How is jadau different from kundan?

Both use uncut polki diamonds and high-karat gold, but the mechanical method differs. Jadau embeds stones directly into heated gold — the softened metal is pressed around each stone and closes around it as the gold cools. Kundan uses strips of pure 24K gold foil to mechanically hold stones between the foil and a lac (shellac) base. In practice, both terms are used interchangeably in retail advertising. Ask your jeweller to describe the actual setting method, not just the label — this tells you whether you are getting the genuine craft or a lookalike.

Will meenakari enamel fade or crack over time?

Quality meenakari fired correctly into properly engraved gold does not fade under normal wear conditions. Cracking can occur if the piece is exposed to sudden severe temperature changes — avoid wearing into very cold water immediately after a hot environment. The most common damage is scratching from contact with other jewellery in storage. Store meenakari pieces individually in separate pouches. Dullness (not cracking) that develops over years can often be polished out by a skilled meenakari artisan — bring the piece back for an assessment.

Can jadau pieces be resized or altered after they are made?

Minor alterations are possible — ring sizing by 1–2 sizes or clasp adjustment — without disturbing the stone setting if the structural alteration avoids the set sections. Significant resizing or structural shape changes require re-heating the gold, which risks the enamel on the reverse face. Our general advice: discuss size requirements in detail before the commission begins, and commission to the correct measurement rather than planning for later changes. We advise on this during the design consultation.

What is the price range for a jadau bridal necklace set?

A full jadau necklace + earring set with polki diamonds and meenakari, in 22K gold, from a working workshop in Rajkot: ₹3–8 lakh depending on gold weight (typically 30–60g for necklace and earrings combined) and stone quality. Sets with primarily coloured gemstones and modest polki content fall at the lower end; dense polki compositions with larger stones and complex meenakari work fall at the higher end. All quoted pieces at Kishna are itemised by gold weight and stone specification.

Can I bring my own heirloom pieces to be reset in jadau style?

Yes — we offer heirloom redesign as a transparent workshop service. The original gold is weighed and documented in your presence before any work begins. If the original piece includes polki diamonds or coloured gemstones, they are assessed for reuse in the new design. The new design is agreed before work starts and the original gold content is fully preserved against the new commission — you pay only for additional gold required and the making charges. Bring any existing piece to the showroom for a free assessment.

Craft guide

Jadau and meenakari — how traditional Indian jewellery is made

The Mughal-era stone-setting technique, the Persian enamel art, the full making sequence, quality markers to inspect before buying, and how to commission a piece from a working workshop.

By Mayurbhai Vasoya · Last updated 4 September 2026

Jadau is a Mughal-era setting technique where uncut polki diamonds and gemstones are embedded directly into soft 22K or 24K gold — no prongs, no glue, held purely by hammered gold closing around each stone. Meenakari is the enamel art applied to the reverse side of jadau pieces — coloured glass fused into engraved gold channels. Together they produce the most labour-intensive category of Indian jewellery. A full jadau bridal necklace set from a working Rajkot workshop takes 8–14 weeks and involves four specialised craftspeople.

01 · Quick answer

Jadau = uncut polki diamonds and gemstones pressed into heated 22K/24K gold — held by the gold itself, no prongs or adhesive.
Meenakari = coloured enamel fired into engraved channels on the reverse face — turns the piece into a two-sided heirloom.
Polki diamonds have a flat, milky, warm lustre — distinct from cut diamonds; the glow is intentional, not a quality deficiency.
4–6 craftspeople work a single necklace set — goldsmith, jadau artisan, meenakari artisan, finisher, and quality checker.
Timeline: a full bridal necklace set takes 8–14 weeks from design-lock to delivery at a working workshop.

02 · What is jadau — the setting technique

Jadau's origins lie in the Mughal courts of Rajasthan and Gujarat in the 16th and 17th centuries. The name derives from the word jad, meaning to embed or to fix — a precise description of the technique. Jadau is not a style or an aesthetic; it is a specific mechanical method of holding gemstones in gold without prongs or adhesive.

