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Post date: May 09, 2012 12:5:10 PM

SR Jewels and Beauty started on Blogging ...

The jewellery of India knows no bounds in its offerings to the modern world. This is because India must be one of the most prolific countries when it comes to making jewellery, whether it be the simple enjoyable ones or the highly delicate ones that are intricate in its designs. There are just many types of Indian jewellery that even the young could find what they want among its offering of beads and shells in interwoven colourful threads. One of the most highly regarded Indian jewellery nowadays is the kundan jewellery.

Our very first topic will be on Jewels of course. If you have seen our website and facebook , we describe jewels has Kundan Jewellery and Polki . Have you ever wondered what does that means ? Well here now we are going to explain to you .

What does Kundan means ? It simply means “ art of setting precious stones “ .

Well, highly refined gold or KUNDAN is jewellery that refers back to the Mughal period when pieces that make up the finished object are first shaped by the craftsman and left in separate halves, holes are cut for the stones, any engraving or chasing is carried out, and the pieces are enamelled. When the stones are to be set, lac is inserted in the back, and is then visible from the front though the holes of the stones. KUNDAN or highly refined gold is then used to cover that lac and the stone is pushed into the KUNDAN.

More KUNDAN is applied round the edges to strengthen the setting and to give it a neater appearance.

This was the only method of setting gems in to gold in the Mughal period until claw settings were introduced in the 19th century via Western jewellery.

The tradition still continues, and can be seen in the new pieces, which are now skilfully crafted by artisans in Lahore, Pakistan. They produce such wonderful work that even without technology this jewellery is rated as one of the best in the world.

There are now a lot of kundan jewellery available in the market. This kundan jewellery, though, is often just a replica of the original one made in the eighteenth or seventeenth or nineteenth centuries. The original pieces could sell for as much as $200,000 or more per set. Having kundan jewellery replicated and sold at lower prices is a welcome alternative for those jewellery lovers.

Kundan Design Necklace

So then what is Polki?

Polki jewelry is the style of design in jewelry which originated in India. The word polki stands for "uncut diamond". When the intricate design of jewelry is planned, the uncut diamond was set as the central attraction. However, with diamond being an expensive item, coloured stones or semi-precious stones are nowadays set in the design.

In recent years it has become a popular item of jewelry due to the popularity of Indian or Bollywood movies and the lavish display by the actresses in films and television serials. Women love to have them and it is very common in India and Pakistan to wear them at all social functions. To cut costs and meet the demand the original precious metals have been replaced with oxidized metals which make it difficult to differentiate from real.

The technical difference between polki and kundan is that 'polki' uses real diamonds and kundan fancies 'glass' imitations of the same. Because kundan is more expensive, therefore the craftsmanship used in kundan products is more refined.

POLKI design Necklace

So now you know the difference between Polki and Kundan ? So which one do you prefer ?