Kundan

Kundan is the oldest known form of jewellery-making in India, born in the imperial workshops of the Mughals and perfected in the courts of Rajputana. The word kundan refers to the highly refined, pure 24-karat gold foil used to set gemstones — so pure it can be moulded at room temperature, fusing stone to gold without a single solder line.

Each Kothari Kundan piece begins as a hollow gold form, into which the karigar slowly inlays sheets of foil, then sets each gemstone face-up so the brilliance reads true. The reverse is often closed with hand-painted Meenakari — for a jewel must be beautiful even from the back.