Rajib is a practicing orthopaedic surgeon in London. Priyanka, a brilliant student herself, is an oncological surgeon at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. Very soon, Priyanka will move to England to join the NHS and also her husband. Their wedding is on the cards too. Priyanka, who admits to not wearing any jewellery at all, chose us to design and make for her her wedding jewels as she felt what she wanted had all to do with heirloom ornaments that were traditional, timeless, but also modern in style and innovative in their articulation of heritage craft.

What you see in the choor derives from Priyanka's penchant for gardening (she used to have a dedicated corner in her Medical college hostel grounds where she grew plants of various and many kinds that her friends used to specially come over to see) and, equally, from The Winter's Tale where Perdita says, "...the fairest flowers o'th' season
Are our carnations and streaked gillyvors...".

But this is a true-life fairy tale vastly different from that which Shakespeare wrote, and the love between today's couple avoids the heavy doses of melodrama that Perdita and Florizel are made to engage in before their wedding is sanctioned, as always after a monumental revelation serves to save the day.

No, with Priyanka and Rajib, both talented and very busy doctors, the trials and tribulations they have to face come from their patients saving whom is an unendingly strenuous task for them. It's also rewarding, especially when a life is preserved and returned to health: the blessings upon them are incalculable.

Perils of their profession notwithstanding, and keeping the aspect of love in mind and knowing the infinite beauty that Priyanka holds within her, we chose a mystical vine in which carnations, with buds, are shown in rich foliage. Simple chased ropes and a ball beading on each side frame the curvy and marvelously enthusiastic creeper that scrolls its way around the entire choor.

Hand-chased openwork brings alive the blossoms and makes the vine palpably lissome. A light antique finish bestows upon the choor the pink hue of gratitude and fascination, and both of these virtues find splendid inclusion in the life of this accomplished and very handsome couple.

Finally, the magical, perpetual, aureate carnation vine makes the choor an abiding symbol of love that may, like any life-giving river, meander but will always prevail over every circumstance to retain its salvific nature forever.

You'll hear more about Dr. Priyanka Saha (and there's a lot to say!) in a later post. For now let's celebrate the beauty of her spirit in this recherché guinea-gold choor named after her. In the same breath, we thank her for her custom and for ennobling us with her radiant presence.

By now you'll have gathered the jewel to be an 'angti' and its form to be that of the winged signet ring as seen in Maharashtra in the 19th century right up to the early '20s (of course, more modest versions of such rings abounded in India since ancient times). The (mohor) or seal, in an elaborate extended rectangle, here, is realised in pierced naksha that replaces the etched/carved stone of the actual models and the band itself is adjustable for wear on any finger, though ring or middle are the best choices.

It's evident this dramatic piece of jewellery was made for someone whose name starts with an 'S', but that's about all we can say. The rest is clothed in secrecy for we haven't been sanctioned the revelation of its owner/wearer.

That suits the jewel well. It heightens the drama and makes the whole business of seals more involving and mysterious than it actually is. Try one of these for effect. Deeply rooted in Indian ornamentation history and also the history of identity and power, the Indian winged signet ring did so much to assert its user's stature and command and denoted her/his physical presence when stamped upon a document of importance. For you, this assertive guinea gold ring of vintage style and contemporary symbolism states with clarity the abiding strength of your character, your personality, and your inner and outer beauty.

The frieze is reminiscent of the "bahi-churi of Orissa", and the "micchil of falcate moons" never fails to delight.

Though an amalgam of previous jewels, and reasonably undemanding by weight, the Moon-Michhil Choor stands on its own due to the strength of its economy of expression. The abundance of happily glowing crescents it garlands your hands with results in a luminous 'chandni' that infuses your soul as well with joy. Needless to say, the jewel's procession of aureate moons casts its glow upon the spectator too who risks being hypnotized by its radiance.

In rich yellow 22K gold, a choor, handcrafted through and through and then strung with satiny seed pearls. For all you who revel in a wee bit of moon madness.

"A longtime patron of A Sirkar, Mrs. Arundhati Gupta (née Chowdhury), better known to all as Uma, was the consummate homemaker, the perfect Yin to her husband's Yang. V...

"A longtime patron of A Sirkar, Mrs. Arundhati Gupta (née Chowdhury), better known to all as Uma, was the consummate homemaker, the perfect Yin to her husband's Yang. Voracious reader, hobby mathematician, chef extraordinaire, she loved to travel, and had perfected the science of travel planning. Ma had a tremendous love for Bengal taant, and shabeki Bangali jewellery which brought her to A Sirkar one fine day and a love affair ensued that lasted her entire life and was one that I inherited. She was brilliant, but was perfectly content being the supportive wife. And Ma and Baba loved each other so, so much. I have never seen a couple complete each other the way my parents did."

This is what Mrs. Gupta's daughter, Sudarshana, wrote about her mother on our request. You will have gathered from the tone and tense of her writing that she's being referred to as a memory. In fact, Mrs. Gupta did depart for her eternal rest two years ago.

Yet she lives on, and always will, deep within the heart of her noble daughter.

THE CUT-GLASS CHOORI OF MEMORY

There are innumerable things in which she still resides, and among them are her body ornaments and accoutrements such as jewellery, garments, woollens, etc. Today's story concerns itself with one specific jewel: this choori.

Look carefully at the design (it was called 'cut-glass' because the zigzagging faceted diamond shapes resembled the lead-glass objects like tumblers, bowls etc. cut for decoration and sparkle) and you'll gather it's a handmade model from a good forty years ago. There were no machines then, and the Bombay-cut bangles' onslaught was yet to come. Mrs. Gupta, petite and proper, ordered these to her size. Decades later, she gifted the chooris to her daughter, but they didn't fit her, the size was too small. Being a cherished memory of her mother, Sudarshana promptly came to us to have the diameter increased though, sadly, that couldn't be done because the disparity in sizes was significant.

Sudarshana then asked for an exact pair of chooris to be made to her size. If her mother's jewel proved unadaptable, she'd just replicate it as a symbol of her Ma. And that's precisely what we did. That's the bangle you see in the picture: a timeless design from ages ago made by hand using nothing but a mechanical rolling mill, a fine jeweller's chisel, and manual gravers. The technique of manufacture remains the same as the original.

THE SYMBOLISM OF HEIRLOOM JEWELLERY

This is when the narrow definition of precious jewels as "a storage of wealth and hedge against inflation" (Of course it is! Who doesn't know that!) ceases to be germane on its own, and the aspect of symbolism makes its presence felt.

There's no way by which can the cultural-historical, social and emotional aspects of fine gold jewellery be separated from it. Right from the time of the start of manufacture of the ornament, it's invested with the spirit of the person for whom it's meant. It assumes a clear character that's just as much felt as it is seen. Over time, as the jewel that has turned heirloom changes hands, those who are privileged to wear it fulfil a primary need of us humans to relate our lives to those who've lived before us, with us, and who shall go on to live long after us. The jewel, the heirloom, is the conscious and tangible and permanent thread of life that connects past, present and future generations without once demanding evolution or even change for itself. It is as it is a divine repository of our spirit and our various histories, including our feelings, sentiments and good memories.

And heirloom jewellery need not be only ornaments of a certain avoirdupois; they could be anything that's blessed with your forebears' presence in it, with their love intrinsic to it, and their care. The choori of today's legend is born of just such a goyna, of identical sentiments, and feelings and considerations of similar depth. It's meant to embody, symbolize and then outlive its wearer. Such are true heirloom jewels, always.

Let's, for the time being, forget all that. The baggage of Raj-era Bengal need not be carried by us women into the 21st century when we are at the vanguard of independence and individual identity in the public arena through that all-important medium of communication called the internet and, within it, the world of social media. Nothing can stop us. And everything we do - travel, eat, attend, buy, think, feel - has to be talked about. Or does it?

What if a jewel so innocuous as to be unnoted were to be worn by us? It would not be remarked upon by anyone! Would we be disappointed?

If we're the kind who would, there's no point reading on.

But if we're happy that no-one's noticed the jewel, we can escape into another world through the break in the line drawn above and stay satisfied with the fact that the goyna in question is no less a work of art even if to most it's invisible.

Such an ornament is this slender gala-bhora, or lac-filled, bala with its simple evocation of the three realms of past, present, and future in its triple-sphere mukh. You'll note the present to be largest for that's where we dwell, always in the moment. Abutting it are the smaller orbs of the past and future, rendered so to indicate clearly the weightage given to them in the context of our daily living and the monumental definition of our todays.

Then there's the uninterrupted tube that circles round and brings us back from the future to the past, only to start all over again, and again, unendingly. This polished conduit is reinforced and seemingly protected by a braided wire that goes round and round, round and round, round and round, round and round and round and round as it winds into time and out of it and into it and out of it, spiralling on and on and on.... till it transcends the finite and urges us towards the divine.

This is a simple jewel, ordinary even. Yet the truth of its construct laid bare, as in this picture, raises questions as to why we seem to find divinity in the simplest of things.

Shorn of ornamentation, as far from being dernier cri as cheques are in the age of instant digital remittances, and light of weight, the Trilokanantyo Bala is you as the infinite, you as the unending, you as the life supreme. Like the truly divine that's everywhere and can be felt but never seen, this exactingly handcrafted guinea-gold jewel vanishes into its own aura of celestiality. Its power, unceasing and magnificent, is fully sensed by all.

It's at rest now, its keel facing the sun, on the shores of a life the past of which weighs greater, much greater, than its future.

We've brought together flowers of all kinds, from different places, and of varied character, and shaped the vessel as nature would - with sincerity and love that knows no bounds - in pure guinea gold. We've moored it strongly with an even dozen of plain-bichha hawsers for the tides and sands of time - ever changing, ever shifting - may otherwise cast it adrift prematurely and without the welcome of the vast ocean into which one day we shall all, as offerings to the heavens above, set float our life's work. With pearls of wisdom we've picked from your thoughts our humble boat of flowers is embellished, a boat painstakingly chased with bare hands and with every beat of our heart poured into its wild and wayward naksha that's still an arrangement though there's no order to it, that's still of everlasting beauty though there's nary a contemplation of pulchritude in its gathering, that's still rich though the splendid poverty of its dishabille is in full and complete evidence in its creation.

It's you who will set sail our Pushpa-Tori for it’s none but you - the only deity we know - for whom it has been wrought. From the very depth of our soul are we grateful to you for granting us the life supreme. Your coruscating beauty surrounds us : beauty such that only immaculate truth can reveal. We celebrate your divine presence in gold. Take our votive boat of flowers and make of it a bracelet, if you will. And remember always our servant heart, for it remains in your worship even when it's stilled.

