Coming out of Queen Victoria’s austere and puritanical last phase of rule, Edward VII indulged in a lifestyle quite the opposite and was rather over engaged in social events and matters that concerned neither State nor estate. Deplorable as that might have been, he did set the decorative arts alight with his conspicuous consumption, and fine examples of jewellery from the Edwardian years provide ample proof of this.

This is not that. The brooch may have an Art Nouveau tilt but it isn’t by any means a full-blown ornament of that or any genre. And we have effected clear detailing to make ours a more distinctive jewel, albeit one that doesn’t in any way lose its modesty ever. Lissome vines intertwine to the two sides where leaves set with rubies (new Burma), and blue-sapphire flowers (also with a ruby at each’s heart) hold sway. Three diamond ‘buds’ are seen in irregular positions but all of them align with the central eight-petalled ruby encrusted lotus that displays a blue sapphire — a favourite gem of its brilliant and beautiful young owner of whom you’ll hear more in a jewel to come — in its central seed-head. Two rhodium-plated lotus seed-pods jostle for space, and the yellowness of the gold is a treat, especially in gem-set jewellery of this kind.

Genteel to a fault, elegant, cheerful and colourful, this svelte brooch, wrought and set entirely by hand, is a reminder of how beauty and elegance go hand-in-hand. Nothing's overt by way of decorations, yet it is decorative ; the stones are bright and sparkly but at no time gaudy ; and finally, the colour of the 18K gold is an intense yellow but it seems much the better off for it. Realised in the difficult and increasingly rare tol-parh style, the jewel appears confident and centred both, but doesn't lose even a bit of its humility. In the process, it acquires a certain greatness within, its virtues felt more deeply than seen.

Named after Dr. Ishani Ghosh who wore this jewel on her wedding day in Calcutta recently, the brooch quite (and quietly, one may say) assumes the character of its owner — a certain greatness that's held within, and beauty which is universal.

The one you see today was handmade to a catalogue design for a groom who's a young and popular thespian of the small screen. It was a gift from his soon-to-be wife who also happens to be a noted actor-model from, and in, Bengal.

Drawn from the ‘Beads-of-Rice’ wristwatch bands of the ‘50s, the pattern of which here is seen on two sides of the large central rollers or bullet links, this 22K natural yellow gold bracelet is essentially an athletic and precious restatement of a classic Jacoby-Bender Jubilee watch band. The seven-link structure is stunning in its intricacy of fitting and while the ‘beads-of-rice’ links are are all polished, the central ‘bullet’ link is not. It sports, in fact, a fine repoussé trellis and is given a matte finish so that it contrasts and complements the ‘beads-of-rice’ sections. So neat and almost perfect is the arrangement that one wonders at the virtuosity of the artisans who bring into this world such jewels.

And then there’s the large mirror-polished safety clasp on which, notice if you will, there’s a curvy ‘S’ engraved; now that’s bespoke for you — personalisation, in splendid detail.

All in all, a fine piece of jewellery that any jamai, or any gent for that matter, will love and can wear any time. Wrought and finished entirely by hand, its longevity — and this is symbolic — is assured, as is that of its owner-wearer.

Finally when to college they took
Their hearts felt as soft as nainsook
For they knew now they'd loved
but their feelings they'd gloved
And they wished they hadn't played by the book.

By now a doctor was she, he an accountant
With stresses and worries duly concomitant
As six long years did pass
and their love for each other amass
They still each remained a consultant.

Then "Enough!" said she, and moved to Liverpool
He followed, with a transfer to the 'City of Cool'
And there together they lived
a gone decade forgived
And made up for the lost time since school.

In Calcutta today they will marry
Over the threshold his love he will carry
While friends will attend
and families extend
The celebrations bright and lapidary.

Ishani Ghosh of Behala
is wedded to
Joseph Frith of Lancashire
And as per his mother-in-law's express desire
A set of bespoke studs have been made
in gold, with cabochon rubies of sweet grade
As part of his wedding attire.

Roundrects four, polished and engraved
Each with a ruby, in four prongs, paved
And a chain that ties them together
in whatever foul and fair weather
Is what makes this guinea-gold jewel much praised.

Come, let's shower the groom and bride
With good wishes and blessings fortified
For the journey is long
and their love must hold strong
To weather life's most adventurous ride.

A pair of man...

A pair of mangoes, the last of summer, occupies the curved ends, their contours shaping the pendant. But within them are sprays of the common periwinkle, a delight, always, even in their ubiquity. A single medallion, also displaying a periwinkle bloom, sits at the base of the fan. Holding centre-stage is the fragrant Hari-champa —— an imagined composition of a couple of the blossoms, their six talon-like petals encircling a solitary and uncharacteristically large ovaloid fruit.
A mihi-dana border frames this lovely layout of phal, phul and pata, and a merry fringe of orbs tied to tubular stems adds a flourish to the tickly while increasing coverage, yet manages as well to lighten its volume. The classic Bhatia-ball chain does brilliantly to ornament the central parting.

Unashamedly symbolising fecundity, intimate pleasure, and a mind that’s playful but with a rhythm matched to a colourful heart, this joyous jewel was intended as a head ornament for a soon-to-be bride. Perhaps we overstepped with the flora, or the metaphors. She rejected it, and we redid the jewel differently, melting this one down to ingot. Yet this was the one we photographed because it somehow seemed more representative of our femininity than the later version. And because it was felt to possess the power to make evident our inner beauty.

Crafted by hand in rich yellow guinea gold (given a vermilion tinge) with due consideration and lots of care, the Manorangini —- as the Harichampa or Ylang Ylang is popularly called — Tickly is a timeless jewel that, in its own sweetly scented way, proclaims us women to be the supreme source of creation.

The starting point, at the parting of the hair, from where the chela bichha chain begins, is marked by a Trinayani motif with two round emeralds placed side by side and one pear-shaped ruby above them.The paan-pata then forms from this triple-collet arrangement and swirls to a finish of two single rubies. A repousse Kalash swings merrily within, symbolising wisdom, abundance, and immortality in a joyous way. This splendidly struck piece is also reminiscent of a gachhkouto and alludes to the bride’s stature in her new household as Ma Lakshmi.

