chocolates and Jewelry have always been correlated for ages, be it the way of trade or the sophistication in display and consumption or adrenaline rush, emphatically Jewelry & Chocolates have been considered as wisdom of god to well being of mankind.
Jewelry has been significant in showcasing who we are and where we live, so did chocolate attaining that status. The choice of chocolates caught up to be an indicator of exclusiveness achieved with time in terms of well being or holism with the rise of disposable incomes and changing tastes in the developing countries too.
The driving force behind a jeweler or chocolatier is the passion to meticulously develop to be differentiated with love from other craftsman, the passion to have Chocolate Jewelry has brought us closer to taste of art.
The metal makes no difference from one to another of same, while craftsmanship makes the whole world of difference to the metal. It holds good to chocolate, no matter which country cocoa is grown or a single origin to organically grown, the truth of good chocolate reliant on chocolatier. The chocolatier has always been able to relate to the cocoa or the bulk chocolate handled by them, with efficient processes and techniques in chocolate making, the chocolatiers have revolutionized the texture and flavor with the sense of passion to bond the five senses of chocolate together.
As chocolate consumption is growing, the sophistication in design and patterns is growing, turning passion as driving force. Chocolate stores around the world are given the look and feel of a jewelry store rather than candy stores, quiet often it is difficult to distinguish between a chocolate box for jewelry and jewelry box for chocolates and with advent of Chocolate Box Art in the !9th Century as Art Genre, as set a stage for chocolate with grace.
The time spent in chocolate stores is more or less equal to jewelry stores. The service & comfort provided by friendly staff, a relaxing ambience with value added experience have left the customer glowing inside-out.
Back to history, Jewelry denoted status in ancient Rome or in civilization of Egypt, Asia and Europe for thousands of years. Status varied from being pompous effeminate to badge of courage or for ostentatious display of jewelry by men and women in spite of social taboos then and today. The resolute growth in modern times is marked with a prominence of displays with elegance. So does chocolate, dating back to 1900 BC, Aztecs preparing a drink to serve as a bitter, frothy liquid, mixed with spices, wine or corn puree with a belief of aphrodisiac powers and to give strength, turned around to be mysterious food for ritual, medicine and sheer pleasure for the past 4,000 years to a staple today. Chocolate grew with the same reverence as jewelry with time from the royals to the commons in all ages of civilization.
Even today we have attached ethos and aesthetics to jewelry and chocolates, we constantly attempt to make a statement to others or having a meaning assigned to ourselves with the jewelry or chocolates we choose, be it handmade or the machine made.
With the growth of chocolate and jewelry industry and brands around the world, most of our experience has been limited to the machine made due to mass production and availability to satisfying our needs in fast paced world with a compromise of quantity over quality.
Although handmade chocolate become niche compared to the mass production, they command a sizeable market share like the jewelry. The reason for growth of handmade chocolate or jewelry is the classic and elegant looks with personality, perfection to taste and personalization.
“As silver are we, with metal dross alloyed
that lies within the fingers of the smelter.
At his will he fuses or refines,
Retains the slag or keeps it pure and precious,
So are we in Thy hand, o healing God”
The above poem is chanted by Jews every year on their holiest day of Yom Kippur,exemplifies the loving care a gold and silversmith takes when making a piece of unique Handmade Jewelry. The same holds good to chocolatier making a piece of unique handmade chocolate.
The author Vanitha R is a founder and chocolatier of Pride Chocolates, Bangalore, India.
**Author or Cresco Pride Chocolates & Eats dont hold rights for the picture used for the article.
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