Three hollow tubes — flattened on top and chamfered at the sides — mirror-polished, are joined together, but kept slightly apart, using plain and milgrain bands, the latter separated by dual ball-chokhas. To make the binding secure, the plain strips are placed side-by-side while red and green cloisonné enamelled bindis mark the space between the polished bands and the milgrain ones. Bracketing this, and completing the decorative panel, is a trio of serpent heads with tin-karai embellishments on each bangle. Further on, champlevé enamelled strips guard the hinge, the screw to which is placed directly opposite (though you hardly notice it because of its perfect fit). An identical decorative panel is also seen, though through the underside. And the underside needs seeing for its grade of finish. You'll notice the homogeneity of polish all around, and how precisely the chamfering has been continued below where no-one might notice it but where it's essential to the ornament's character and its comfort of use.

If we were to turn the pages of history and look at this jewel in the context of the Kodavas and their great martial lineage, it would probably qualify as a personal accoutrement that doubled up as a weapon used in defense (the bangles used to be solid earlier) when required. While that's a likelihood, the triple bangle-set, or Kadaga, is also steeped in esoteric symbolism. The serpent heads, the dark-red of coffee berries, green of the verdure that Coorg is known for, and the granulation, like clusters of stars, are all part and parcel of the customary auspicious motifs of Coorgi jewellery. Here they are arranged together into two similar panels. The space between the three balas is critical to the aesthetic accomplishment of the jewel, and that's what lends it lightness and distinguishes it from other bracelets of the spiral form.

Named after the fiercely independent Kodava women of Coorg, this rich yellow guinea-gold Kadaga tells their story and that of their land in uncomplicated terms.

Made entirely by hand by Bengali artisans, it's a case in point regarding the superlative jewel-craft still on display in Bengal whereby most ornaments from anywhere in the world can be hand-manufactured here to exacting standards. When you wear this — ours was a special commission from quite some time ago — you'll be clasping upon your wrist the brave spirit of the Kodavathi, and that of the beautiful land of Coorg.

It’s a little different with Maitrayee Sen whose jewel this is and who, unlike a staid accountant, doesn’t believe in just the straight and narrow. First, she adores diamonds. Then, she loves bespoke. Finally, she loves fine jewellery for herself.

And that’s how her relationship with A.Sirkar started. And since then she’s blessed us with her periodic presence.

Before we get to the nitty-gritties of the choor, let’s see what Maitrayee has to say about herself and her longtime association with A.Sirkar :

“Am a Chartered Accountant by profession. Have been working with CESC, a power utility Company, for the last 24 years. Apart from my work, I love music, reading and travelling. Favourite authors : Satyajit Ray, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. Most loved movie : Aronyer Dinratri. I have done my schooling in Gokhale Memorial Girls School and graduated from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta in Economics. Am in love with Kolkata, my city of joy and have never wanted to leave this place. A.Sirkar is a place where I feel at home. My first relation with you all dates back to almost twenty years with the purchase of a gold pendant. I have never needed to visit any other jeweler ever since. In fact, A.Sirkar is not just a jeweler, they are artists weaving stories in the form of jewellery. I look forward to a life long relationship with this very 'bonedi & shabeki' organisation.”

A diamond choor is rare. Rarer still is one where the voids supersede the diamond flowers and framing columns to make it an altogether svelte jewel. The white ranganphul, interspersed with single columns at the ends of each of which is a solitary diamond, make the jewel quite unique, eschewing the usual route of filling spaces with collet after collet of brilliant diamonds. Whereas that may make the jewel lighter, it also affords it the essential minimalism of its character. In that, it quite embodies Maitrayee’s aesthetic stand with regard to personal adornment.

The diamonds are carefully graduated and set, each setting done with hand tools of yore. And the stone-studded areas are rhodium plated for the diamonds to sparkle more than usual. All in all, the jewel’s neat, autotelic, and vivid, like Maitrayee is. And it sparkles just enough for the diamond ranganphul to resemble everlasting stars, with Maitrayee being the greatest among them.

For her custom, her patronage, her support, and her friendship, we are well and truly grateful.

The ornament needs elaboration if anything because of its agglomeration of varied forms and styles into a cogent jewel of monumental proportions which, despite its evident avoirdupois, remains a graceful statement of the syncretism essential for it to be loved universally and also acknowledged to be of timeless beauty. In that, it personifies the brilliant young lady for whom the bracelet's been created and after whom, naturally, it is named.

Syncretism. Now that's a vital human thought that goes a long way towards ensuring the peaceful coexistence of diverse peoples in any democratic society and one that seems sadly to be decreasingly relevant to today's India. It's also the pivotal platform on which the confident and coruscatingly perspicuous leadership of Dr.Rumana Akhtar stands.

To introduce you to her, here she is in her own voice :

"I believe there is no end to learning. The only thing that keeps me standing through all odds of life is Faith . . . Faith in myself. I want to serve humanity because when peace and harmony becomes the main cause of every kind of service rendered to the nation and its people, it becomes a service to God."

Research scholar and social activist Rumana began her education at the Mahadevi Birla Girls Higher Secondary School and went on to garner her graduate and post-graduate degrees from Calcutta University where she was a double gold medallist. Recently, she's been awarded a PhD from the same revered institution, and it's there that she has served with distinction as the President of the Students' Union. Concurrently, she's Vice President of the West Bengal Trinamool Congress Student's Wing, which reveals her stunning ability to balance pure academics with serious and committed social activism, her first rank in M.Sc standing testimony to her brilliance as a scholar while being a much-loved and greatly-respected student-leader.

A DST-Inspire fellow of the Government of India with papers published in various National & International conferences, and with SET, GATE, NEET qualifications all under her belt, Rumana stands tall, given her age, as one of the most accomplished scholars in the country and one who's looking to build upon her achievements by effecting through her activism the societal equipoise required to ensure the continuity of true democracy.

Though daunting as her performance may be in every aspect of what it constitutes being a 'successful' person, Rumana remains the most humble and down-to-earth young lady you're likely to meet at the University canteen, or at a summit conference where human rights are being discussed, or the Book Fair (she's a voracious reader), or a science symposium (science journals are among her constant companions), a band performance (she's an avid lover of music and a mean singer herself), at an aquatic meet (she swims!) or the annual Flower Show (where she hones her gardening skills). Her special interest in scientific research and innovations could as well lead her to form a cutting-edge start-up.

In simple terms : the world is waiting for the likes of Dr.Rumana Akhtar through whose vision it will hopefully be redeemed of its ills and in which our country shall stand in time as the greatest and truest democracy of all.

The jewel is made in two parts and hinged for ease of wear. The bezel is hand-engraved differently on top and at the sides and acts as a buffer against any jewellery worn alongside the cuff. Just after the bezel is the guard bangle in the shape of a kankan formed by a series of ball-topped polished hollow-cones reinforced with wires in the middle and at the bottom. You can see them in reverse where the underside of the choor is visible. Contiguous with the guard bangles is the running hawai-spring that adds dimension to the ornament because of its rounded construct and lightness as well due to the jaali it introduces to balance the general solidity of the goyna. Beside the hawai-spring on each side is a row of chhela Lego single flat-bricks placed one after the other so as to make it a playfully-robust studded frame for the central naksha section which is where the main action takes place in the form of a procession of crescent moons embracing each other while on a perpetual march for justice. Above this michhil of falcate moons, at equidistant sites, are the bridges — ovate frames, actually, duly beaded — each eulogising a solitary bud of the Persian rose.

All in all, in this daedal ornament you’ll find how miscible the symbolic is with the pragmatic, the primordial with the perennial, athleticism with pulchritude, and sophistication with simple humour. The power with which it states its beauty and amour-propre comes from how confident it is in asserting itself as an everlasting guinea-gold jewel that upholds the crucial syncretic values essential to India remaining India in the purest sense : where the commingling of cultures is by nature the coming together of hearts full of love and fellow-feeling.

Dr. Rumana Akhtar has her work as a leader/scholar/activist cut out for her. She knows that. Being privileged by her custom is something we’re indeed sincerely grateful to her for, and we wish the ornament Rumana and the real-life jewel Rumana both stay loved and admired for ever and ever.

Pishtosh! Fertility and marital bliss, as polas are meant to signify, were farthest from the mind when Mrs.Srabanti Sarkar ordered this pola to be made for her. It was a brave decision on two counts : first, the fact that she was making such a monumental pola at all ; then, that only one was being made and not a pair, as custom demanded.

Also the pola was being taken out of its context in physical terms, as an ornament. No longer was it going to be the ubiquitous rounded gold-twined bangle, or the kind in which little flowers or shapes are embedded after melting the plastic at points using a soldering iron and pushing the gold into the soft surface only for it to cool and harden around the pieces. That variety is the worst example of 'easy' workmanship, a euphemism for no karigari at all : the motifs are machine cutouts from flat sheets of gold and are pressed in place on the pola — no hand-tools are used, no skills required. Unless imperative, for whatever reason, such clinquant gewgaws should find no place on any genteel lady's hands, Bengali or otherwise.

No, we aren't championing the traditional Pola but are challenging its function as merely a symbol of marriage for the Bengali woman. In this case, a commission was made the fulcrum of that concern : the Pola was given a choor-like form, flat and wide. The gold touch comes from a tin-pora naksha vine in which Himalayan musk roses are imagined blooming together with Madagascar periwinkles. Carved out of a single gold pat, the pierced naksha is of such astonishing palpability that you can almost smell the flowers. Even the trifoliate leaf clusters seem to reach out to say something and yet alligate perfectly to the scrolling plant.

And so it should be : the pola as an ornament imbued with magic such that it shall bring you the happiness which the pursuit of beauty and truth always does — whether or not you're wedded. As such, the ornament ceases to dwell in its past and becomes a virtuous jewel that anyone can wear provided they're willing to respect its history and then transport it from there to a universality defined by individual choice that all but cancels the diktats of conservative society.

The Sadabahar-Kunja Pola is a beacon of change. It takes a narrow custom and turns it into 'good' and meaningful tradition. As a single Pola, it also silently rebels against the facile beliefs that jewels symbolic of marriage come loaded with. In all its nitid beauty it seems to say, "By all means, go with custom if you must, or decide to, on your marriage day, but later, whenever you feel, wear your gold-embellished Pola as a single yet substantial jewel, and one independent of societal claims. You'll feel a certain freedom, a lightness of being.”

Besides, it's not any item of jewellery, such as the Pola, that can bless your marriage with fidelity, contentment and longevity — it's love, honest and perspicuous, that will.

The upcoming Pujas makes this an auspicious period to acquire an ornament such as this which is considered equally auspicious by most who wear them whereas those who want to but can’t because they don’t qualify in the customary sense should also consider a pair, or even one, just because they’re light and easy and pulchritudinous jewels.