The process: raw gold — always 22K or 24K, never lower — is shaped into the base form of the piece. Pure gold is softer than 18K alloys, and this softness is essential: the jadau artisan heats a section of the gold surface until it reaches a specific malleable state, then presses each gemstone into the surface by hand. The gold is then worked with small tools to close it around the edge of the stone. The metal literally grips the stone from all sides — no clamps, no glue, no prongs. When done correctly, the stone cannot be removed without re-heating the gold.

The stones used in traditional jadau work reflect the Mughal aesthetic: polki diamonds, emeralds (panna), rubies (manik), blue sapphires (neelam), coral, and pearl. Polki diamonds deserve specific explanation — they are uncut rough diamonds, cleaved along natural planes to produce a flat face but otherwise unpolished. They carry a soft, milky, warm lustre rather than the sharp faceted brilliance of a cut stone. This quality is intentional and characteristic of the Mughal aesthetic. Buyers expecting the sparkle of a modern brilliant cut will be disappointed; buyers who understand that jadau glow is the goal will find polki irreplaceable.

See our separate guide to jadau vs kundan vs polki for a side-by-side disambiguation of these three often-conflated terms.

03 · What is meenakari — the enamel art

Meenakari (mina-kariin Persian, meaning "work on gold") is the art of fusing coloured glass into engraved gold. It was brought to Rajasthan by Persian artisans at the invitation of Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century and has remained concentrated in Jaipur and Rajkot ever since. In the context of jadau jewellery, meenakari is applied to the reverse face of the piece — the side that faces the skin.

The process requires its own specialist. The goldsmith's work on the front of the piece is largely complete before meenakari begins. The meenakari artisan takes the piece and engraves a design into the reverse gold surface — typically floral or geometric patterns in the Mughal tradition. Powdered coloured glass mixed with metallic oxides is packed carefully into the engraved channels. The piece is then fired at a controlled low temperature (lower than gold's melting point) in a small kiln. The glass fuses into the channels, bonding permanently to the gold.

Not all colours are equal in difficulty. Traditional meenakari colours and their hierarchy:

Vivid green — the most technically demanding. Requires chromium oxide, which must be fired separately from other colours because it fuses at a different temperature. Achieving even, dense green without pitting or dullness is the meenakari artisan's benchmark skill.
Red — a Jaipur speciality; vibrant when well-executed, orange-toned when not.
Dark blue — stable, relatively forgiving to fire.
White and black — used for contrast and outline work.

The meenakari reverse effectively turns the piece into a two-sided heirloom: the front displays the stone composition for public view; the reverse carries a painted world of enamel that only the wearer sees against their skin. This duality is the defining characteristic of full jadau-meenakari work — it is not an afterthought or decoration, it is half the piece.

04 · How a jadau-meenakari piece is made

A full bridal necklace set passes through the following sequence. Each step is carried out by a different specialist — jadau work is not a one-craftsman art form.

1
Gold rolling and base shaping — the goldsmith
Raw 22K gold is melted, alloyed to the correct karat, and rolled into sheets of the required thickness. The goldsmith cuts, bends, solders, and shapes the gold into the structural form of each element — the main necklace pendant, the supporting sections, the side drops, and the matching earring bases. This produces the skeletal structure of the piece without stones or enamel. Duration: 2–3 weeks for a full necklace set.
2
Stone selection — client or workshop decision
Before the jadau artisan begins, the stones are laid out — polki diamonds selected for size and flat surface quality, coloured gemstones matched for tone and size across the composition. In a commission, the client is invited to approve the stone selection at this stage. This is the correct moment for any changes; after jadau setting begins, adjusting the stone composition requires re-heating sections and risks damage to completed work.
3
Jadau setting — the jadau artisan
This is the longest and most skilled step. The jadau artisan works section by section — heating a small area of the gold surface, positioning each stone by hand, then working the gold to close around the stone's edge using small hand tools. Each stone is individually set this way. A full necklace panel may contain 80–200 individual stones depending on design density. The artisan must maintain even gold coverage around every stone, consistent surface level, and correct alignment — all without the assistance of clamps or jigs. Duration: 3–5 weeks for a full necklace set.
4
Meenakari — the enamel artisan
The piece moves to the meenakari artisan who works on the reverse face. The gold is engraved with the design, powdered glass applied in sequence (each colour separately if the design requires multiple temperatures), and the piece fired after each colour application. Vivid green, being the most demanding, is always fired in its own cycle. Duration: 1–2 weeks. The enamel artisan cannot work until the jadau setting is complete because re-heating after enamel application would damage or dull the enamel.
5
Finishing, polishing, and quality check
The goldsmith returns for final polishing of exposed gold sections and clasp fitting. A quality check is conducted — stone alignment, gold coverage completeness, enamel surface evenness, and total weight verification. The piece is weighed to confirm net gold weight matches the original specification. At Kishna, we document the weight before and after setting to provide full transparency on the gold content.

