Rajasthan Gems &
Jewellery 
In
Rajasthan, men and women traditionally wore necklaces, armlets, anklets, earings
and rings. With the advent of the Mughal Empire, Rajasthan became a major centre
for production of the finest kind of jewellery. It was a true blend of the Mughal
with the Rajasthani craftsmanship.
The Mughals brought sophisticated
design and technical know-how of the Persian with them. The common link was the
inherently decorative nature of the Muslim and Hindu art. The synthesis of the
two cultures resulted in a period of grandeur and brilliance that dazzled the
eyes of foreigners and has passed into legend. The jewellers of Rajasthan specilised
in the setting of precious stones into gold and the enameling of gold. Jaipur
and to some extent Alwar emerged as the enameling centers par excellence in the
eighteenth and nineteenth century. Enameling was introduced by Maharaja Man Singh
who had cordial relations with Akbar.
The enameled gold staff of the
Maharaja is unsurpassed even today for its brilliant colours. For enameling the
piece to be worked on is fixed on a stick of lac and delicate designs if flowers,
birds and fishes are etched on it. A wall is made to hold the colours while engravings
are made in the grooves to heighten the interplay of the transparent shades, thus
enhancing the beauty of the jewel. The surface is fully burnished by agate; then
the enamel colours are filled in painstakingly as in a miniature painting.
The article is then left in the oven on a mica plate to keep it off the fire.
Colours are applied in order of their hardness those requiring more later when
set it is rubbed gently with the file and cleaned with lemon or tamarind. The
craftsmen in Jaipur are believed to have originally come from Lahore. In Jaipur
the traditional Mughal colours of red, green and white are most commonly used
in enameling.
A
quintessentially Indian technique and a speciality of Rajasthan is the setting
of stones by means of Kundan the jewellery in which stones are set is rarely solid
gold, it has a core of lac, a natural resin. The pieces which make up the finished
object are first shaped by specialised craftsmen (and soldered together if the
shape is complicated) and left in separate hollow halves. Holes are cut for the
stones, any engraving or chasing is carried out and the pieces are enameled.
When the stones are to be set lac is inserted in the back and is then holes.
Highly refined gold, the Kundan, is then used to cover the lac and the stone is
pushed into the Kundan. More Kundan is applied around the edges to strengthen
the setting and give it a neat appearance. This was the only form of setting for
stones in gold until claw settings were introduced under the influence under the
influence of western jewellery in the nineteenth century.
More than
one craftsman was often in the making of a single piece of jewellery. The chiterias
made the design, the ghaarias the engraving the meenakar and the sunar was the
goldsmith. These craftsmen received patronage from the nobles and the kings and
therefore they did not have to compromise their art for the sake of popular taste.
They could take as long as they liked over a piece of jewellery. Many
of the old styles remain unchanged to this day. In Pratapgarh a special type of
quasi-enameling is done in which extremely fine work on gold is daintily carried
out on green enamel, which forms the base. In Nathdwara a good deal of enamel
work on silver and other metals is done nowadays as a furtherance to this famous
age old craft.
