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Royal craftsmanship
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Traditional pieces studded with diamonds and gems were on show
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Photo: V.V. Krishnan
Studded with stones A piece at the exhibition
This seems to be the high season of royal jewellery. After Jodhaa Akbar gave a peek into the wealth of gems and jewellery of the Moghul era, a recent exhibition in the Capital gave another glimpse of royal jewellery. The breathtaki
ng pieces on show amalgamated the concepts of opulence with master craftsmanship. Necklaces and chains, bangles, bracelets and earrings studded with precious stones and diamonds and set in gold in the traditional Rajasthani styles of kundan and enamel were for sale at an exhibition at the Taj Palace hotel this past week.
The collection comes from Surana jewellers from Jaipur. It has a long history of royal patronage. It has bejewelled the kings, queens and nobles of Rajasthan and with the passage of time, has made the contemporary elite their clientele.
Carrying forward a legacy that goes back over 250 years, the present generation of Surana jewellers have stuck to traditional jewellery, but incorporated a few modern designs as well.
The legend has it that the Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh, invited the family to Rajasthan in 1735 to make jewellery for the royalty. Ever since, it has been a journey with precious stones and gems for the Suranas.
From chunky neck pieces in gold studded with dazzling diamonds, emerald, sapphire and ruby to delicate ones with intricate Minakari work and strung with beads were on display at the exhibition.
Hand-worked jewels
“Most of the pieces on show have traditional designs,” says Kamal Surana, the ninth generation jeweller. “We make replicas of antique pieces too,” he adds.
According to Surana, each piece takes about two to three months to make. “They are all still hand-worked,” he says. Jewellery making initially done by a few families has now spread out to outsiders too. While a few stones come from Jaipur, others like emerald and ruby are imported from places like Columbia, Zambia, Brazil and others. The stones are eventually cut at Jaipur where they become part of exquisite jewellery.
With its rich association with history, it is not surprising that some of the priced pieces have been given as gifts to international figures. Surana claims the Maharaja of Jaipur has presented Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II with a Surana piece. Another high-profile recipient of the work of the jewellers was the former First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy.
About 500 pieces priced from a lakh onwards was on show at the exhibition.
P. ANIMA
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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