The Polas we’re presenting this Pujo — this is the last of the series being showcased before the festivities — are all hand-chased to a low relief. They’re ek-pora naksha, some wide, some slim, models that are startlingly light. Each has been imparted a distinct polish —— most are vermilion, a few in dark antique, and one at least in a pink and green hue —— and this contributes greatly towards the superb kajal-sindoor-abeer patina on them that gives them a certain gravity but in no manner takes away from the playfulness inherent to their very souls.

The red one’s the Kashan Carpet Pola ; the maroon, the Kolmilata ; and the black is the Gerbera-phul. The first is a pair, whereas we’ve made single bangles of the latter two designs. This is in conformity with our proposal that you take the pola out of its traditional context and wear it as a decorative ornament for any one of your hands.
The names are a tell-all, revealing the design ethic of each. And you can choose a pair or a single piece from the ones shown. Whichever you select, be assured they’ll be favourable for you, and apotropaic as well. That in itself should recommend these Poymonto Polas to you.

Now, it’s only for you to let them grace your wrists this Pujo, these choor-like handcrafted Polas in pure guinea-gold that are a delight to wear and genteel to a fault in their detailing, finish and polish. Naturally, the pierced-naksha has been kept deliberately low to ensure the Pola’s are light and unfussy — they’re commitedly so —— even though, to be honest, they seem to be of considerable avoirdupois.

Let’s say that this lightness of being is their innate, though well-hidden, talent which has risen to become character. And, virtuous as you are, the Polas quite unequivocally mirror your inherent goodness.

But this is a joyous month and we need not activate a revolution just for the sake of it. We will have our way. Timing’s important. That said, we can, of course, propose an independence-from-the-shackles-of-patriarchal-diktats scenario where the Pola is removed from its narrow objectivity and serves to be a sweet ornament, romantic too, and always very light, that everyone can wear. Also, the upcoming Pujas makes this an auspicious period to acquire an ornament such as this which is considered equally auspicious by most who wear them whereas those who want to but can’t because they don’t qualify in the customary sense should also consider a pair, or even one, just because they’re light and easy and pulchritudinous jewels.

The Polas we’re presenting this Pujo are all hand-chased to a low relief. They’re ek-pora naksha, some wide, some slim, models that are terribly, terribly light. Each has been imparted a distinct polish —— most are vermilion, a few in dark antique, and one at least in a pink and green hue —— and this contributes greatly towards the superb kajal-sindoor-abeer patina on them that gives them a certain gravity but in no manner takes away from the playfulness inherent to their very souls.

The green one’s the AlashiPhul Pola ; the maroon, the PadmaLatika ; and the black is the KalkaGosthi.
The names are a tell-all, revealing the design ethic of each. And you can choose a pair or a single piece from the ones shown. Whichever you select, be assured they’ll be favourable for you, and apotropaic as well. That in itself should recommend these Poymonto Polas to you.

Now, it’s only for you to let them grace your wrists this Pujo, these choor-like handcrafted Polas in pure guinea-gold that are a delight to wear and genteel to a fault in their detailing, finish and polish. Naturally, the pierced-naksha has been kept deliberately low to ensure the Pola’s are light and unfussy — they’re committedly so —— even though, to be honest, they seem to be of considerable avoirdupois.

Let’s say that this lightness of being is their innate, though well-hidden, talent which has risen to become character.

Still, just to remind you, this is how the legend of the foliate and floriated pierced-naksha design goes :
“Conceived as a frieze of Ashoka flowers (Vishoka is another name of the Ashoka tree) on a vine scrolling away from a central eight-petalled blossom that replicates the floral disc atop the original pendant, the ring’s pierced-naksha scrollwork is a fine example of Bengal’s authentic jewel-craft really is, especially when it comes to hand chasing. The flowering vine is bordered with a naksha cable (it’s part of the single-sheet naksha) and then framed by a row of polished half-spheres.”

That, more or less, describes the ring. Add to that our earthy polish and an adjustable band (look below the disc to get a glimpse of that), and you have a gorgeous and eye-catching jewel for any of your fingers — the ring’s adjustable, remember? — and your thumb if you want the Mughal ‘arsi’ as your style.

Considering how these large disc-rings are descended from heavily-granulated Afghan tribal jewellery, it’s been a journey long and varied for them to arrive at being today’s dashingly attractive cocktail rings that can be worn as solitary ornaments of great distinction.

Handmade with skill, sincerity and the slowness of true care, and with a palpable touch of divinity about it, the guinea-gold Vishoka Pasha Ring is a timeless adornment that defies concerns of age or circumstance. It’s simply a jewel, apotropaic and beauteous, that augments your already-dazzling charisma.

There’s nothing to these chooris that recommends they be ordered with us. Anyone can make them. And for a price far below that which we are likely to quote. We’ve called them Reshmi Chooris because they’re highly reflective and mirror the colours around them, wherever, and with whatever apparel, they’re worn.

Otherwise, they are merely square wires made on a mechanical pat-daulna, filed, soldered and buffed to make them seem like rings of slim gold ribbon ready to grace your hands.

There is more to the story of why these are handmade when machine-manufactured models look similar, are lighter, and seem more glossy ——but who’s listening.

In these days of crass commodification of fine gold jewellery, price-sensitivity, consumerist priorities, and immediate pecuniary gain reduce art to product. When counting and calculating trumps feeling, you know meaning no longer exists in the realm of the intangible and now connotes an evaluation not of goodness or virtues nonmaterial but of price. And so, nothing is priceless anymore, to most.

The Reshmi chooris are a simple lot of bangles. They look good only when worn together, and in a bunch of not less than six, though interpersing them individually with other bangles is an option that also works splendidly, especially if you’re going to a big enough ‘do’ where such glamour is not just desirable but almost de rigueur.

Another thing, in the time of the Gold Control regime, plain chooris used to be made very often as investments for the future that, say, when a daughter’s marriage came up, could be exchanged for various and many ornaments of the latest style and workmanship. If that sort of outlook’s a condition, these are the jewels to park your money in. And then you needn’t order them with us.

If simplicity and the art of monastic manufacture is what draws you to these Reshmi Chooris, and you care about enduring beauty, go ahead and claim them as yours. You could choose our make, here, or someone else’s whose knowledge of Bengal gold jewel-craft, fully handmade, extends to the fact that these plain-looking bangles are actually terribly difficult to make but last forever in their handmade, guinea-gold avatar.

As for the conundrum, why not let the jewel speak. After all, we do have to answer to someone.

A few of us will lay our hand-tools at the feet of Lord Vishwakarma in a day’s time, while most will garland their modern machines in worship. As votive, we offer these utterly simple chooris to Him, and to You for You are the very embodiment of Ma Lakshmi.

Let You and He be the rightful judge of truth and beauty. And may Your verdict bestow upon the virtuous the blessing of immortality.

Here, you’ll note the skeins tightly wound and made into an adjustable 'dori', the tufted tassel replaced with a polished-cap ekka-tar guinea-gold jhumka. The jewels are purpose-made as armlets. Just as happily, though, they’ll double up as svelte chokers when the thread arrangement is made open-ended for you to tie at the nuque. That way, they’ll be both neckwear and opor-haath with complete spontaneity and equal charm.

The chasing is precise but still has that delightful earthiness which only handmade can bring about, and includes a slim rope border that seems more like milgrain because of the fineness with which it's been realised. The scrolling pattern is of the Himalayan Agaliphul (with a single pearl tied in place in the centre of each bloom) that’s seen here protected from the cold winds by its own leafy stem curling around it, with spare foliage covering the ground between the blossoms. The pattern is repeated and double chased to achieve the splendid effect of floral realism and, framed by a string of seed pearls, results in a delicate frieze of extraordinary clarity and simplicity.

Note also the deliberate contrast of the jhumka's workmanship which uses polished surfaces and twisted wire as a counterpoint to the chased floriated scrollwork of the band and you'll know the kind of detailing that goes into each of our ornaments, even if they be as dainty as these two armlets.

The Agaliphul Opor-haath is an ornament where different cultures of jewellery-making commix with a surprisingly copacetic result. The form is of the Rajasthani nogari, the chasing's pure Bengali, and the jhumka at the end of the twined thread is a pared-down version of the elaborate 'sumbala' of Himachal Pradesh. Also, the Agaliphul, by another name, is the windflower (now you know the aeolian influence upon the design that needed the blooms to be guarded against the wind by their own 'leafy stems') which, in this jewel, assumes an apotropaic nature.

Having said that, this handcrafted guinea-gold Opor-haath is of a character such that its appeal is universal and it suits everyone who's willing to give it a patient hearing where it presents its case in favour of the revival of a recherché ornament in a style that's timeless and a pulchritude which remains undimmed through generation after generation. Once you start your 'Family Jewels' collection, remember to include at least one opor-haath or armlet — if not the Agaliphul, something like it — for this is just the kind of goyna that's predestined to be an heirloom.

And so the Mantasha-loha came into being as a sturdy polished gold tube that branches out in opposite directions to support the trefoil tablet ‘mantasha’ in the middle, the spandrels thus formed allowing the tube and the branches to be further reinforced with a thick gold disc soldered to both.
The trefoil panel is bordered with a turned rope that protects the edges and defines the infill which, here, is a monsoon-rose bush in abundant bloom and with ample foliage. Painstakingly chased by hand and then pierced to create those crucial voids, the naksha brings to life the sheer ecstasy of a revered plant in the full glory of its fecundity.

Note how the curvy stems end in blooms of various sizes. It’s organic, the plant, and is more the palpable because of its ‘du-pora’ naksha which raises the relief to a tactility immensely pleasurable.
The motif of the flowering Srabon rose, its trefoil shape, and the all-over vermilion polish, all work towards making the loha a monumental jewel — far from the essentially utilitarian, even though symbolic (and rather subservient), role it performs in a society still give to patriarchal traditions.
The jewel conquers what started out as being perceived an absurd idea by turning out to be absurdly beautiful. It succeeds brilliantly as both a loha and a mantasha, and in doing so immediately becomes a paladin for handmade Bengal jewellery : the loha, after all, is a quintessentially Bengali goyna.

Mrs.Srabanti Sarkar was happy her jewel was realised in just the manner she’d wanted. In her own words, “I love A.Sirkar jewellery because I like our traditional values. I think A.Sirkar is a master of traditional ornaments so I chose them to order my pola and special loha-cum-mantasha, and was able to order my customised classic mantasha piece quite easily.
Salesperson Rakhi is a very humble and helpful lady ; accordingly, I received with full satisfaction my bespoke classic jewellery. I am very happy with their service and will visit again soon.”

On our part, we’re humbled. It was not in our place to doubt the capacity of an enlightened client to conjure up a jewel that didn’t exist. That is the sum and substance of creativity : to be able to see what’s not there and complete the incompleteness with an innovation or invention of unequivocal beauty.
As such, we’re honoured to have been given the responsibility of designing and bringing to life her dream jewel. And we’re honoured further to name it after her.