But note the fine wire emerald-encrusted paan-pata drop below : when seen together with the large ekka swirls, it forms a clear Lakshmi’r Pa motif, and here too we see how this simple jewel uses traditional motifs with discretion to direct it towards a sacredness that’s all-embracing : there are no obvious religious emblems impinging on the maang-tikka’s universality.
The pearls highlight the ornament and lend it a charming North-West Indian design idiom. Both, the strung seed pearls outlining the betel leaf and the three freshwater pearl drops with their chuni-panna finials that complete the jewel, are necessary inclusions here. The maang-tikka is a wedding gift for a Rajasthani bride.

Handcrafted in 22K yellow gold with precision (note the fine beading on the ekkas) and using persuasive symbolism that draws the jewel towards a sanctity that’s glowingly beautiful and determinedly universal, the Ayushi Maang-Tikka is named after the groom, Ayush, with the gender altered to his bride’s because she’s as yet unknown by name. That’s fair. Ayushi has a powerful ring about it and much embodies this ornament which, as all our fine jewels do, bestows upon its owner/wearer a glorious immortality.

So much has been said of the humble maang-tika and its place in the ‘Solah–Shring...

So much has been said of the humble maang-tika and its place in the ‘Solah–Shringaar’ of a bride on her wedding day. Its symbolism as the all-powerful, supremely wise ‘third-eye’ is secure, at least in all of north and north-west India. In Bengal, where it becomes the ‘tickly’, it has seen a renaissance of sorts in the last few years and is being worn in elaborate designs and varying shapes, there being no hoary culture weighing upon it. Still, the crescentic form remains the most desired among all, mostly due to its ease of adaptability as a pendant but also because the 'eye' aspect, though not very obvious, is effectively evoked. Perhaps that’s why Dr. Rai Sarkar, a young doctor of dental medicine with impeccable taste, chose the central pendant from the classic Juna Mahal Choker to adorn her forehead.

It’s a scaled replica of the detachable centrepiece fitted with a bichha-ball chain section that goes up the central parting. The shape and pierced-naksha infill remain the same, and the amative parakeet couple seem not to have moved from their ecstatic stance, standing — chests pouted and joined — in remarkable equipoise. The cupped-crescent perch also stays as it is — the perforated panel of scrolling leaves with a marigold in the middle framed by the polished beading, double at the lower edge where a fine twisted wire comes between them. The ring-ball clusters complete the jewel, albeit with the help of a rather large ball-karai drop that cleverly directs attention to the tickly, but also performs the all-important role of a sacred bindi.

And the single drop of nectar, signified by the free-hanging pear in the middle of the centrepiece, that sweetened the centrepiece of the choker and made it glow with the scent and taste of love hasn't been missed here either. It's there, only suitably smaller.

As we said just a week ago : There’s a case for deriving jewels from jewels. And we take great delight in realising whatever it is that catches your fancy, even if it means borrowing select virtues from here and there — only our goyna, of course — to compose an equally virtuous new jewel with unequivocal veracity and no compromise at all on the workmanship. The finished ornament must speak for itself, and answer to you at all times. You, after all, have created it in your mind and set your heart upon it. We, as eternal imagineers, interpret your thoughts and feelings and make it real.

Who would have thought the elaborate Juna Mahal choker would one day find itself in a maang-tika. Half a decade from its birth, and named after the brilliant young doctor who chose this as a companion piece to her naksha kanbala, The Rai-Mahal Tickly turns out as recherché a guinea-gold jewel as the original neck-ornament. May it augment her wisdom and courage and will-power — all of which she has aplenty — and bring her love that's endless and supreme.

Her love of travelling (though only during her rare holidays), the way in which she intensely involves herself in the form and design of her bespoke jewellery (same for sarees), and her love of all that’s classic in the decorative arts, gives her away as a natural aesthete. Fiercely independent, and an antipodean for quite some time now, Shree’s aesthetic and cultural self remains firmly rooted in Bengal, and in that she opens a window into the heart and soul of the new-generation Indian woman who, while rising to great heights in her calling upon foreign shores, holds with great love, regard and spontaneous resolve, deep within her, the essence of her motherland’s culture and good traditions.

We drew several options for the mukut from which this was chosen. The core idea of form remained one in which the primary ornament to be worn on the wedding day (yes, this is part of Shree’s wedding set) would, later, double up as a rare and splendid necklace that would in no way betray its origin. Likewise, the gola’r goyna, when worn, would never be interpreted to be a mukut. Each would be true to form with no compromises made on the integrity of their usage. The mukut is an authentic mukut ; the necklace a complete necklace.

What you see is a family of mangoes assembled to become a jewel. As a symbol of love and abundance, the fruit is second to none.

At the sides, two aam-kalkas bow towards the mother, each carrying a chased makhmali gendaphul. The French marigold holds great medicinal value, besides being a lovely flower, and this aspect of beauty and the curative you shall witness as a leitmotif throughout the jewel. Bordered with polished orbs that follow the lines of a chased rope, the courteous kalkas also effectively frame the centrepiece.

Note carefully the enceinte aam in the middle : Fecund in her foliate naksha, she holds within her (but as a separate entity, not just in design but in the actual creation as well) a baby mango imprinted with the powerful motif of a calendula bloom that also signifies the sun.

The loveliness of the gravid fruit, her sanctity, and her divinity — her Shree, so to say — are celebrated in this jewel of simple symbolism.

From the heart of us whimsical imagineers, with thoughts of the brilliant Shree, and by the use of exquisite pierced and solid naksha (examine, if you will, the contrasting style of the mother and child mangoes) and an altogether dissimilar Manipuri detail on the necessary – but by no means perfunctory – extensions, comes into being this amaranthine guinea-gold jewel that we hope shall be considered as remarkable as the young lady whose palmary achievements, radiant personality, and virtuous character make her a paladin among Indians around the world doing our country proud.

We pray this be a competent and worthy crown for her.

The Shiv-Tara Kanbala from summer 2021 was requisitioned as the Maang-Tikka for this fairy-tale jewel, which happens to be a bespoke Matha-Patti and not a long necklace as it appears in the photogr...

