In
Rajasthan, men and women traditionally wore necklaces, armlets, anklets, earings
and rings. With the advent of the Mughal Empire, Rajasthan became a major centre
for production of the finest kind of jewellery. It was a true blend of the Mughal
with the Rajasthani craftsmanship.
The Mughals brought sophisticated design and technical know-how of the Persian
with them. The common link was the inherently decorative nature of the Muslim
and Hindu art. The synthesis of the two cultures resulted in a period of grandeur
and brilliance that dazzled the eyes of foreigners and has passed into legend.
The jewellers of Rajasthan specilised in the setting of precious stones into
gold and the enameling of gold. Jaipur and to some extent Alwar emerged as the
enameling centers par excellence in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Enameling
was introduced by Maharaja Man Singh who had cordial relations with Akbar.
The enameled gold staff of the Maharaja is unsurpassed even today for its brilliant
colours. For enameling the piece to be worked on is fixed on a stick of lac
and delicate designs if flowers, birds and fishes are etched on it. A wall is
made to hold the colours while engravings are made in the grooves to heighten
the interplay of the transparent shades, thus enhancing the beauty of the jewel.
The surface is fully burnished by agate; then the enamel colours are filled
in painstakingly as in a miniature painting.
The article is then left in the oven on a mica plate to keep it off the fire.
Colours are applied in order of their hardness those requiring more later when
set it is rubbed gently with the file and cleaned with lemon or tamarind. The
craftsmen in Jaipur are believed to have originally come from Lahore. In Jaipur
the traditional Mughal colours of red, green and white are most commonly used
in enameling.
A
quintessentially Indian technique and a speciality of Rajasthan is the setting
of stones by means of Kundan the jewellery in which stones are set is rarely
solid gold, it has a core of lac, a natural resin. The pieces which make up
the finished object are first shaped by specialised craftsmen (and soldered
together if the shape is complicated) and left in separate hollow halves. Holes
are cut for the stones, any engraving or chasing is carried out and the pieces
are enameled.
When the stones are to be set lac is inserted in the back and is then holes.
Highly refined gold, the Kundan, is then used to cover the lac and the stone
is pushed into the Kundan. More Kundan is applied around the edges to strengthen
the setting and give it a neat appearance. This was the only form of setting
for stones in gold until claw settings were introduced under the influence under
the influence of western jewellery in the nineteenth century.
More than one craftsman was often in the making of a single piece of jewellery.
The chiterias made the design, the ghaarias the engraving the meenakar and the
sunar was the goldsmith. These craftsmen received patronage from the nobles
and the kings and therefore they did not have to compromise their art for the
sake of popular taste.
They could take as long as they liked over a piece of jewellery. Many of the
old styles remain unchanged to this day. In Pratapgarh a special type of quasi-enameling
is done in which extremely fine work on gold is daintily carried out on green
enamel, which forms the base. In Nathdwara a good deal of enamel work on silver
and other metals is done nowadays as a furtherance to this famous age old craft.
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