In this rather monumental cuff, the mangoes seem identical in their continuous march but are not so on close inspection. One finds in its womb a lotus from which springs a leafy seedling while the other has a split mango that births a similar plant. In between is placed a sprig of bel-buds and two trifoliate clusters from the bel-tree. The aam-kalka, outlined in a chased rope, extends beyond the neck of the mango and curls into itself in a chhela glow.

Note how the leaves are detailed, alternatingly pinnate and of flat venation. The lotus is all-chhela and the split mangoes are what they are, grooved and faceted. While the flower alludes to the celestial, the split mangoes speak the language of fertility, which is what the mother aam-kalkas do as well.

Bordered with a continuous line of mini-paisleys and then the topa beading which forms the outer bezel, this naksha aam-kalka cuff is sui generis for certain. An ambitious young lady ordered it as her bespoke jewel not to mark anything but just to indulge her penchant for buying gold, in the form of ornaments. This cuff, hinged for ease of wear, is her debut order with us.

After her MBA from Edinburgh University (with the complete support of her husband as she was married by then), Sreoshi became an entrepreneur, and soon enough a hotelier par excellence. Her long-awaited child, son Shreyansh, whose name denotes that he’s a part of Sreoshi, will have a lot to learn from his spirited mother, and draw on her extraordinary vim and drive as he grows up. As for the cuff’s name : in keeping with tradition, it’s been christened ‘Sreoshi’.

The march of the mangoes, infinite here, is laden with a certain rustic charm. Hand crafted, hand-chased, hand-chhela, the aam-kalkas combine to create a monumental but serene design that not only takes upon itself the task of making you immortal but also proves to be a sincere allegory of woman as the primary creative force of this world.

This latter penchant too was taken into consideration while detailing the kankan which, as you can see, is finished with dark vermilion highlights that make it seem an aged ornament which, over the years, having been worn at various auspicious occasions, has accumulated arbitrary flecks of sindoor and the lampblack of collyrium.

The arrangement is simple but powerful: a series of kajal-lata heads are arranged around the polished base, their distinctive pradip shape accentuated by a ball-karai finial on each. A punched sasa-dana is placed in the centre of every pradip with deep-cut rays emanating from it, transforming it into the all-seeing eye that protects the wearer from evil influences and encounters.

The rays around this ‘eye’ are hand engraved, and each of the kajal-lata heads has been cut out manually, scraped and filed to shape, and then fitted with a slim bezel (invisible unless you turn the kankan on its side and peer into the voids between the pradips) to reinforce them, just as the ‘peti’ at the bottom is essential to the ornament’s structure and the finials extend and strengthen the jewel.

An astonishing rusticity pervades the kankan, as if this were an ancient jewel. It seems to have a power the transference of which to the wearer takes place the moment the hinges are screwed in place. It’s the power of femininity, in gold, evident in each of the dexterously hand-wrought parts of the ornament and their significance. The kohl, the vermilion, the magic eye, the ‘bindi’ of the finial —— they’re all there, every one of them a compelling synecdoche of our muliebrity and, together, a declaration, simple and forceful, of our self-determination.

With impassioned guinea-gold craftsmanship where every emotion at play instead of being given overt expression is "used for the creation of significant form", as Tagore decreed the purpose of art (refer last Tuesday's Rabindra Jayanti post) to be, and a stripped-away aesthetic that leaves the jewel pure and unaffected, Priyankakon stands unique in the fine jewellery firmament and becomes an iconic goyna in its resolutely unostentatious but wholly authentic celebration of womanhood.

The form is that of an elongated tablet and just like those hoary stone things this could also be used to contain nomothetic inscriptions. A naksha frieze, however, seems a more delightful option, and you can well let your imagination roam towards a pattern that means something to you and which you might want to use as the infill to perpetuate that feeling, memory, or sentiment.

We’ve used a pierced-naksha vine — rich and leafy, with a fully bloomed zinnia in the middle and two budding ones at the top corners — as the panel that decorates the tablet. It’s a bit of a cheat, actually, because the idea was to create something simple and beautiful that would pair well with any ornament, chased or otherwise, and also be a remarkable jewel in itself. That way, it’s more universal. There’s reinvention here, too, for the unbent Zinnia plant has been magically transformed into a curvy creeper.

You don’t have to adhere to this detailing, but you’re most welcome to it. We’ll, otherwise, create something with you that’ll be all your own —— a vital part of your universe as a ring. Be that as it may, what we should avoid is the jewel becoming toplofty and crass, or being categorised as a ‘cocktail ring’ — which it isn’t. It’s merely a reminder that your favourite thoughts could be invested in a jewel that need not be a necklace or a cuff or, for that matter, any kind of earring.

The form’s unique anyway ; all that’s left is to articulate your wishes in guinea-gold as the tablet infill. The notched-naksha surround and ball border should remain. They add definition to the frieze and pull the tablet out of its heavy history into the world of decorative art where, naturally, it becomes an instant classic.

Think about it : a bespoke Tablet Ring of universal beauty that reveals your thoughts in pure guinea-gold —— only to you.

It’s opportune too that Mrs.Bhowmick should elect gardening as her hobby and possess a passion for travel. With a Masters in Geography, she’d certainly know her way around the world.

Our honour then that she chose us for her wedding parure which comprised the Bichitra necklace, its matched earrings, and an altogether new (but also matched) choor which is what we feature here today.

Mrs. Bhowmick’s eponymous jewel — it has, naturally, been named after her — is a flower and fruit extravaganza prevented from descending into kitsch by moderating the arrangement to simple running garlands of neem-chameli phul bordering the topsy-turvy perforated-katai mangoes in the centre. The aanshphal, as pierced pearls, sparely intersperse the petite four-petalled blossoms, and all of it’s framed by a line of chhela-topas on each side.

That completes almost every element of Bichitra, and a more neat and synergistic hand ornament you’d be hard put to find. That said, matched as it may be to the necklace-earring set, the choor, despite its disciplined style, is very attractive, and distinct enough of personality to be worn as an independent jewel.

The idea of bespoke is to make for you fine jewellery that not only addresses your aesthetic needs but as well your emotional investment in gold as an extension of your character and the repository of your thoughts, feelings and sentiments.

In no time, Mrs.Bhowmick will come into her own as a powerful self-sufficient woman. Her meticulously handcrafted guinea-gold goyna, especially the Anindita choor, will be the heirlooms that'll contribute, in their own radiant way, to her immortality.

Location: Calcutta

Provenance : Bishangarh, property of Prince Husayn ; original silk carpet, later — by means of advanced textile technology and traditional alchemy — converted into a portable, wearable one-of-a-kind ring.

Note : Comes with maintenance guidelines, lifetime service guarantee, and the secret command that makes the pearl-encrusted guinea-gold carpet of the ring transform into a life-size flying rug to indulge your flights of fantasy.

Contact : Interested parties may get in touch with A.Sirkar Jewellers for viewing the actual jewel.

Caution : The ring, outrageously barococo as it is magnificent of manufacture and design, promises to transport viewers and wearer alike to a ritzy exotic world as none other —- with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Those with intent of acquiring it must be well disposed towards the very notion of free and fancy flight of the individual self in all dimensions of both the intra- and extramundane world.

The commissioning of this bracelet, colloquially referred to as 'Kharhu', had a lot to do with the Grinling Gendaphul Hansuli which was the main jewel of a wedding parure of which this was the matched handsware. The clients, resident in Delhi, were first-time customers and while the necklace was of an established design, the cuff was bespoke, and a goyna considered important enough to be not just an accessory but an independent jewel that could be worn sans the set it was matched to.

Studded sparingly but arrestingly with single alternating corals and pearls in the centre of the triple-stack marigolds that hold centre-stage among the swirling arabesque of foliage, the mildly curved band in the middle — generous enough in width to be equal to that of two standard choors lain side by side — forms a fantastical frieze of flora realised in intricate pierced naksha. Notice though, the framing of this band : a chased rope, a line of simple ball beads, and then a sudden and slim bevel that leads to the traditional thokai-pradip ball-topped kankans at both ends that act as flanges at the wide openings of the ornament. These guard-bangles add dimension and drama to the choor, bestow upon it distinction without any digression of design aesthetics, and do provide the vital function of extension and protection of the chased frieze they bookend though all the while ensuring they don't distract in any way from the Grinling Gibbons-inspired primary perforated pattern.

We took two extra months to get it right, which is, of course, a euphemistic way of saying we were late by two months. During the course of this delay the choor was done and undone several times : once because the relief wasn't satisfactory on the naksha ; then due to the bevel not being shaped properly ; the kankans had to be articulated more subtly than originally planned ; and, of course, the critical placement of the hinge and pin-finding ended up being an elongated debate unto itself. Finally, and that was the last straw, the weight of the ornament exceeded the planned weight significantly. Natheless, the customers loved the jewel, and delivery was effected on the first day of this year's Pujas.

Not just a handcrafted guinea-gold prothalamion, this 'Kharhu' of vernacular African form, but an immediate heirloom right from the moment it's brought home and worn. Indeed, Sridisha is a jewel of great virtues, yet cannot ever compare, in terms of such virtues, to those of the young lady from Delhi after whom it's been named. We thank her profusely for allowing us the opportunity to create a recherché jewel such as this for her, just as we thank all you who put your faith in us to make you immortal in gold, despite our tardiness and our inept discipline and our plenipotent perfectionism that borders on the manic. Choose us when, and if, you can forgive us.

So much has been said about separating the art from the artist that we must call upon that advice now to confess : Yes, we are deeply flawed, but the jewels we make as our votive offering to you are flawless of character and spirit. Our communication may be limited and awkward but our goyna will unequivocally serve as invaluable and enduring intergenerational communication of the most beauteous kind.

Our jewellery is meant to outlive us but while doing so makes us eternal.

We’ve brought together flowers of all kinds, from different plac...

We’ve brought together flowers of all kinds, from different places, and of varied character, and shaped the vessel as nature would — with sincerity and love that knows no bounds — in pure guinea gold. We’ve moored it strongly with an even dozen of plain-bichha hawsers for the tides and sands of time — ever changing, ever shifting — may otherwise cast it adrift prematurely and without the welcome of the vast ocean into which one day we shall all, as offerings to the heavens above, set float our life’s work. With pearls of wisdom we’ve picked from your thoughts our humble boat of flowers is embellished, a boat painstakingly chased with bare hands and with every beat of our heart poured into its wild and wayward naksha that’s still an arrangement though there’s no order to it, that’s still of everlasting beauty though there’s nary a contemplation of pulchritude in its gathering, that’s still rich though the splendid poverty of its dishabille is in full and complete evidence in its creation.