The Shiv-Tara Kanbala from summer 2021 was requisitioned as the Maang-Tikka for this fairy-tale jewel, which happens to be a bespoke Matha-Patti and not a long necklace as it appears in the photograph. The central pendant, encrusted with rubies, emerald and pearls, is left almost identical to the kanbala, right down to the pearl-drop detail.

The plaque it's attached to, an oval of immaculately arranged cocoons topped by a flat-polished flower with a pearl on it, is repeated on the second and fourth medallions on the 'patti'. The first and the third are each a spray of palm leaves with an emerald core for one and a ruby for the other. Funnily, the terminal piece, while sporting the same ball border as the other discs, varies in the infill : a curvy leaf pattern does well here, and the flower in the middle has fewer petals than its counterparts in the other medallions.

The round piece just above the pendant-pasha has a double-ball detail and, with it, a row of hollow discs, finally culminating in a flower and a ruby.

The style of ornament is that of a Matha-Patti, with a Sheesh-Phool attached. Of course, in our jewel, the Rajasthani /Punjabi references remain relevant to form, and form only, while care is taken to see the detailing is individually and intricately attended to in pure Bengal workmanship : katai, ball-work, and pierced naksha. Still, there's something of Multan in the jewel, especially in those discs.

Made for a young lady whose wedding jewellery this is (in part, of course), it was a brave decision to go bespoke without even looking at a single drawing of the jewel. It was entirely left to us to create a unique ornament.

Designed and devised in such a way as to ensure enduring pleasure, this rare ornament is detachable and can be worn just as a pendant. The matha-patti can also be used as a band, without the pendant attached. It's a head ornament, as a whole, this, but equally a terrific necklace.

That was the purpose : to make it versatile, veracious, and vital. It is, it is, it is.

From the bindi realised as the ‘third eye’ to a lotus mandala crafted with precision, the journey’s taken all of four years.  

In August 2018 we gave you the Sreenanda Sinthee-Pati ...

From the bindi realised as the ‘third eye’ to a lotus mandala crafted with precision, the journey’s taken all of four years.  

In August 2018 we gave you the Sreenanda Sinthee-Pati and today we showcase its cater cousin, Utpalaam. 

They’re similar in form, as they must be if that traditional head ornament is to be realised, but quite varied in their details even though the lotus is common to both.

In the centre of the mandala is the eight-petalled utpala in its shrine of meditative energy. Protecting it is a polished moat and beyond that a ring of orbs. The aam surround makes it seem the sun,  just after which is a circle of lotus petals wrought this time in faceted wire-work on polish-pat, again bringing calm to the mandala. A double ball border, guarding a line of mihi- rejis aligned on both sides of a single wire, completes the pendant/ maang tika.

A simple kalka-kamal chain goes up both flanks as the patti and a kamal-ball chain acts as the fastener for the tickly which of course is the mandala.

All the chains are detachable (zoom this and you’ll know) as a result of which the ones on the sides can be worn separately as necklaces or armlets, leaving the chaunk-like (refer our 'You Didn't Know This' article from 18th June) centrepiece as a magnificent pendant or khopa’r goyna.

We all want jewels we’ve had the occasion to see and like. While ordering from us you are most welcome to our designs as you view them on this page or in the showroom. But then again you might think bespoke and effect alterations to the detailing while maintaining the jewel’s original form. That thought speaks to us. And we’re happy to incorporate changes that differentiate the ornament and make it more exclusive to you.

A lotus mandala with a swirl of mangoes and a ridged-ball drop, and its own ball-reji 'ring of fire and wisdom' takes centre-stage in this splendid and versatile goyna. To add festivity and that tinkle of happiness to the jewel (which also happens to be part of a wedding trousseau), split-kadam ball-jhur, in pairs, fringes almost all of the side chains.

Designed and handcrafted with unyielding care and a flair for the fantastical realised through classic ornamentation –– it’s why you see the central padma and aam together forming a sun within another lotus –– Utpalaam is a conflux of the unlikely in vermilion tinted guinea-gold that results in pure beauty and brings to its wearer enduring peace and joy.

We’re an old hand at this. First, the Madhuja Projapoti Tayra from 2016 and then the PMP Tayra from January last year have been variations of a recherché head ornament based on the classic butterfl...

We’re an old hand at this. First, the Madhuja Projapoti Tayra from 2016 and then the PMP Tayra from January last year have been variations of a recherché head ornament based on the classic butterfly motif that, you needn’t be told, is an auspicious symbol in Bengali weddings and one that unequivocally signifies marriage.

Here, of course, the tayra is a more elaborate version of the earlier ones and the buxom butterfly trio is stylized in a very different way in du-pora (meaning chased twice over after softening the gold in fire both times) naksha. Alternating with the projapotis are the beautifully rendered eight-petalled kundaphul in rare tol-parh workmanship while the end-flowers are again hand-chased and fitted with hooks that pierce the tissue veil (if such is worn) and affix the jewel and the fabric to the hair. The central sinthee-chain also has the same flower and hook arrangement but, in this case, is not detachable, preventing the tayra from being worn as an equally effective shelly. But that remains your choice, whether or not you want the goyna to be interchangeable as a necklace and a head ornament. We’ll as easily make the sinthee chain removable if you so wish and ensure the jewel a convertible classic.

The faceted pear drops are closed at the back to give them sufficient weight so that they do not turn over time to time as the hollow ones usually do, and the triple-strand festoon form finds terrific currency with the plain and simple, loosely-strung, polished bichha chain.

This is part of a trousseau of jewels for a very young and petite bride. The butterflies had to be of an artistically athletic nature so that the tayra may strike the right kind of balance between it and the rest of the suite of fine ornaments. Besides, the topa-centered kundaphuls do a lot to reduce the overkill of what would otherwise have been just a series of muscular projapotis.

The bride may be delicate, but her jewellery and beliefs certainly are not. And the proof of that is the innate strength of the Tagdai Titli Tayra, which, as you’ll have seen, comes from its ‘handmade in pure guinea gold’ credential and not from its obvious avoirdupois.

This monumental jewel is as rare of form as it is of design. It's a komor-bichha or kamarpatta that's no less than a Sita-Har and has three key-chains attached to it, the central one fixed in place...

