Kundan & Jadau Jewellery of Rajasthan: The Delight of Fashionistas

Spread India's Glorious Cultural & Spiritual Heritage

ॐ श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः ॐ श्री शिवानन्दाय नमः ॐ श्री चिदानन्दाय नमः ॐ श्री दुर्गायै नमः

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Kundan Jewellery of Rajasthan : Click here to buy on Amazon India

Kundan Bangles on Amazon India : Click here to buy

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With its glorious history of Rajputs, endowed with magnificent forts and palaces, invincible architecture and a lot more, Rajasthan is known as the land of royalty and kingdoms.

But did you know that due to hostile desert environments and continuous warfare, the people started investing in gold and precious handmade jewellery to secure their future?

The warrior clan of the Rajputs in Rajasthan made lavish use of the jewellery encrusted weapons that signified the sanctity of their caste and enhanced their social status.

The heritage jewellery which is the oldest form of jewellery in Rajasthan is indeed spectacular in all its glory.

Here’s everything you need to know about the glorious traditional jewellery of Rajasthan.

Types of Jewellery famous in Rajasthan :

SILVER JEWELLERY:

Due to its relatively affordable price, silver is used to make a plethora of ornaments like upper armlet, neck ring/hansuli and mandliya string neckband, heavy layered belt, single waist chain and toe rings in “Gajre” outlines.

Rajasthan is well known for its tribal jewellery as well. The tribal groups of Rajasthan adorn colourful and weighty ornaments, decorated with coins, shells, beads and metallic mesh which make them distinguishable at the very first glance.

Also, the Banjara tribes of Rajasthan wear embellished belts around their waists to complement their tribal Banjara look.

Antique silver jewellery with a hint of Banjara/tribal appeal is gaining mighty popularity in the fashion industry.

LAC JEWELLERY :

Lac, also known as “common man’s gold” is the priced possession of the women of Rajasthan. Found in multifarious colours, vibrant designs and patterns, Lac jewellery is a perfect mix of tradition and latest fashion.

The artwork for Lac jewellery requires skilled craftsmanship. It is a kind of lacquered work that is done on either silver or gold with colored glass pieces. Plain Lac is used in a variety of religious ceremonies and rituals as well.

Lac jewellery is a symbol of marriage and therefore, married women in Rajasthan wear Lac Bangles.

KUNDAN and JADAU JEWELLERY :

People often tend to get confused between Jadau and Kundan jewellery. While Kundan is a type of stone, Jadau is the art of embedding Kundan and Polki stones into the metal surface.

In Rajasthan, Kundan-Jadau work began to rise as the craftsmen crafted the art of embedding stones and metals on the surface of objects.

In this craft, Gold foil leaves used to be inserted between the walls and precious and semiprecious stones like diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and tourmalines.

The silver or gold foil placed below and in between the surface enabled greater reflection of light through the stone, due to which the stone highlighted brilliance and natural sheen.

Immaculately crafted with precision and accuracy, Kundan and Jadau jewellery is one-of-its kind and requires highly skilled craftsmanship. Jadau jewellery was inspired by the Mughal empire who were the believers in Royalty.

In a world full of precious and semi-precious stones, Jadau and Kundan jewellery serve the elite and aristocrat with embellished and engraved stones to personify the old-world charm with a blend of Royalty and flamboyance.

MEENAKARI JEWELLERY :

Meenakari is highly popular in Rajasthan, and requires great precision and skilled craftsmanship. In Meenakari, the metal surface is intricately designed by fusing it with vibrant colors and embedding it with semi-precious/precious stones.

PRATAPGARH/THEWA JEWELLERY :

Also known by the name of Thewa art, Pratapgarh jewellery form is another form of enamel work that uses both gold and silver and has a colored glass piece on the base. The crafting of Pratapgarh jewellery usually takes more than one month to get that beautiful intricate design.

Continue reading to know about the popular jewellery trends famous in Rajasthan