It’s you who will set sail our Pushpa-Tori for it’s none but you — the only deity we know — for whom it has been wrought. From the very depth of our soul are we grateful to you for granting us the life supreme. Your coruscating beauty surrounds us : beauty such that only immaculate truth can reveal. We celebrate your divine presence in gold. Take our votive boat of flowers and make of it a bracelet, if you will. And remember always our servant heart, for it remains in your worship even when it’s stilled.

What's of great interest here is the obvious avoirdupois of these jewels. They're undeniably monumental ornaments the weight and volume of which greatly surpass that of their matched neckwear and earrings. This could well indicate a radical shift in the culture of wearing precious metal jewellery where a single hand-ornament is valued (in terms of its weight and price) much higher than the demi-parure it accompanies. Of course, it need be stated here that choors do remarkably well with western attire, be it a gown or pantsuit or even a jeans-and-jersey combination, and they're quite happy being the toast of the town whenever they're displayed on person.

Here too, in both cases, the choors are far more elaborate than their original pendants/ necklaces, and both can be worn independent of their sets. Engaging, visually stunning, and delightful in their intricate perforated naksha detailing, the Anganpriya and Vishoka Choors are magnificent jewels in their own right, even if they've been created out of some other ornament which they're supposed to match. There's 'heirloom' written all over them but that, mind you, will depend as well on the kind of care they are imparted, and whether or not, over time, the love they give you is genuinely reciprocated.

The Lokkho-Tara bala is eons old and not in the least old as well. Classic jewellery never ages ; with time they become timeless and the virtues they’re born with become intrinsic to their characte...

The Lokkho-Tara bala is eons old and not in the least old as well. Classic jewellery never ages ; with time they become timeless and the virtues they’re born with become intrinsic to their character and impart to them the undiminishing glow of beauty and truth and wisdom. 

Imagine a stalk of bamboo sliced in half and somehow bent into a circle. The inside, a concave tube, is gilded but left dull so that light isn’t reflected back. Then, a thickly twined net, from a megh-tori, is cast into the sea of night to catch a whole cluster of twinkling stars. Using the net, the scattered stars are woven into a garland and placed across the gilded half-tube, securing it with invisible solders. Finally, a gentle hand-polish brings out its natural yellow glow. 

There! Now you have your Lokkho-Tara Bala. Simple and easy, isn’t it? –– yet one of the most difficult jewels to get right.

Immaculate as this sample is, just to weave the mesh needs specially honed skills for its spacings and voids have to be even or else the topas (as stars) will lose their positions and become haphazard, as real stars usually are. But these are gold stars, and the net is handmade, and takes the form of an ornament. That cannot be untidy, unless it’s some kind of avant-garde art jewellery — and this, by a long shot, isn’t.

There are shortcuts to making this bala but, in all honesty, none of those would cut ice with us. The pure way — with the entire mala for the bala — is the only one we know. It best serves your interest to choose no other workmanship but this, not just because its the traditional method but also because of the effect of the bala in this karigari against the faster ones where only half the 'jaal' is made and stuck to the 'peti'.

You'll know the difference when you enlarge the bala we've showcased and focus on what's within the jaal-karai. You'll see there the same net, just the underside of it. It turns fully, resting above the half-tube (peti) which becomes all but invisible. What you're left with is essentially a netted garland of stars wound around your wrist. The result is quite celestial.       

A Lokkho-Tara bala takes courage to make, and even more courage to make as a mala for a bala. Traditional guinea gold jewel-craft of the virtuoso kind has enshrined a whole private galaxy for you on a simple hinged bala (it’s a ruli, actually, but ‘bala’, here, sound so much nicer) that crafts its own magic, its own aura, and its own coruscating beauty. The choice is yours to own it.

The double blossoms aren't graduated in this ornate cuff that's designed to match the Grinling Gendaphul Hansuli of December 2018 vintage because they needn't be — the choor doesn't taper.

Th...

The double blossoms aren't graduated in this ornate cuff that's designed to match the Grinling Gendaphul Hansuli of December 2018 vintage because they needn't be — the choor doesn't taper.

The pierced naksha is as exquisite as in the neckpiece but more intricate simply because there's more ground for the foliage to cover. The same seasoned hands that chased the Hansuli have shaped the anfractuous vines, the arabesque of their leaves, and the larger-than-life two-tiered gendaphul — all in distinct bas relief — so that the provenance of both jewels can be traced back to the same virtuoso artisan, using the same tools with the same timing and the same strength needed to coax a single sheet of gold into a remarkable work of art that must function as the jewel of a gentle lady whose natural beauty it graces and whose inner beauty it makes evident to all. 

The pierced naksha can qualify as exemplary in this choor in which the hinge is barely visible, so seamless is its integration into the scroll-work, and any comparison to "the loose and airy lightness of flowers" of the wood carvings of Grinling Gibbons would hardly be misplaced seeing as to how delicate, intricate and perfectly realised the foliage is and how dramatic the flowers that rest upon it. Everything's palpable in this jewel and, like a painting, the central panel is bordered by a chased twine and two contiguous rows of ball-beading that effectively act as a frame for the rich naksha. 

You know how there's no room for error in the creation of this choor — it has to be done right, albeit in a slow and considered way, or not done at all or re-done over and over again till it turns out the jewel it's destined to be. While it may not be the original ornament of the parure, it stands on its own as a goyna of great and monumental character that by its virtuous splendour establishes its immortality and secures the same for its owner. 

The kismet of the Grinling Gendaphul Choor is to be a much-loved heirloom that bestows upon its wearer-owner-custodian an unequivocal peace. The vernacular of Bengal jewel-craft, so vital to the soul of this meticulously handcrafted guinea gold jewel, is for all to see and fill their senses with. Those who've sworn off precious jewellery or to whom it has ceased to be meaningful must prepare to fall in love again — with themselves and with timeless jewels such as this that not only epitomise who they are but embody their very spirit in their recherché craftsmanship.

After all, who resists immortality?

The most valued minakari work of our country deservingly comes from Jaipur. And unbelievably beautiful as it may be, imagine such art on the back of ornaments the ‘right side’ of which have traditi...

The most valued minakari work of our country deservingly comes from Jaipur. And unbelievably beautiful as it may be, imagine such art on the back of ornaments the ‘right side’ of which have traditional kundan settings on them. That’s regal India for you :  uncompromising loveliness in art and craft, down to the last detail, and more.The intricacy of the mina is well known to you, and since it’s all engraved and then filled with colours, the process is the purest form of champlevé there could ever be. 

These bangles from Bengal are also classic champlevé, but instead of engravings we have here a stamping of the pattern that’s rounded and fused to the polished section to form the top of the choori and finally enamelled, the various colours needing to be fired separately since each hardens at a different temperature. And what terrific colours they are! — black, Capri blue, a creamy pink, and white on the dotting. Called ‘shaan mina’ in Bengal, the name derives from the fact that after the liquefied colours have been fired, the mina is filed to settle it and then smoothened with pumice stone. Because of the repoussé patterns, the ridges and reliefs appear clearly. Which part to enamel is a choice you get to make after you’ve selected the stamping motifs. 

On this pair, the flower and its decorative leaves (they could also be butterflies) are dramatically set against a black background while the tiny studs on the gold section between each panel are detailed in white. The centre of the flower is also white. Alternating the polished half-pipe with the mina triptychs heightens the contrast and makes the ornament stand out, but you could have all-over enamelling too if you’d like but then very little gold would show and the mina-sona contrast would go missing. 

In truth, this doesn’t hold a candle to the Jaipuri-style minakari, even though they’re both champlevé. If that comparison is ignored, this is virtuous as well — an extraordinary art practiced to perfection by a few expert artisans. 

Technique aside, the chooris are truly eye-catching. Even more so because of the colour of the mina and the exacting finish. Two are enough. But there are more styles and we’ve sourced the original punches so you’ll never want for choice. That said, remember that the bangles go through three stellar crafting processes — stamping, the actual making of the choori, enamelling and polishing — each of which requires special skills and generous time, and so we request you to be generous with your time as well (You always are!). As for the colours :  we advise combinations far removed from the conventional. Kashmiri papier-mache or Japanese kimonos could provide inspiration. 

Also, there’s a certain romance intrinsic to champlevé that not only recalls more noble times but as well, because of its inherent elegance, evokes the sophistication of an era when restraint  was to love what refinement is to polite society. Such jewels used to be an indispensable part of a lady’s self-expression. 

Champlevé-enamelled bangles handcrafted in pure guinea-gold  to tell your side of the story and to kindle or rekindle love with whoever, in whatever way you want. 
No words need be spoken.

Wear these lohas if you’re happily married or think you’re soon going to be happily married. Or if you’re happily divorced or separated or widowed. Or if you’re going to firmly remain single. Or li...

Wear these lohas if you’re happily married or think you’re soon going to be happily married. Or if you’re happily divorced or separated or widowed. Or if you’re going to firmly remain single. Or live together in the conventional sense. Or if you’re polyamorous, non-binary, or simply undecided. In other words, all you need to be is independent to choose any of these jewels for yourself.

Taking the loha out of its socio-cultural construct as a symbol of the married Bengali woman without offending the guardians of patriarchal traditions is difficult. Many proclaim the loha to be of talismanic significance : a jewel that connotes the protection of the husband from ruinous cosmic forces, thereby ensuring his longevity. Surely the husband then must flaunt a similar ornament that ensures the long and healthy life of his wife. But no, the male wears no such symbolic jewel. And that too after it has been proven over and over again that a husband usually finds it very tough to cope after the passing of his wife while most women seem to recoup quickly and do well enough after their 'dear' husbands depart.

Anyway, as long as you’re making certain the values of the society we live in are enriched for the future, do what you feel. We feel lohas can be worn by all women. And men are welcome to them as well. Enough already! Here’s today’s quaternion of Noas, completely unexceptional, but also as far from ordinary as, say, true cane weaving is from the white plastic stuff.

Ball-Mukh Binuni Noa : You’ve seen this one before (that gold and iron plait is ubiquitous) though not with the traditional faceted ball-mukh with its extended neck in a criss-cross chhela. Besides, the model’s broader now and the wires thicker. And, by the way, those wires are mandatorily hand-drawn — a skill becoming rarer by the day.

Lakshmi Sree : A classic box-loha, this one’s on order, actually. The entire choori-like form is engraved with the auspicious paddy plant on top and a fine coursing of bricks along the sides. A medallion with Ma Lakhmi embossed on it is framed by a ring of chhela topas and placed bang in the centre.

The whole thing’s tottering on the verge of kitsch but is rescued by its simplicity of design. Of course, the choice of coin is yours : you could put a half-guinea there as well. And alter the engravings, or have none at all.

Warren Kankan Noa : The name refers to a kind of basic truss bridge that uses triangulated structures over its span to take heavy moving loads. Here, the triangles are embedded in the base and their tips are protected by single-orbs and a wire running through the top. The cutwork rewards the loha with lightness, attractiveness and a certain boldness that together translate to the jewel being wholly autotelic.

