Jewellery
Jewellery holds a special place in the Indian aesthetic expression and can be traced to prehistoric beads and shell jewellery. Over the span of Indian history, the craft of jewellery making has evolved borrowing the middle eastern tradition of stone set in precious metal and creating a truly Indian expression of jewellery design. The very art of jewellery making is considered sacrosanct due to the fact that it deals with pure metals and precious stones. Jewels have been placed right from gem-studded turbans to anklets. In Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh invited many communities of artisans to settle in the city. Among them were the craftsmen working in silver jewellery and stone setting. The first community to settle in the city was from Lahore specializing in enamelling. Rajasthan is also a resource-rich state making it home to many coloured gemstones such as emeralds, aquamarine, chrysoberyl, amethyst, garnet, tourmalines, quartz, naming a few. Today the Jaipur jewellery industry is amongst the best in the country, centred around the Jauharibazaar area named so after the tradesmen; specializing in lac, kundan jadau and meenakari work.
Kundan Jadau
Kundan, which means highly refined gold, uses the malleability of pure gold to create intricate designs.
Meenakari
Meenakari is a form of enamelling traditionally done on the reverse end of jewellery to protect the gold from wear and tear. This craft was first brought to Jaipur by Sawai Man Singh I from Lahore. The craft has a rich history of development and change.
Lac
Lac is a very rich craft introduced in Jaipur during the reign of Sawai Jai Sing II.