This monumental jewel is as rare of form as it is of design. It's a komor-bichha or kamarpatta that's no less than a Sita-Har and has three key-chains attached to it, the central one fixed in place but collapsible (it drops back) and the other two, removable. Also, you'll see the engraving on the flat hook's different in each so that the removable ones are differentiated by pattern and can be used as separate key-chains. The flattened wire rings are in two-and-a-half twists so the keys that go in never fall out.

The chains strands are all kamal-ball tip-tip but the two on top are free hanging while the last one is fixed to the second so that it falls in a fixed arc, but you could as well have that on rings, fully flexible, if you don't mind the disarray that'll result.

The flowers –– florist's chrysanthemums, these –– fall in a gently graded cascade along a central spine and are pink-tinged for effect. Like the Brahma-Kamal of, "these blooms are also crafted by hand individually and painstakingly to include the core petals and outer petals, each drawn, cut, and shaped by hand and put together as separate flowers arranged in a vertical line." The engraving on each petal is of dewdrops, etched deep, and they each have a karai at their tip to protect your saree from catching. The endpieces are made of the inner petals of the Chandramukhi flowers and a cutwork half-jhumka dangles from the last blossom but seems a tad small for the ornament, given its spread.

There's a disclaimer : this has nothing to do with Devdas on screen or anywhere ; there's no connection to the celluloid Chandramukhi at all ; the title's merely drawn from the Manipuri name of the florist's chrysanthemun. However, romantic as we all are (even if in degrees), we could well imagine ourselves Vyjayanthimala or Ms.Dixit in a lilting song sequence wearing costumes specially chosen to highlight the komor-bichha.

In summation, a splendid goyna of regal bearing and unequivocal classicism : a rare piece, but one that's playful as well, the flowers the very life of it.

Fragmented storylines come together with thrilling effect in this diminutive jewel that's brave in design and fearless as well in its realisation.

The crescentic form derives from a classic...

Fragmented storylines come together with thrilling effect in this diminutive jewel that's brave in design and fearless as well in its realisation.

The crescentic form derives from a classic kanbala and is bracketed at the top and bottom by two polished half-jhumkas while the tapered sinthi-pati is simply a tana adapted for use that extends into a single kamal-chain with staggered orbs along its two edges.

See how finely detailed even the borders are : a chhela half-topa edging at the bottom of the crescent narrows to a row of gold balls till it reaches the half-jhumka ; the ball-karai of the inner circle follows suit ; and the same takes place on the chain except that there the orbs are staggered and then stopped well before the hook.

The split-ball serrated jhur and clapper for the jhumkas ensure there's the tinkling sound of anklets accompanying every little head movement so that when in the dark you turn away from his embrace, your heart all aflutter and your lips pinched in anticipation of a passion supreme, you know he knows your face hides what your soul craves and that that night would be the night of hard and heavenly love that you'd make everlasting.

Which brings us to the motifs on the 'kanbala' : the kesar badam-barfis are laid out in a graduated pattern and the spaces between them filled in by polished bindis. One's the aphrodisiac that sets the tone for the evening's pleasure while the flat circle is the presence of God that raises the erotic to divinity.

You don't have to be a newly-wed bride to wear a tickly or discover or steep yourself in the true pleasures of passionate romantic love. Care not what your age is, or your calling, or your stature in society. Be you eighteen or eighty, who knows but you whether or not you're fulfilled in terms of your body and soul. Love knows no religion, regulation or rationale. If you feel the passion, just go ahead and immerse yourself in it. It'll only enrich you, evermore.

In literature, often, you've come across narratives of the subaltern. This is that, in fine gold jewellery. Wrought by hand with feeling and care, this little tickly may well be subordinate to greater, more prominent ornaments, but lowly it is not. Its position, firmly in the centre of the forehead, with the jhumka descending down to between the eyebrows, makes it a pure chakra jewel and invests it with great power of perception.

This model, especially, is detailed in bright yellow guinea gold to make you realise how divine you really are. And that the bandhan of love is yours to enjoy, forever and ever.

A sculptor of note came by. He was sent on reference by a connoisseur. The commission was a child's headband, a chaplet, to be made for her upcoming rice ceremony. A brief was given, an idea discus...

A sculptor of note came by. He was sent on reference by a connoisseur. The commission was a child's headband, a chaplet, to be made for her upcoming rice ceremony. A brief was given, an idea discussed for a design based on, almost three-dimensional, English wood carvings from the 17th century. A floral wreath was suggested, with leaves and blossoms and fruit all gathered together in a sort of informal arrangement that was yet of a perceivable form.

This is what we did. This is how it came out : An arrangement of camellia blooms with varied leaves and longstalked holly, decoratively arranged, and a single Japani chameli resting alongside the central flower.

While the foliage is mainly hand-struck, each camellia is presented in pristine double naksha. The leaves, as you see in the carvings, are all tucked in frivolously and the stems of pearl 'holly' spontaneously fill the gaps between them. The chameli lightly scents the chaplet.

Realised in rich yellow 22K gold, the headband could as well be a spectacular choker, and it probably will be, over time. For now, the blessed child who'll wear it on her Annaprasan will hardly know its beauty, but all of you will. And as you do, you'll come to terms with the fact that anonymous as the maker is, this is beauty you can feel just as much as you can see and one that might well have a touch of divinity to it. A functional ornament to live as though be its fate, it's for you to judge it as art of the highest order ---- imagined with deep feeling and wrought by hand with care, consideration and boundless love. A tour de force that makes the ephemeral timeless, the perishable immortal, and turns dreams into gold - - - - something any great sculptor would be proud of.

Sometimes, the most utilitarian of things can become high art. The basic hair net, in the hands of our expert craftsmen, transforms into a dazzling ornament that decorates and defines the common bo...

Sometimes, the most utilitarian of things can become high art. The basic hair net, in the hands of our expert craftsmen, transforms into a dazzling ornament that decorates and defines the common bobtail or bun (khopa, in Bengali). Made entirely with 22K gold chains, this rare hair piece is anchored by a central medallion mirror-finished in wire work.