Chumu : Nothing’s left to be said. Imagine a Cubist kiss and you’ll see the interlocking squares (one chhela, the other frosted) come alive. This all-covered loha looks very modern but is quite timeless. Its plain-polished body with three bands on it acts as a suitable guide to the eyes in directing them to the energetic Chumu that’s wrought deftly using just two inseparable squares. This one’s for those adventurous enough to wear their passion on their sleeve.

The jury’ll be out for a while on these four Noas. They pass muster as ornaments of simple charm but whether they break the barriers of archaic custom is left entirely to your choice. Hand-wrought with due care and much attention to detail, these guinea-gold lohas are all marvellous to behold and wear. The wearer and the observer, then, guide their destiny. 

As reported in the Brighton Herald of 24th April, 1952 :  

The Kili Josiyam Ring Incident. 
A Tamil gentleman by the name of Bhagaba...

As reported in the Brighton Herald of 24th April, 1952 :  

The Kili Josiyam Ring Incident. 
A Tamil gentleman by the name of Bhagabalan Lebbai was found with a caged parrot at the Brighton Beach where he had built himself a temporary shelter advertising astrological marvels. The parrot was released from its cage at the behest of clients after the deposit of a mandatory fee of £2 per prediction. Mr.Lebbai did not offer any receipt for the sums paid. On release, the parrot would confidently strut across to a neat pile of envelopes, pick one out, and return to its handler. Mr.Lebbai would then reveal the contents of the envelope as the fortune of the client. 

Yesterday afternoon, Ms. Maureen Evans of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), dressed in a pink-on-purple polka-dotted swimsuit in the manner of a weekend tourist, pretended to be an interested client and visited the stall. Deputed by the RSPB to confiscate rare birds held in captivity, she approached Mr.Lebbai and apprehended him in the act and seized the caged parrot that turned out to be a rose-ringed parakeet of an exotic species called Kili found mostly in the Madras State, India. 

Later, at the John Street police station, Constable Edwin Millers asked Mr.Lebbai to demonstrate his calling as a ‘parrot astrologer’ which he did with Ms. Evans in attendance. The bird picked an envelope which was given to Ms. Evans. She read aloud the message on the card within :  YOU WILL LOVE AND MARRY A TALL, DARK PRINCE FROM THE EAST.  

Mr. Bhagabalan Lebbai then revealed himself to be Maniyarasan Chettiar, the only son of a powerful Tamil maharajah. His sole purpose in England was to find himself an English wife as had been foretold by the selfsame parakeet three months earlier. He was given the exact location by his court astrologer who also advised he travel incognito lest other interests impede his quest for a bride. On the S.S. Ranchi from Bombay to London, he had conveniently changed identities after facilitating the same with due emoluments to the onboard crew. 

At the Brighton Police Station, Mr.Lebbai/Chettiar offered a royal Kili Josiyam ring to Ms.Maureen Evans in proposal of marriage. Ms.Evans, rather taken in by the suddenness of it all, promptly and properly fainted into the arms of Constable Millers who in turn collapsed on the typist's chair that, with new-fangled wheels, swiftly careered into the interim office of Commissioner Sir John Carter who was visiting on holiday for the week. The matter rests with him now at the time of going to the Press. 

The Kili Josiyam Ring of the photograph is exquisitely handcrafted in pure guinea gold by a virtuoso artisan from Bengal, though Mughal influences are clear upon the form of the ornament. A perfectly chased parakeet with ruby eyes and pearl-encrusted floriated wings sits pleasurably on a ruby lotus atop a discal perch of filigreed petals ringed by polished orbs. The bird, it seems, possesses a certain divine wisdom. Its knowing visage and bright eyes hint at a prescience quite beyond human capability or comprehension. The magic of the east can easily be felt in this unique and splendiferous jewel.  

In the meantime we await the outcome of Prince Maniyarasan’s proposal to Ms. Maureen. The RSPB has been notified.

From my home to Freedom Park
is just that many miles of an epic
journey I make everyday to
<...

From my home to Freedom Park
is just that many miles of an epic
journey I make everyday to
feel the grass on the strangely
lawn–like banks of the Hooghly
curving through Phuleswar where
my mother is and I can be found
in spirit always and in person
twice a year with she who
carried me and birthed me
and fed me and clothed me
and taught me and made
me who I am in America
where I live, and in Bengal
where I breathe when I
come to see my parents whose
joyous tears gathered as
pearls (and with emeralds from
the verdure of the river bank) I
have consecrated with pure
guinea gold to create this timeless jewel
of pierced flowers and vines in a
pavé setting –– joroa : mukto-panna
–– as a personification of the
Phuleswar I visit twice a year
and that stays with me every
living moment of my life in
Charlotte where my philomathic
drift immerses me in
the beauty of words that
bridge the beauty between
then and now, east
and west, home and
home, river and river,
as the Catawba
flows into the Hooghly
I imagine, and
takes me with it
to a home
that’s home
beyond
home. 

The right term for this kind of jewel used to be "pin-choor" because the chains would be fastened at the back to a regular hinge, one set to the 'pin' or 'screw pyench' and the other to the threade...

The right term for this kind of jewel used to be "pin-choor" because the chains would be fastened at the back to a regular hinge, one set to the 'pin' or 'screw pyench' and the other to the threaded pipe. This, necessarily, made the hinge rather unwieldy, and closing it a task that needed patience and dexterity, considering the 'pin' and 'pipe' were of the same length as the choor. Much later came this simple system of bringing the chains together and then attaching them with adjustable rings and a hook. It's clean and efficient, even if the choor bends more towards a mantasha and the chains are shorn of any decoration.

A single diamond is what's the centre of attention here, and a combination of twisted-wire filigree and ring-rejis framed by a thick solid gold band with applied wires makes it evident. There's a spattering of katai too, also as diamonds, in trefoil motifs at each corner of the mantasha but as single pieces that reinforce the diamond motif from outside in till, finally, one single katai diamond rests right in the middle — in the heart, so to say — of the jewel. Rows of ring-rejis, ekka-tar and telephones explode out of the central diamond, creating a force field around it, and the open-work succeeds magnificently in producing a spectacular ornament which adds to its glamour the advantages of lightness and coverage.

Wrought meticulously by hand in rich yellow guinea gold by one of our stellar filigree artisans, this mantasha can only be a trump card, an ace : the Ace of Diamonds. Or, as we'd say in Bengali, the Ruitan-er Tekka. 

The end of yet another year is nigh and while contemplating the disappearance of time in a time of catastrophe, we must leave you, as a fitting finale to a flagitious year, an ornament not to remem...

The end of yet another year is nigh and while contemplating the disappearance of time in a time of catastrophe, we must leave you, as a fitting finale to a flagitious year, an ornament not to remember 2021 by but to instead forget and forgive its faults and failings.

This cuff, in a rare convex edge-to-edge form, is embellished with a magical vine on which you'll find innumerable flowers, some familiar — like the rose and night jasmine — and others, such as the climbing magnolia, of rarer lineage. Each blossom, every one of the various kinds of leaves, and as well the fragrant Kolimara inflorescence, realised as sprays of seed pearls, are hand-wrought in the difficult but deeply satisfying tol-parh cut-work method.

The ornament took months to be readied and was sent to be re-worked thrice by the final inspection team of our production department on grounds of dissatisfactory finish. Even as we write this, the bracelet has been taken by the artisan to file and smoothen the tops of the wires the pearls are strung with — they were catching fabric.

Note the engravings on the leaves and some flowers and you'll find how palpable the vascular maps on them are. Also, the vine's wholly organic ; its articulation as it meanders across the jewel is completely free of thought and measure. As such, the flowers bloom arbitrarily and, as you wear the bracelet more often, make it an ever-changing canvas of guinea-gold and precious stones.

This is the kind of jewel that's ageless but ages beautifully. Through the years, it'll acquire a natural patina and become delightfully duller and more characterful. As for the owner, Mrs.Sujata Shah, after whom the bracelet is named, she'll remain immortal through her recherché jewel. Mrs. Shah is an alumnus of the North Bengal Medical College who loves reading books, listening to music, and dabbling in fashion. It's been an honour serving her.

She expresses her relationship with us in her own words:

"I really like A.Sirkar because they carve out traditional looks on modern jewellery."

The 'Sahasra' indicates a renewal, and hints at a congregation or a conglomerate of flowers to welcome the new year — a wild bouquet of sorts made from local blossoms. And Sujata is Sujata.

When commissioned to make a choor matched to an iconic necklace, all the elements of the latter may not be included in the handswear. There's a clear reasoning for this : while completing the parur...

When commissioned to make a choor matched to an iconic necklace, all the elements of the latter may not be included in the handswear. There's a clear reasoning for this : while completing the parure — with the necklace, earring and ring — the choor must be distinct and should be capable of being worn separately from the rest of the set.

In this jewel, a carefully calibrated mix of hammered wire and select features from the Madhusree necklace (for e.g.,the expressionistic lotus in the centre of all four bosses that are each surrounded by a cable-knit ring) from June 2016, come together with grace and glory as the central panel. But look at the borders! — a single kamal chain is hemmed in on both sides to create a 'par' and the outer walls of the flat wire bezel are evenly notched for a dazzle effect. This is the vital detail that allows the choor's chief character — its wirework — to be witnessed in full strength and gorgeousness. The exploded fleur-de-lis motif is finely done and the spare ball-and-katai-barfi infill highlights it to strike just the right balance between the airiness of filigree and inherent heft of the roundels. The choor is hinged, mind you, for ease of wear, and its grandeur comes from how it essays its attributes through its bold elegance.

Handwrought by an artisan with all-round expertise and designed to be at once matching and monumental, this recherché choor is a scintillating addition to an existing set but also a stand-alone masterpiece of Bengali craftsmanship.

The Beloari choori reappears four years after we last showcased them to you, but in a new 'old' guise. In fact the set we'd posted in November 2017 was a wider version of the actual bangles tha...

The Beloari choori reappears four years after we last showcased them to you, but in a new 'old' guise. In fact the set we'd posted in November 2017 was a wider version of the actual bangles that were, coincidentally, shown as part of an ensemble of hand-cut chooris exactly four years before that.

To reiterate what we'd said on the last occasion :

"Popular since they were first created at the turn of the century, these very simple, faceted bangles take their name from that of cut-glass, called 'beloari' in Bengali, and followed in exactitude the facets of the crystals of Belgian glass chandeliers that were much in demand then among Indian royalty for decorating their palaces with. You'll see some of the most exquisite and suitably overwhelming examples of these, nineteen in all, strewn across the ceiling of the magnificent Durbar Hall (Khilwat Mubarak) in Chowmahalla Palace, the erstwhile residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad."

