Jewellery was one luxury that was more often than not reserved for the first class citizens. It was the royalty, the upper class or the aristocrats who were usually the ones owning beautiful adornments and pieces of regalia. There was once a time, when it was the jewellery that you flaunted, which determined your status on the social ladder of that region. No wonder then we have got a whole treasure trove of beautifully designed, exquisite jewellery pieces left behind by our Rajas and Ranis of the golden era.
The monarchical times of Indian history are fondly remembered for quite a lot of reasons like for instance, their contribution to military, cavalry and strategy, food and many more. But one thing that makes every imperial enthusiast nostalgic is the jewellery that was flaunted by the men and women of that golden era. Elaborately designed priceless pieces of jewellery which were potent enough to leave the onlookers speechless by playing at the strings of their hearts and minds. This pieces of jewellery exuded not just elegance but power and majestic value of pieces.
Gold Plated Kundan and Faux Pearl Set
Kundan was considered to be one of the techniques of jewellery making where pieces of jewellery were encrusted from the treasuries of the royal kind. While it does belong to the historic times, this technique has both evolved and adapted itself to be quite relevant in the present day modern times. Kundan jewellery with its simple and elegant design is even today able to steal the hearts of many, which is why you see it majorly in the wedding trousseau of today’s bridal parties. Due to its great appeal it still remains one of the most sought after jewellery pieces available on the tradition jewellery scene.
This technique in its present form today must have had its humble beginnings in the times of the kings who usually were used to plundering other kingdoms and looting their treasury. The technique in its most nascent form involved encrusting of precious and non-precious stones and making jewellery pieces like necklaces, chokers and so on. The word Kundan, is usually referred to when we talk about pure, molten gold.
In this technique of jewellery making, what basically happens is, this molten gold is used for filling the gaps once the stones or glass or polki are set in the design frame. In the earlier times, kundan jewellery only involved uncut diamonds. One could imagine why the general public then was unable to have an access to the same. Soon in order to make these jewellery pieces more affordable, the artists began to make use of glass instead of diamonds. This was the turning point which actually gave rise to two different lineages of jewellery. The kundan jewellery and the polki jewellery.
Gorgeous Kundan Choker Set
The difference between the two styles is that polka still uses the uncut, natural diamonds in jewellery making whereas kundan jewellery mostly uses the other semi-precious stones available as well as glass and sometimes is versatile enough to make use of even the polki. This technique was at its peak especially during the Mughal times and today, we still see the North West side staking major claim in the manufacturing of this kind of jewellery. Especially places like Bikaner, Jaipur and Rajasthan have come to become the hubs of manufacturing kundan jewellery.
Today when it comes to any ceremonial function, especially weddings and so on, kundan jewellery is almost always considered to be a must have. There are quite a few popular pieces that happen to be the most sought after ones. The most loved, would hands down, be the chandrabali or the crescent earrings. These beautiful adornments are to die for, especially the chunkier ones which are mostly worn by celebrities and glitterati. There are many styles here like half crescent, full crescent and multi-tier ones which are quite in fashion today.
Another piece of jewellery would be the magnificent multi-layer kundan necklace. This is one trend that you most definitely must have noticed especially in trend for all the big bash events. There is just one simple rule to follow over here and that is, the more strings you have in your necklace the better for you, mainly because this piece of jewellery is literally all about amping up the drama.
When looking to buy pieces of kundan jewellery it is important for you to remember certain key pointers. Going for gold plated pieces of jewellery is always a great choice, mainly because they are both skin friendly and also last quite long. Brass and silver can also be some pocket friendly options you could opt for. Jewellery that has proper finishing work done on it is the kind of jewellery you must opt for. This is also known as meenakari work or just plain old enamelling.
Choose pieces which even if not real, those which should not look cheap or glassy. Look for pieces like rhinestone, cubic zirchonia and other such clear crystals which will give your jewellery a luxurious and rich look. Buy heavier pieces as opposed to light pieces of jewellery which will be both dark in shade and look extremely attractive on you.
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