Design
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The piece is drawn at full size on paper and approved before any gold is cut.
The Art of Mughal · Rajput Courts
Jadau
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Stones embedded into molten gold — the Mughal art of jewel inlay.
The Story
A craft inherited, never invented.
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Jadau is the Mughal art of embedding precious stones — emeralds, rubies, Polki diamonds, spinels — directly into warm, malleable gold. The gold itself holds the stone; no claws are used. It is the most labour-intensive of Indian techniques and the most magnificent of its results.
The Kothari atelier has practised Jadau without interruption for four generations. Each piece is the work of three karigars at three benches — the gold-shaper, the kundansaaz, and the meenakar — each waiting his turn, over weeks and months, until the piece is finally complete.
The Process
From forge to finish
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Gold Forming
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A goldsmith hammers and shapes the foundation by hand.
Jadtar
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Stones are embedded into the heated gold by the kundansaaz.
Meena & Finish
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Enamel is applied to the reverse and the piece is polished to its final lustre.
The Gallery
Pieces shaped by this fire
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By Appointment
Experience Jadau at the Atelier.
Sit beside our karigars, hold the pieces in your hands, and let the craft speak for itself.
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