The Beloari choori is justifiably famous and reserves a special place in the heart of most 'bonedi' families where sets of them (at least twelve to start with) have traditionally been de rigueur for the lady of the house and have been passed down from generation to generation, mostly to daughters and granddaughters, but also, though seldom, and very selectively, to 'boumas'. "Aamar Thakurma'r choori eguli," has oft been part of a young bride's fond introspection when being fitted with well-worn, but also well-kept, Beloaris as she is prepared for the mandap. For certainty she knows she too is merely a custodian of these sparkling beauties for their facets and their gold will outlive her, but deep within her is also the unshakeable belief that she'll imbue the chooris with her spirit just as her grandmother had done in her lifetime, for every time she wears the Beloaris she feels her Thakurma's power and love and blessings intertwined with the gold.

Remember, this is a chisel-and-hammer manufacture, entirely dependent on the strength and steadiness of the hands of the artisan, and an accuracy of cutting and carving that comes from long practice as first an apprentice, then a practitioner, and finally an expert of traditional jewel-craft. Otherwise it would be impossible to facet the choori symmetrically; a wrong stroke resulting in a skewed pattern that would inevitably require the jewel to be melted down and remade. Also, the control over the force at which the chisel cleaves the soft guinea-gold into the iconic geometric pattern has to be exacting or else there'll be gashes too deep to polish and plane. Remember, the choori is never buffed on the top ; the cutting itself imparts a permanent shine ; a simple ritha-cleaning will return the sparkle like new whenever grime dulls it.

So, then, why the Beloari Choori again? Notice carefully–– zoom if you will –– the six-pointed star engraved into each flat facet. It's a fresh addition but not new in detail. What it does is add an aesthetically sound feature that subtly complements the original : the stars are noticed because they're cut deep into the gold. The height and the width of the bangle, taller and narrower, respectively, must also be noted. This was made as a bespoke order and one in which the sample was given to us by our esteemed customer Mrs. Keka Paul, famous in her own right on account of Mabesha, her splendid handloom-only boutique in South Calcutta. It took us four months to ready a six-piece set accurately matched to the sample, having made and rejected the first batch for being much flatter. The artisan too had to be changed. The chooris are now made by a senior swarnakar, well advanced in years, who's probably going to be the last of his kind, the whole trade having shifted to nifty machines that churn out countless options –– they can't replicate the Beloari shape, though –– that are both weak of construct and bromidic by design. They're what people would buy to block their money in gold without a thought towards beauty, durability, and pleasure. In comparison, these jewels of enduring value will become, in time, symbols of your sentiments, repositories of your feelings and memories, and a sanctuary for your radiant spirit. Not only do they afford you the agency of individuality and liberation during your lifetime, but make you immortal as well in the heirlooms they shall unequivocally become.

Stolen from the archive of Victoria and Albert Museum this is actually a gajredar silver anklet from Maharashtra, dating from the early twentieth century. True, we have copied the design in toto, b...

Stolen from the archive of Victoria and Albert Museum this is actually a gajredar silver anklet from Maharashtra, dating from the early twentieth century. True, we have copied the design in toto, but its metamorphosis into a rich magnificent 22k gold hand-chased, hand engraved bala, is entirely our own effort. A revival, not a rewriting of history.

We Bengalis are justifiably proud of our Darjeeling, even though she came to us only in 1935, and that too via Nepal, Sikkim and Bihar. In truth, its famous sobriquet, Queen of the Hills, does make...

We Bengalis are justifiably proud of our Darjeeling, even though she came to us only in 1935, and that too via Nepal, Sikkim and Bihar. In truth, its famous sobriquet, Queen of the Hills, does make us feel grand ---- a linguistic coup for an otherwise beleaguered land. Many have asked,"Is Darjeeling the Tibet of Bengal ?" We're only jewellers. We can't answer that question. All we can do is help you discover a Darjeeling beyond that of being just a jewel in the crown of Bengal : a rare confluence of the history,culture and spirit of its varied inhabitants, those who truly belong there.

From Chowrasta, follow Nehru Road, walking past Glenary's, Das Studio, the Planter's Club and Keventer's, through the roundabout, keeping the taxi stand to your right and Capitol Cinema to your left. You're now on Laden La Road. Keep walking down the winding street and ask a local for directions to Penang --- an authentic Nepali eating house and one of Darjeeling's little wonders ; everyone knows it. A little ahead of the stairs leading up to Penang you'll find a tiny curio shop ; you'll know it when you go. Enter, and be instantly transported to a crepuscular world of magic and mystique : Walls stacked with decades of accumulated artefacts ; every available space (the ceiling as well) filled with masks, malas, metal-ware, puppets, chalices, jewelled swords, figurines and music instruments and millions of other indescribable antiques, as if it were the chosen depository of those who are long gone but couldn't bear to be separated from their beloved town and so left there their favourite effects. There's hardly any space to move inside ; a nearly bare bulb shines through the debris of history, clothed in fragments of once-brilliantly-coloured,now-patinated handicraft.

What we saw there, what we found, what we experienced is what's been replicated in this exquisite,ethereal guinea gold naksha bala that took us almost five months to complete and perfect. What it does is capture the essential spirit of Darjeeling, beyond the struggle and strife, far above the concerns of politics and religion. Here, there's a paradisiacal garden where deer and dragons commingle ; life-giving vines enfold us to protect and nourish ; a single gem-studded prayer wheel reminds us that God is in our hearts and on our lips, in gratefulness for every day we live ; and the aged, flecked ivory mina on the peti resembles the molten, hardened wax from votive candles in a monastery. In that, this bala, painstakingly hand-wrought like Darjeeling itself, becomes the town. It is Darjeeling. For all of you who've been there and those who are yet to, remember to discover Darjeeling, not just visit her. We promise, if you do, she'll stay with you forever.

Not all ornaments are made with a clear purpose ; and,in our case, most aren't ; except that they have to be of universal beauty and must hold within them a simple narrative, or at least embody an ...

Not all ornaments are made with a clear purpose ; and,in our case, most aren't ; except that they have to be of universal beauty and must hold within them a simple narrative, or at least embody an expressive something -- anything -- of reasonable ('high' or 'low' are not words we associate with when we speak of art) aesthetic value. And, of course, they are always born of love.

The Mayurpur necklace is such an ornament : one that comes to mind almost immediately when we reflect upon meaning and significance in our jewellery and the historicity of precious Indian jewellery as a whole.

This elaborate choor was created on the express wish of an elegant, enlightened client with very high taste, to match her Mayurpur necklace. We'd showcased Ms.Madhuja Dey's eponymous tayra,late January,on Facebook and told you then that we would share with you certain jewels that had been customized for her. Well, this is one of those.

All the elements of Mayurpur, the nocturnal garden of love, find a place here, just arranged in a different way. Everything is hand-chased and, as before, the single-sheet naksha is perforated and given an antique copper finish. Fully handcrafted in 22K gold with care, and possible only because lovers of all things beautiful, like Madhuja, insist on creating timeless jewellery in gold, not only as adornment but as powerful, enduring symbols of themselves and their supreme spirit. We thank her for giving us the honour of creating this with her, for her.

The better the glass powder quality the brighter and more fresh the mina. With all the detailing on the top overlapping section (the lower parts are all plain polished) the champlevé enamelling stands out in a single long section of the outer half-pipes where c-scrolls are lined up along two flanks and have little gold bindi-clusters in them.The mina, here, is maroon, blue, green and honey. There’s an etched barfi marker on a small polished section right after this and then a ball-and-paktar longboat, with sat-karaiphul and bindi clusters as the paddles aligned along its sides : the figure of a chundam vallam racing across the waters of Punnamada lake. It culminates in the ribbed box mukh with a raised roof that has a chequered motif on it in the same colours, except the green.

The half-pipe in the middle sees bands of green and red cloisonné enamelling bracketing the ball-bordered garlands of kadamphul that could well be the victory mala for the winners of a certain legendary boat race.

Notice the multi-coloured extensions on each end of the c-scroll part of the outer pipes : these elongate the detail and add colour and complete the decoration of the outer pipes so that when you wear the ornament and it plays on your wrists, the top part is not seen as missing any richness of detail.

All in all, a jewel common of form, but rare of virtue. The excellence of its make –– in detail and in construct –– and the energy that comes from its allusion to the Vallam Kalli (boat race), with the polychrome mina filling in for the colourful pennants and umbrellas, ensures the ornament never grows stale, even if you wear it an umpteen number of times.

Here, for you, is one of Kerala’s great festive traditions as an inarguably classic handcrafted ornament, created with love and meticulous care just like those powerful and speedy chundam vallams that race through the waters of the present to a vibrant, shining future –– a future now secured for ever in pure guinea-gold.

Adapted from our ever-popular Addigai necklace, this grand armlet also doubles up as a choker. You'll recognise the zig-zag thokai pieces strung in a row using thick v-chains, only this time there ...

Adapted from our ever-popular Addigai necklace, this grand armlet also doubles up as a choker. You'll recognise the zig-zag thokai pieces strung in a row using thick v-chains, only this time there are little clusters of ball-thokas, like clumps of golden gooseberries, clinging to the rings above and below. It gives the ornament a lovely organic feel, softens the stark geometry of the central panel and, in fact, bestows upon the bajuband its folksy individuality, thus ensuring its stature as a stand-alone jewel, not just an accessory.

It was made to match the Addigai set we did for Mrs.Keka Paul, an esteemed client, and intended for her daughter, Riddhima, after whom it's named in the abiding tradition of all A.Sirkar jewellery co-created with the customer.

Handcrafted in pure 22K gold, completed in a barely discernible antique finish, with a contrasting red rope tassel for greater effect.

The common passion flower, twining its way in beautifully turned delicate filigree, with each of the chhela rakhiphool guarded by two large frosted leaves the midrib and veins of which are also chh...

The common passion flower, twining its way in beautifully turned delicate filigree, with each of the chhela rakhiphool guarded by two large frosted leaves the midrib and veins of which are also chhela. The fern-like fronds replicate the vine's vigorous tendrils and we see a large opening bud between the flower-and-leaf clusters. Edging the kankan is a plain polished line of the plant's ovoid fruit, cut in half, with a little gathering of gold seeds to crown them.

Painstakingly handcrafted in lustrous 22K yellow gold, this hinged kankan is an extraordinary example of the contemporary interpretation of a very traditional ornament.

Rakhiphool is the local name of the passiflora caerulea, presumably because it looks like a large decorative rakhi. And it's merely opportune that we could bring you this in the right season. In truth though, the plant flowers year round and is strong and healthy through every season : all qualities that we hope life blesses you with, and that which we have tried to imbibe in this confidently classic modern jewel.

