A-Sirkar Archive Product Details | Bespoke Bengal Jewellery

Aabroo

Five panels of ball-bordered lakshya-tara fretwork framed by parallel columns of twisted-wire-garlanded (‘prem ki mala...

Five panels of ball-bordered lakshya-tara fretwork framed by parallel columns of twisted-wire-garlanded (‘prem ki malas?’) matkas stacked upon each other, each with a reji sat-karai phul on its polished surface, separated by a glossy scroll, all of these held between slim tipki-kamal chains ---- unlike the kind seen on necklaces of such obvious avoirdupois ---- that have reji-paktar triple jhumkas, key-ring ball clusters and a staggered ball edging on the busy lower arc and an uninterrupted line of spheres on the upper: that’s the gist of this exceptional necklace the presence of which is so sublime that it’s best worn alone, like true love.
The screens are in the manner of those flanking elaborate jharokhas ---- fine enough to be patterned windows through which to see but be unseen; the matkas beg the question, “ Kya bhar laun mein jamuna se matki?”; and the scrolls hold within them the words of whose passion, one wonders. Through every bit echoes the honour brought by genuine love: we can see Madhubala sculpted in the variegated light of the jaalis, imprisoned by familial concerns of propriety in the face of her luminous ‘prem’ ; Shyama, besotted,and despairing at her unrequited longing ; the jhumkas and ball thokas picking up the musicality of the story; and the crescent shape of the necklace, enriched by the narrative, bringing the hope of “Kaisi Khushi le ke aaya Chaand Eid ka” to the realm of ornamentation.
This Jewel encapsulates the spirit of ishq as shown in ‘Barsaat Ki Raat’ (1960) ---- a favourite film of ours you will have noted from previous posts ---- but more particularly immortalizes in pure guinea gold with exquisite craftsmanship the famous and all-too-true verse from the great qawwali ‘Na To Karvaan Ki Talaash Hai’, popular among genuine lovers across age and time and gender : “Tera ishq hai meri arzoo, tera ishq hai meri aabroo/ Tera ishq mein kaise chhorh doon, meri umra bhar ki talaash Hai.”
In your honour then and in the honour of your love supreme, we present ---- Aabroo.