"He who wants the rose must respect the thorn." And so the plainspeak of a Persian proverb tells us much : A relationship of true love is always built on the acceptance of differences and flaws by ...

"He who wants the rose must respect the thorn." And so the plainspeak of a Persian proverb tells us much : A relationship of true love is always built on the acceptance of differences and flaws by each partner of the other. When we look at the world through the eyes of difference, we see not what we see but what the other does and that helps us realise the same world to be of a beauty we often do not perceive when we look upon it with a vision unique to us.

Why is all this so contingent upon this ornament, you may ask. And, indeed, why is it? Well, the maang-tika, or tickly, as it's called in Bengal, is a significant ornament and is said to represent the power of the soul while increasing concentration and helping keep emotions in check. Small wonder then that brides are never found without one.

In the pendant, we have an oft-seen naksha motif (it's been adapted from the Paroma pashas) of a central rose surrounded by wild flowers and robust foliage. From this emerges a zig-zagging kamal chain which is thick due to the topa-karai border on both sides. And that's more or less it.

It looks a little daunting, the size of it. But wear it and you'll know how appropriate the jewel is for the grand occasion. Also, it's important to let Gulshan work its magic upon you. Though it's a tickly and not a time machine, it'll transport you in pure guinea-gold to an era when all the beauty in the world and all the love is laid at your feet, for it is you, it is you, who are divine.

Behold then your very own rose garden !

Hand-beaten hair adornment with fifteen mangoes signifying fertility. When rotated, it becomes an elegant necklet that can be paired with coloured beads. Finished in antique polished guinea gold....

Hand-beaten hair adornment with fifteen mangoes signifying fertility. When rotated, it becomes an elegant necklet that can be paired with coloured beads. Finished in antique polished guinea gold.

Made for a bride as renowned for her beauty as her memorable refulgence in the finery of her grand and elegant midsummer marriage, this gracious synecdoche of a hair-ornament plays up the 'third-ey...

Made for a bride as renowned for her beauty as her memorable refulgence in the finery of her grand and elegant midsummer marriage, this gracious synecdoche of a hair-ornament plays up the 'third-eye' concept of our traditional maang-tika by making the forehead pendant an enlarged bindi that has a lotus at its core with a thokai rudraksha as the disc in the centre of the flower. This is elaborately framed by a row of paisleys, then one of peepholes and chumkis, followed by a ring-reji line and, finally, the neat ball border. A relaxed pair of kalkas crowns the centrepiece and attaches seamlessly to the kamal-ball chain, while a small karai-phul patches this junction of side-belts, the lotus 'tika', and the sinthee-pati. The last is a double-topa-karai x-phul chain broad enough to cover the central parting ('maang') but with the pattern made such that the sindoor will catch in it and colour it redder than the light vermeil of the whole ornament. 

There's a gathering of split kadamphool below the powerful bindi and single drops down the two flanks that become pairs as they converge upon the lotus ---- a progression that subtly depicts the phases of our life that we first live alone and then with our life partner/s. More suited to a monsoon wedding, the kadamphool jhur, here, perform as tiny bells and lend Sreenanda a happy ring as much as they signify her rich fecundity. 

All in all, a classic hair-ornament, and true to its purpose of being a timeless jewel, handcrafted with due depth of consideration in pure 22K gold. Symbolic of joy and prosperity, and the union of two bodies and hearts and souls, the Sreenanda Sinthee-Pati may well be a glorious bridal goyna but should be worn by anyone, at any time, who's willing to admit they're just as ageless as the jewel.

Tagore lamented, "The key to the land of our dreams is lost to the world ......" We say that the keys to the peace and prosperity and to the future of our country remain firmly in our hands. As suc...

Tagore lamented, "The key to the land of our dreams is lost to the world ......" We say that the keys to the peace and prosperity and to the future of our country remain firmly in our hands. As such, we give you this set of gold keys on a sweetly realized key ring that's hand wrought and hand etched using tools from a century ago.

It's symbolic.

Let's build India with honesty,truth,and transparency. Let's usher in a golden age ; ensure ourselves a golden future.

A tickly usually comes to life at a wedding, mostly for the bride, unless you're from one of the north-western states, in which case there's a cultural tradition of wearing the ornament lifelong, a...

A tickly usually comes to life at a wedding, mostly for the bride, unless you're from one of the north-western states, in which case there's a cultural tradition of wearing the ornament lifelong, and it becomes an integral and important part of the precious personal accessories one adorns oneself with on a continual basis.

This tickly, made for a bride-to-be who hails from Assam, is derived from a katai jhapta earring which she saw and liked in our showroom. The adaptation involves using the crescent shape, keeping the katai infill intact, and bordering it generously with an Indian ruby, pearl and gold jhur. Knowing it might be in restricted use later, we've devised a seamless system of detaching the chain so that the frontispiece can be used as a pendant. A small ornament, but one that can change how you look on those special days when you choose to display it in its full glory.

For Priyankona Das, by whose name this jewel is known, is a brilliant computer technologist betrothed to an engineer who's chucked it all in to pursue a career as an actor.

Young people are increasingly making brave choices so that they can live their lives their way, in beauty and freedom, as blithe,super-cool individuals accountable only to themselves for their happiness, and that's the way it should be, for what more than their peace and happiness could their loved ones want for them.

We wish Priyankona, in her wedded life, finds both in ample measure and with a permanence wrought by love as an artist who blesses their union in the brightest, most joyous colours.

This is a hair-ornament, placed in the centre of a khopa and may or may not have decorative hairpins in gold surrounding it. Since multi-functionality has gone beyond human beings to cover almost a...

This is a hair-ornament, placed in the centre of a khopa and may or may not have decorative hairpins in gold surrounding it. Since multi-functionality has gone beyond human beings to cover almost anything we use nowadays ---- witness the copier/printer/scanner, tv/game-screen/computer, toaster/warmer/grill, toothbrush/jib-chhola and the terrific all-in-one remote control that...well...controls your curtains, television, lights (if you don't have the clap-to-switch-on/off system, that is), doors, piped music, oven and, more often than not, your life ----- jewellery can hardly be far behind. Versatility has always been a virtue in precious ornaments and this little piece justifies itself ably as a pendant while dramatically fulfilling its primary use as a khopa'r goyna. Of course, unlike other muti-tasking things, it has no demands of its own save that it be displayed with pride and grace.