He had a penchant for peacocks, not only because they were royal of bearing but because so much of the literature of the land and its spoken history and mythology firmly fixed them as enduring symbols of peace and beauty and love.

Dinbar thought little of what he did when he designed. So gifted was his hand and so fertile his thoughts that it was as if God were guiding him through the drawings he made for his needleworkers, a frugal team but of the best there could ever be : young and old, patient and restless, thoughtful and instinctive, all sorts but each of such supreme talent that they could stitch stars into the sky that the even the moon wouldn't know from the real ones.

Years passed and Dinbar's fame spread far and wide, crossing the seven seas as well to new and unknown lands where his gold embroidery received great recognition and patronage from those who cared about the art of the craft. His peacocks especially, a mind-boggling number of them now, were much loved.

Into this peaceful world of art, its purveyor, and its enlightened patrons, came an unscrupulous trader with his eyes on Dinbar's establishment and his customers.

Rohujee had not the wherewithal to chain stitch a gold line across fabric, had never learnt the craft, had never freed his mind enough to allow imagination in –– how would he succeed in his plan to usurp Dinbar's justifiably loyal followers? Simple : bribe an artisan whose wants always exceed his income, take samples of Dinbar's designs, ask the errant artisan to replicate them in a separate workshop and after that was done, cast him aside to hire cheaper embroiderers who'd do the duplicates but of grossly lesser quality of technique and detail. These would look similar from afar though, and after reducing the prices dramatically, would eventually find buyers.

Dinbar, on the other hand, couldn't ever discount –– his creativity, original thought, imaginative drawings, and painstaking process of making, not allowing for margins enough to resort to cut-throat policies of selling.

This continued for some months, but Dinbar, ever the pacifist, didn't say a word, didn't protest either. He just went about his business in the way that he should –– with love, pure and simple –– although by then the rapacious Rohujee had already declared a significant number of Dinbar's designs as his own 'heritage' creations. By his own words, "being a hundred times larger than Dinbar", he could rule the town and its society, doing whatever he wanted to, including stealing Dinbar's designs and claiming them to be his own.

Then, on a certain day, he put out a design on the display board in the middle of Market Square, tom-tomming it to be his latest : a pair of peacocks nestled in dense foliage. It was a rough and inelegant copy of Dinbar's renowned Mayura-Mayuri tapestry. This was too much! –– even for the soft-spoken artist-embroiderer. He approached the King with a complaint against Rohujee.

The King, knowing how much his wife loved her silks and velvet, mostly those embroidered by Dinbar, and not wishing to upset her in the least, allowed him immediate audience. In the open court, Dinbar's complaint was heard and a date set for the next and concluding session. But on that day the person complained against would also be present, and his defence would be heard too.

On the appointed day, the King asked Rohujee to speak first. The canny impostor was well prepared. Over the course of more than an hour he presented evidence of all the paisleys and animals and birds having existed from time immemorial. "These are not original, your Highness. They have always existed. Artisans have drawings of each from their grandmother's old box of knickknacks. Besides, a peacock can only be of one kind and that's the kind everyone embroiders. It's a common motif that's shared by all and sundry manufacturers and sold to whoever might want it. Dinbar's designs are not his exclusively, and, anyway, there is no such thing as original design."

With that, he also produced a whole sheaf of papers as evidence to corroborate his assertion. Dinbar had nothing new to say. His work always speaks on his behalf. And, here, it's his work that said it all.

The King of Takalok then issued an order upon Dinbar: "Produce for me a peacock pair unlike any that I or anyone of this town will ever have ever seen and make them decorative sentries at the gate of my pleasure palace. If this you can do by Poush Shankranti, I will have proof of your originality of thought and design and it will be decreed that none shall possess the right to replicate your work in any form whatsoever. Rohujee will be given condign punishment for his misleading, misdirected and wholly unethical actions and words."

Dinbar thought a bit, and then realised exactly what he should do. Casting aside the plushness of velvet and gold as thread, he decided he would handcraft a guinea-gold Bauti for the Queen and on the two sides of the hinges (the gate of the pleasure palace) would place the magic peacocks.

But these are no ordinary mayurs : Dinbar crafted them in chaste naksha in a way that their tails grew into richly scrolling vines, each spreading out to become a complete Kalpataru –– the celestial wishing tree –– two pairs, in fact, for the Royal couple so that they may ask and get whatever their hearts desire.

The ornament, unique and invested with the power of imagination, is ready, and we've been given the privilege of priority viewing, before it's taken to the King in about a fortnight. This we share with you as the first jewel of the new year.

Every bit a jewel that might have been made in 1930s Calcutta and quite astonishing in its likeness to the design on page 74 of the M.B.Sirkar catalogue dating from almost ninety years ago, this re...

Every bit a jewel that might have been made in 1930s Calcutta and quite astonishing in its likeness to the design on page 74 of the M.B.Sirkar catalogue dating from almost ninety years ago, this recherché pavé-set bala evokes times long gone when personal jewellery in all its refinement and exquisite detail spoke of character and the gentility of generations for whom wealth was not just a curated show of the abundance of material things but an investment in experience that ran through the course of art of every kind: fine, culinary, decorative, and, of course, the performing arts. Fashion and craft received significant patronage, and many of the great Rajbaris became arbiters of aristocratic social customs related to the high tastes and cultivated etiquette of these privileged families.

Using tools and techniques of European jewel-craft, but with a distinctively Indian design sensibility, the bala is painstakingly wrought from a single sheet of gold that’s drawn upon, etched onto and then pierced for the pattern. A superfine hand-held hacksaw enables the intricate cut-work and, if you notice, the fretwork on the underside as well. The scrolling arabesque includes swirls and flowers and is set with a rare combination of turquoise, rubies and pearls. A pair of vicious, snarling makars ---- teeth bared, tongues showing ---- zealously guard this regal garden, the gates of which used to be shut to those thought to be of lesser esteem. Not any more. While, during the halcyon days of the zamindars, privilege meant taste, today, taste has become a privilege. Those who have it are indeed possessed of a great and unique wealth beyond the scope and measure of mere money. As such, an ornament of this kind is for you who believe in art, appreciate beauty, and know how less a life it is in the living of it without the truth of either, bereft of the companionship of both.

The lovely lady, a noted gynaecologist and obstetrician, who made this to order, waited nearly a year for it to be readied. There were samples of the scroll-work drawn, rejected, drawn again. The ‘peti’, or undercarriage, was altered from the standard and made significantly transparent and delicate to transmit more light and impart a lightness to the structure. The makars were done and redone to proportion, hand frosted, and the ruby and pearl caparison added both for flair and continuity of the joroa form to the ‘mukh’. The manufacturing, done with excruciating care by a virtuoso joroa artisan, overshot the original delivery schedule by months. The result is for you to see. Our kindly and ever-graceful customer, Dr.Padmini Banerjee, was a paragon of patience, and we can only put our hand upon our heart and thank her as much for bearing our slowness as for allowing us the privilege of crafting such a timeless ornament of extraordinary beauty for her and for all you fearless lovers of pulchritudinous jewels with souls to match. Such quietly bold beauty is the sum and substance of that which we must surround ourselves with if we really want to engage ourselves in living to the fullest a life of the highest quality. Dr. Banerjee shows us just how; and the bala, deservedly and in keeping with tradition, is named after her.

Like her, let your jewellery speak for you.

If there is such a thing as responsible romanticism or functional beauty or, for that matter, ecstatic elegance, it's likely y...

If there is such a thing as responsible romanticism or functional beauty or, for that matter, ecstatic elegance, it's likely you'll find any or all of them in this bala of simple construct where the spiral-carved chhatri of a Victorian, colonial-style, mahogany four-poster is evoked, decoratively wound with double strands of tiny nivari blossoms so fragrant that night itself is intoxicated let alone they for whom the bed of love is laid.

The delicate screw-pak chasing with serrated bridges is difficult to do and the superfine seed-pearl garlands have to be measured for width before the naksha-wallah starts his work. As the furrows are formed, the pearls are placed for size and marked for adjustments so that they fit perfectly in the grooves once the bala is finished and the patwar begins his painstaking stringing of the tiny beads round and round the gold spiral. There's no margin for error, here. And it'll be best always to use high quality pearls of uniform shape and size. You might have old Basrai-mukto lines lying around at home or fixed to other jewellery that you don't wear. Don't let them languish in your bank lockers or steel almirahs to be reduced to dust. Use them in ornaments such as this where they can breathe and see and perform their task of lacing the air with love so sweet that none can help but be drunk with romance on the nights (they're undoubtedly evening jewels) when they are worn. Those with husbands and lovers indifferent to the fulfilment of a woman's soul when she longs to be loved, must keep this a sacred secret. And there are the grim, makar sentries at the door of your Nishi Prem griha to make certain the stories of those scented nights of passion remain in the andar-mahal of your creation.

Crafted with great care and the kind of restraint that lifts the simple beyond the plain to sublime, this pair of guinea-gold and pearl balas is a powerful, beautiful, elegant agent of romantic love whose magic is revealed in its wearing. We just have to be disciplined in our usage of it.

A pair of patchwork peacocks and paisleys arranged side-by-side, a half-jhumka pasha with ball-jhurs on long rope-chains down the centre, and x-phul ball extensions at either end, all come together in a brilliant, complex, uncategorisable armlet that bends every rule in the book to emerge a triumph of vernacular sensibility and tradition. The form contradicts the workmanship ; each bird has so many different elements in it that it’s impossible to find a pattern ; the kalkas are a similar cornucopia of intriguing miniature detailing that would probably put the Kashmiri du-rokha embroidery to shame ; there are two radically different chains used ; and, finally, its an opor-haath that doubles up as a choker. With this surfeit of individual impressions one would have thought this painstakingly handcrafted 22K gold ornament as a whole might get lost. But no, it is in fact even more radiantly beautiful because of it, and, in the truest sense, becomes its patron, the gloriously graceful, astonishingly talented, impossible-to-define, devi-like Debahuti Sarkar whom you can see wearing it in the photograph accompanying her own writing in the preceding post. She's a professor, an aesthete, an actor, a researcher, a woman of rare substance, higher sensibilities and refined taste who lives and loves on her own terms. Yet that does nothing to define her, really. It’s her inner strength and beauty that you feel when you meet her and her innate goodness that shines through first. This unique ornament, created with her, derives from that, and is an embodiment of her as a rara avis among modern Indian women.

guinea gold, of an enchanting plant

whose fragrant white flowers perfume

the Bengal monsoon. The pearls

represent the madhumanjari and a

sing...

guinea gold, of an enchanting plant

whose fragrant white flowers perfume

the Bengal monsoon. The pearls

represent the madhumanjari and a

single red ruby hides the pin that

unlocks the bangle.

Wear it and feel its floral magic weave

the scent of sacred love around you.