Kundan Jewellery

Kundan jewellery is one of the most exquisite traditional Pakistani jewelry. The word Kundan itself means ‘Pure gold’ justifying the use of refined gold in designing this jewelry. Though its inception dates back to the Moghul Era, it is still in vogue among the Pakistani masses and even abroad.
The art of designing Kundan jewelry is called Kundankari, which involves a group of expert craftsmen involving chiterias, ghaarias, the goldsmith etc. Initially the jewelry piece is first shaped and then holes are cut for the precious stones to be engraved and then the pieces are enameled. When the stones are to be set, lac is inserted in the back, and is then visible in the front through the holes. The Kundan, i.e. the highly refined gold, is then used to cover the lac and the stone is pushed in it.
At times, more Kundan is layered on to finish the piece to strengthen joints and add to the beauty of the jewelry. This was the traditional way of designing them, until the western techniques of claw setting were introduced. The stones used in the jewelry vary from occasion to occasion and even the regions. The usual stones used in Kundan work include emerald, crystal rock, topaz, amethyst, jade, agate, garnet etc.