November starts with a neat and sweet little jewel that's nice on the top but not really satisfactory on the underside where the solderings and frames are. Persnickety to a fault, we don't suffer e...

November starts with a neat and sweet little jewel that's nice on the top but not really satisfactory on the underside where the solderings and frames are. Persnickety to a fault, we don't suffer errant artisans, even if it means breaking and melting down the finished ornament and crafting it from ingot up as many times as may be required to attain the desired design, detail and finish. A case in point would be the Darjeeling Bala that took over six months to craft, the prayer-wheel mukh remodelled thrice ; or the Sraboni choker that had to be rejected and melted due to a functional flaw in its form and then, in its second avatar, was modified for details no less than five times before the order to impart the final finish and polish was given. The choor, here, is a mihi geometric-patterned madur (Bengal's unique grass-mat) in the form of a broad bangle, with the convenience of a hinge, that has a barfi-chatai centre and reji 'teeth' or 'daant' along the two sides. The narrow bezel is chiselled as is the pair of tramlines flanking the chatai. All that's fine ---- nice and quiet, and with no pretensions to being anything more than what it is : a general ornament, slightly decorative, for the hand, and one that'll go well with most gold jewellery even if not a direct match. What rankles is the careless soldering visible on the reverse. In places, there's mottling, and drips of hardened solder are evident along the inside of the bezel. That won't pass our stringent final inspection procedure unless corrected or re-done, although the solder, too, is pure 22K gold. It's the total quality of the ornament that's considered, not only those attributes which meet the eye. What's the point in designing and crafting a jewel that, even if you are unaware (we aren't!!), is flawed. The Madhukathi Masland Choor deserves a more respectful manufacture, a purer soul. Our precious gold jewels are a reflection of who we are. And we are not the kind who merely look good but are not ; whose beauty is only skin deep ; and whose consideration for all things aesthetic reaches not the depth of our heart. If all this be true, and if you do like and order the choor, remember to verify the final ornament inside and out. You should find yourself within it. Don't take it,otherwise.