Important Notice

Designed as a single strand of triangular gold plaques set with rose-cut white sapphires on a green enamel ground with seed pearls. The reverse depicting foliate designs in red and green enamel on a white ground; suspending a similarly designed pendant with green and red enamel ground, kundan-set with ruby cabochons and rose-cut 'polki' diamonds, and further suspending a fringe of seed pearls, mounted in gold.

Gross weight: 131.15 grams


Kundan is a process unique to India. ???The technique uses virtually pure gold - kundan - to set stones in closed settings with great versatility in their arrangement...," (Nick Barnard, Indian Jewellery: The V&A Collection, London: V&A Publishing, 2008, p. 58) The ornament contains hollow spaces or depressions for the placement of the gemstones, which are first filled with lac resin and silver foil, which the stone is placed onto. A thin leaf of pure gold, "which can be welded at room temperature through pressure alone," is pressed into the spaces between the stone and metal, and burnished into a solid wedge that holds the stone firmly. The application of gold leaves is a highly skilled process that requires hours to complete, and kundan will therefore remain a form of handmade jewellery. In the Mughal tradition, many magnificent kundan ornaments with floral motifs and enamelling were commissioned by wealthy patrons. (Usha R Balakrishanan and Meera Sushil Kumar, Dance of the Peacock: Jewellery Traditions of India, Mumbai: India Book House, 1999, p. 155)

Designed as a single strand of triangular gold plaques set with rose-cut white sapphires on a green enamel ground with seed pearls. The reverse depicting foliate designs in red and green enamel on a white ground; suspending a similarly designed pendant with green and red enamel ground, kundan-set with ruby cabochons and rose-cut 'polki' diamonds, and further suspending a fringe of seed pearls, mounted in gold.

Gross weight: 131.15 grams


Kundan is a process unique to India. ???The technique uses virtually pure gold - kundan - to set stones in closed settings with great versatility in their arrangement...," (Nick Barnard, Indian Jewellery: The V&A Collection, London: V&A Publishing, 2008, p. 58) The ornament contains hollow spaces or depressions for the placement of the gemstones, which are first filled with lac resin and silver foil, which the stone is placed onto. A thin leaf of pure gold, "which can be welded at room temperature through pressure alone," is pressed into the spaces between the stone and metal, and burnished into a solid wedge that holds the stone firmly. The application of gold leaves is a highly skilled process that requires hours to complete, and kundan will therefore remain a form of handmade jewellery. In the Mughal tradition, many magnificent kundan ornaments with floral motifs and enamelling were commissioned by wealthy patrons. (Usha R Balakrishanan and Meera Sushil Kumar, Dance of the Peacock: Jewellery Traditions of India, Mumbai: India Book House, 1999, p. 155)