Hand-wrought in pierced naksha, the fantastic flora provides an appropriate setting for the bird that started out as a parrot but ended up being closer to a long-tailed moyna and that's all very well because it's more the starling that might be found among grapes than any parrot ever would. Still, a mistake's a mistake and it's our fault that we couldn't have the bird chased correctly. It's merely serendipitous that it turned out alright because of the surrounding naksha of flowers and grapevines embedded with pearls and rubies (the eye of the bird is a ruby as well), and a single dark emerald.

It's true, there are times when what we intend is not what results, but the outcome, different as it may be, can be equally, if not more, pleasing ; we just have to be patient and accepting of it and see it in the light of its own unique beauty.

It's only when the Mrs.Grundy within us rears her beastly head that the magic garden of our world becomes a prissy playground for bullies to impose their narrow order of things and rigid societal propriety is paraded as a virtue wherein birds foreign to the forest are deemed imposters and barred from singing their song.

With us, it is you who determines who and what enriches your garden. Be sure, we will curate it accordingly. Just give us the license to delight you and the freedom to listen to your heart dictate to us its terms of beauty and we promise you the finest bagan possible in pure guinea gold.

There are times when a design catches our eye in such a way that we want to incorporate it or at least parts of it in something else that may or may not be related to the original. The Baromashi Ka...

There are times when a design catches our eye in such a way that we want to incorporate it or at least parts of it in something else that may or may not be related to the original. The Baromashi Kanbala, first introduced on this page on 12th July, 2014, is one such design.

When Mrs.Atashi Dutta came to us to get a tickly made, she made clear as well how much she loved the Baromashi Kanbala and wanted the jewel to look similar to it. What we did instead was attempt a transcreation where the spirit and style remains intact while the ornament is interpreted slightly differently to suit its new purpose.

As such, you'll notice the same arrangement of hand-struck mangoes and ball-karai, the identical shape, and the strung seed pearls ---- now joined by Indian ruby and emerald beads. A lot else has changed : the pearl jhoor's gone and so has the pair of makar-mukhs, and the central Manipuri drop has been replaced by a large, polished half-jhumka which is repeated at the bottom.The ruby clapper ensures a colourful closure and the maangtika has a distinct North Indian feel to it, albeit with a Bengali heart, more because of the ruby-emerald-pearl edging and the mihi-reji line just above it than anything else.

Notice also the larger than usual loop to which is fastened a twisted zari length with a spring lock for it to easily detach. At the other end is a regulation brass hook. This is so that you can wear the tickly as a pendant paired with a thick or thin chain, or even pass a rolled velvet tube of any colour through the loop to make it a rare choker.

Versatility aside, the ornament is pretty sharp. And, if you look at it in its various avatars (a khopa'r pin, perhaps, or a jhapta), also an all-weather jewel very much in the fashion of the kanbala it's taken from.

Crafted by hand in pure 22K gold with ideas of loveliness and perpetuity, this child of Baromashi's is no less an ornament than her acclaimed parent. Named after the sophisticated lady whose wish it was to get made this goyna of illustrious provenance but wholly independent standing, Atashi should in time emerge as one of the marquee jewels from our house.

It's a reasonable luxury, writing this to the tempo of Schubert's 'The Trout', but lest that seem a tad affected, we're equally given to crediting Dr.Seuss's 'One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish' ...

It's a reasonable luxury, writing this to the tempo of Schubert's 'The Trout', but lest that seem a tad affected, we're equally given to crediting Dr.Seuss's 'One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish' for putting piscine pleasures at the heart of art.

Our love of gold and our love of machh (we Bengalis are the pre-eminent fish-eating peoples of the world) led to the creation of the Passion Fish necklace (displayed on this page in November,2013) from which is derived this pendant made on commission for an elegant young lady in Bangalore who wanted to have her fish and wear it too. Needless to say, we gladly complied, not just to duplicate the earlier model but to alter every detail so that it stands on its own as a rare and beautiful ornament, and surprise her as well by engineering it to be worn from both ends and also as a brooch.

The Fishtail : stylized and embedded with abstract slivers of gold that are straight chiselled to reflect light and to contrast with the irregularly graduated deep-cut engraving on each exaggerated blade.

The Body : like the paisa-buti on sarees, the scales are wrought of single-scoop shimmering gold medallions that steadily increase in size towards the centre, making the illusory swimming fish so very real. And then the tactile explosion of the last four rows where larger netted arches overlap ---- each with a tiny gold chip, half hidden ---- and form a decorative gill-apron that tantalizingly reveals whatever's underneath in an otherwise solid infill. The Head : a row of rough-cut rejis separates it and prepares the eye for the highly buffed surface. You'll easily notice her Mona Lisa smile but barely the hand-cut bindi and tilak which only serve to take the visual tedium out of the glossy expanse. The one audacious touch is the chokh : we've given her an eyebrow !! And why not ? Lots of people are going to raise theirs anyway when you wear this jewel so why desist from having our fish flaunt hers as well.

As for what kind of fish ? We don't know really. For all you who care about your machh, imagine her to be your favourite type and name her if you want. Meticulously crafted in copper-polished 22K gold, made and re-made thrice over till life was breathed into it, we only hope our effort elicits at least some of the adulation of Schubert's as a paean to piscine pulchritude and is almost as loved as Dr Seuss's wonderfully whimsical work.

This handcrafted, hand-engraved little offering in guinea gold is a study in detailing. The arrangement of the central flower, the lotus buds alongside, the sorshe-dana border, the sasa-dana bed, the tiny blossom on the crest, the leaf-etched kalkas, and the simple ball fringe, all speak the language of diversity, perfectly balanced, unified through the singular quest for happiness and fulfillment in every aspect of life.

That's how Maya lived to her last day, and that's how her granddaughter, to whom she gifted this tickly, part of her own biyer goyna, remembers her : as someone who shone the light of peace and happiness and contentment on all --- some close, some not so --- who knew her.

