The definition of “Indian silver” usually refers to the silverware produced in India during the Colonial period. The first foothold of the British East India Company in India dates back to 1615. From the 17th Century onwards, rare and stunning silver pieces were made both in the Portuguese and British colonies but the sudden growth in demand for silver produced in India mainly dates to the second half of the 19th Century and mostly concerns British colonies.
This period became very lucrative for local and British silversmiths. They set up workshops and shops in the major cities of the colony and some of them remained in business long after India achieved its independence from the British Raj in 1947.