Touched with her kindness and love, and forever radiant with her ashirbad, this diminutive, petal-shaped, vermilion-tinted ornament stands as a quiet testimony to the fact that small can be monumental. And beautiful. And everlasting.

The sunrise motif, using flattened diamond-cut wires, is reminiscent of Art Deco patterns that heavily influenced the applied arts and architecture in India during the thirties and forties and extended well into the post-Independence era. The central flower is chhela-pat, a north Calcutta speciality, and the chiselled sabudana border sparkles proudly as it outlines the cupolas and defines the ornament. Note the little leaf on top : a tiny substitute for the peacock feather usually seen there on mukuts but never of great currency in precious jewellery. Besides,remember, this is also an armlet. And, as that, it works brilliantly, especially if you want to display a slice of Bengal's socio-cultural history through a signature jewel.

The preserve of genteel ladies of zamindari families, such opor-haaths would always tell a story, even more because they could indulge in a play of patterns otherwise forbidden to the main ornaments like Sita-hars, chooris and sundry necklaces. The symbolism, in this case, is obvious : a powerful and wealthy family ; a rising, shining Bengal.

Those with eclectic tastes may try it ; handcrafted in pure 22K gold and weighing in at less than 'du bhori' (two tolas), its worth taking a risk for. How many ornaments, after all, can make you wear history on your sleeve. And, in a world of shining this and shining that, how many can make you shine in your own light.

Yes, that's its magic.

This sweet and simple plain gold tayra was specially commissioned by Ms.Madhuja Dey for her marriage to a handsome young Punjabi gentleman and she was quite specific when enunciating her jewellery needs to us : everything had to be classic Bengal and certain pieces were to be customized. Accordingly, a 'Passion Fish' armlet was made and a broad Mayurpur Choor, and a Paroma Pasha Khopa-Clip (all of which we'll showcase later) to go with the necklace and earrings. The real challenge now was to create a tayra that would be an elegant complement to the rest of the bridal jewels yet still have its own character without competing with them.

The final version, a traditional projapoti crafted by one of our most experienced diamond jewellery artisans, sets about making the butterflies more palpable using the rare tol-parh work. Here, the large central projapoti's wings are realized in star-engraved gold with a spaced-out chhela wire border to impart lightness and a feel of flight ; the body and drop piece are honeycomb etched ; the two-tier bichha chains are spread wide so that they have ample 'give' ; a pair of alternating solid and wire-winged miniature butterflies continue the main motif ; little wire chakras form the end-pieces and have hooks to fix easily to the hair ; the biccha ball chain that acts as a sinthee pati completes the ornament.

Good taste and a predilection for the finer things in life defines Madhuja as a person. Her carefully thought out trousseau, the detailing of her ornaments, her exacting standards, are all the hallmark of an extraordinary, independent woman who's just as hardcore an aesthete as she is a go-getting corporate administrator. Look how beautifully her idea of a butterfly, an auspicious but common symbol otherwise, finds form in a completely different way in this very tasteful and sophisticated ornament.

What more fitting then than to name it after her, and with it wish her every peace and happiness. May she, like the lovely projapati of her tayra, suck the sweet nectar out of every phase of her new life and roam free forever.

Derived from one of our distinctive naksha kanbalas, this lovely handcrafted maang-tikka or tickly in Bengali, shaped like the crescent markings on a peacock's feather, has rows of mayurs and gem-s...

Derived from one of our distinctive naksha kanbalas, this lovely handcrafted maang-tikka or tickly in Bengali, shaped like the crescent markings on a peacock's feather, has rows of mayurs and gem-studded flowers chased across it. An edging of strung seed pearls and another of pearl and ball jhur complete the detailing on the piece and make for a nice contrast to the antique-finished 22K gold.

Usually part of a bridal ensemble, you could wear this glorious hair-ornament alone ---- unaccompanied by any other jewellery ----- and make a stunning style statement. Or you could detach the chain and wear it as a pendant, jura-pin ( brooch for hair-bun), or even a jhapta. Simply put, a spectacular versatile ornament that, in your hands, will become what you command it.

Forget the Ajna Chakra, forget the union of two souls symbolized by the chakra between the eyebrows ; forget that that's the exact place where the maang tikka rests on the forehead and thus becomes...

Forget the Ajna Chakra, forget the union of two souls symbolized by the chakra between the eyebrows ; forget that that's the exact place where the maang tikka rests on the forehead and thus becomes a significant wedding ornament denoting the emotional, spiritual and physical oneness of the bride and the groom ; forget all else of even remote philosophical importance related to Indian jewellery and think that this marvellously crafted humongous tickly (if you can call it that) is part of a BIg Fat Punjabi Wedding in which it holds a special place among the girl's wedding jewellery as she has a seashore forehead which can accommodate this sort of mega-model of maang tikka with ease. Anybody else would cause it to appear a rather ostentatious nose-guard in the manner of iron nasal strips on Norman helmets.

Going back to November 2016, when we posted the Mor-Michhil Kanbala, you'll see the likeness clearly. The "syncopated procession of strutting peacocks" interspersed with "simple flowers" remains the chosen motif and the shape is that of a classic North-Indian Chandbali ; the gems have gone and it's now all-Naksha and much bigger in overall proportions than the original ; the solid gold half-jhumka drop is replaced by a solitary ball surrounded by a frivolous seed-pearl jhur hung below the line of gold spheres ; on the inner kanbala, the border of strung-pearls and single-ball drops remains intact. All the unruly details of the earlier jewel, save in the pasha, because there is no pasha, are included here, but this time with intent, so they aren't really unruly any more. Yet, there's something offbeat about the ornament, its fun-loving soul rearing to show itself and take the jewel beyond its assigned role as a symbol of marital unity and bliss.

Being a hardcore Punjabi family (that's been in Calcutta for more than a hundred years now and can be counted as one of the earliest Sikh settlers in the city) steeped in their traditions, that's not going to be too difficult. Music and dance and festivities and feasting come naturally to them, and these no- holds-barred soirees must be seen to be believed. Filled with fun and laughter and foot-tapping numbers that set the tone for hours of delirious dancing, the Punjabi wedding is a larger-than-life stage for unbridled merriment ---- a party like no other. It's the perfect venue for this sort of jewellery, and that's just the start. We are doing the entire suite of ornaments --- comprising a full-neck choker, choor and kanbalas --- for Simran, the bride-to-be, who's a mulltiple-degree-holding published author and certified yoga practitioner in Delhi. It just so happens that, besides her obvious academic and professional talents, she looks like a model, a side she's not been very keen to explore. Perhaps the jewels might change that. Handcrafted in pure 22K gold and imparted a light antique finish, the maang tikka has a chhela-bichha chain with hooks on both ends to fasten it to the hair and to detach the chain from the naksha piece so that it can be worn as a striking pendant or brooch or khopa pin, as desired.

Enough about the ornament. It'll work its magic once you wear it. Now, to seize the moment, the fun and happy times, let's enjoy ! C'mon, sing with us : "Ho Gayi Tu Ballé Ballé, Ho Jayegi Ballé Ballé . . . Ho Gayi Tu Ballé Ballé, Ho Jayegi Ballé Ballé !!

The Panjabi'r Botam is dead! Long live the Panjabi'r Botam! That particular item of men's clothing that used to go by the name 'panjabi' has long disappeared. The short, upper-thigh-length kurta, u...

The Panjabi'r Botam is dead! Long live the Panjabi'r Botam! That particular item of men's clothing that used to go by the name 'panjabi' has long disappeared. The short, upper-thigh-length kurta, usually made of fine white cotton called Addi, with sleeves a couples of inches longer than usual so that they would shrink to the correct fit after the essential 'giley' that would rumple the cloth and give the sleeves a springy, delicately wrinkled texture, hasn't been in favour for a good two decades now. Instead, we have what looks like a Native American Ghost Dance dress that reaches up to the shins and is covered with gaudy embroidery in the name of ' designer' style. In fact, there's a deep divide ----- you either have the tacked-on faux zardozi stuff sold by marquee ciné or sports stars that are copied by local stores or the kantha-stitch monstrosities that could give you an entire Egyptian (the more obscure the better for these self-styled 'hot' couture personalities) legend on just the front panel with the possibility of a few homegrown figures drawn from popular mythology (and mythology is gaining ground over, and even replacing, history these days) on the other side. Where's the space for the quiet nobility of gold buttons, here? They'll be lost in the menagerie of iconography anyway if worn and could well divert from the glorified garishness of the apparel. Earlier, in the plain cotton or handloom silk kurtas, the four button-holes down the placket would be closed with the chain-linked studs leaving the top hole on the right unoccupied but instead passing only the 'face' of the button through the top left and turning the fabric over to reveal the flat/curved baseplate which could be name inscribed or engraved or left plain. A bit of the chain would inevitably show and the whole idea was to convey richness without pomp, embellishment without loud grandeur.

All that was part of a gentler, and more genteel, world. If you're still with that culture, this quartet of studs shall certainly speak to you. Each 'button' has a classic cupped baseplate with a wishbone post that holds up the rectangular face and has a light polished bichha chain connecting it to the other studs. The front face is hand-engraved using a 'buli' in a dotted diagonal pattern and is defined on two sides by midnight-blue deep-cut enamelling. The diagonals are alternately polished and frosted, creating a bright, three-dimensional effect that the dark mina helps amplify but just enough to make it attractive not blinding. When fixed on a tasteful panjabi, it enriches the ensemble and adds a deft touch of aristocracy to the presentation.

We do only these in solid guinea-gold. A seasoned expert engraves the buttons and the ornament, including the chain, from start to finish, is fully hand-wrought. Any motifs, initials and insignia can be done but sufficient time is to be given as the process is slow. Variations in joroa and diamond-set designs are also our speciality.

If you need a bespoke set of kurta buttons done, come to us for the handmade experience. They'll be beautiful in any design and can work equally well for women and men. In fact, there shouldn't be a gender specific function related to this kind of jewel at all. As long as it fulfils the aesthetic purpose of ornamentation, the Panjabi'r Botam, at least with us, shall be alive and well.

What you see is what you don't : A tayra, tickly, pendant and necklace all rolled into one, this forthright yet elegant jewel is a Convertible piece that not just performs as several ornaments but ...

What you see is what you don't : A tayra, tickly, pendant and necklace all rolled into one, this forthright yet elegant jewel is a Convertible piece that not just performs as several ornaments but does so equally successfully in each of those roles. But you really wouldn't know that on seeing the ornament, the mechanisms that enable this taking apart and putting together are so subtly disguised.

The form, similar to scalloped anklets, sees two different kinds of chains --- kamal and plain bichha --- form the sides of the tayra that also double up as the body of the necklace.

Remove the scalloped sides and there's the tickly ; take off all the chains and you're left with the katai-kanbala pendant ; detach the sinthi-pati and you have a svelte necklace that can also be worn slightly high on the neck as a choker.

The craftsmanship deals well with the altering volumes and the centrepiece is the only part where solid katai 'chokh' pieces (outer crescent) and 'pradip' pieces (inner crescent) are put side by side for a significant 'crowded' area though the central void and the space between the two more than ably balance that with the rest of the ornament where the bichha festoon, like an aam-pata kadam-phul bunting, is hung with diamond-cut cones and chhela topa-ball decorations without and within, and the sinthi-pati has the same staccato topas on both sides as the scalloped chains have on top.

At the end of it all, nothing matters more than what you see on you as beautiful and yourself as beautiful with or without the beautiful things you see on you. Gold can only do so much. This ornament performs efficiently as a formal biyer goyna for the head or just the central parting of the hair, or as a more casual locket, or as a light and lovely necklace. You might choose to wear it in its various avatars through the passage of time, and as you age, in ways you find suitable to your taste and temperament. How you do that determines whether it retains its beauty and universality, and in your hands thus lies the essence of its being ---- the idea of a jewel as an enduring, timeless entity, inseparable from the one for whom it's created. Otherwise, it's just a lump of gold shaped into an ornament for the basic purpose of personal decoration that has no value beyond that of its metal. The design may be successful because it performs, but it must belong to you with such style and sentiment and honour that you raise it to art.