05 · What to look for — quality markers

When evaluating any jadau piece before purchase, these are the specific things to check. You need adequate lighting and ideally a 5–10x loupe for the stone-level inspection.

Stone alignment and seating

Every stone should sit flush with the gold surface — not angled, not raised on one side, not sunken below the surface plane. View the piece from a low angle in raking light: any misaligned stone will cast an asymmetric shadow. In good jadau work, the surface reads as a single continuous composition.

Gold coverage around each stone

The gold must close completely around the edge of every stone — no gaps between stone and metal. A gap indicates the gold was not worked sufficiently and the stone may loosen over time. This is the most common quality failure in lower-grade jadau work. Check particularly around the smallest stones where the artisan's tool has less leverage.

Meenakari colour saturation and surface quality

Turn the piece over and examine the enamel in daylight. The colour should be vivid and even across each filled area — no pitting, no bubbling, no dull patches, no colour bleeding across the engraved boundaries. The surface should feel smooth to the fingertip. Bubbling or pitting indicates the glass was not properly fired. Colour bleeding indicates the artisan did not clean the channels between colour applications.

Weight appropriate to specification

A genuine full jadau necklace in 22K gold is heavy — a necklace + earring set typically weighs 30–60g in gold alone (plus stones). An unusually light set suggests thin gold sheet, fewer stones than quoted, or gold-filled construction rather than solid. Ask for the net gold weight on the bill and verify it against the piece specification.

Red flag — adhesive-set stones

Some mass-produced pieces use adhesive (glue) to hold polki stones into gold-coloured base metal. These are not jadau — they are costume jewellery using the jadau aesthetic without the technique. Signs: the base metal feels light, the stones lift or wobble slightly, there is a visible edge around each stone where the adhesive has pooled. Always buy jadau from a jeweller who can describe the actual setting method and whose price reflects the genuine labour involved.

06 · Commissioning a jadau piece

A custom jadau commission is a different process from buying a ready piece. It requires planning time and involves collaborative decisions at each stage. Here is how a commission at Kishna proceeds:

1
Design consultation
We begin with a conversation about occasion, bridal outfit palette (meenakari colours are chosen to complement the outfit), gold weight range, stone type preference (polki only, polki with coloured stones, emerald-forward, ruby-accented), and budget. This conversation can happen in the showroom or by WhatsApp with reference images — we have designed pieces remotely for clients in other cities.
2
Sketch and weight estimate
We produce a sketch of the design and an estimated gold weight range for the commission. This is provided within one week and shared digitally. The weight estimate gives you the baseline cost calculation: estimated gold weight × current 22K rate + making charges (22–28% wastage for jadau-meenakari) + stone values.
3
Stone selection and design-lock
Once the design is approved, we lay out the polki diamonds and coloured stones for your review — this can be done in person or photographed for remote approval. On approval and design-lock, a deposit is taken. At this stage, significant design changes require restarting the stone selection; minor adjustments to colour palette or proportions are still possible.
4
Making: gold work → jadau setting → meenakari → finishing
The sequence described in the previous section. We provide progress updates at major milestones — after gold-shaping (so you can see the structural form before stones are set), and after jadau setting (before meenakari begins). Full timeline from design-lock: 8–14 weeks for a full bridal necklace + earring set.
5
Delivery and documentation
The balance payment is collected on delivery. The piece is delivered with a full itemised bill including gross gold weight, net gold weight, stone specification, making-charge formula, BIS hallmark documentation, and care instructions. We weigh the piece in the client's presence at delivery to confirm the net gold weight matches the specification.

Commission a jadau piece for your occasion

Our workshop has produced jadau and meenakari pieces for brides across Rajkot, Saurashtra, and Gujarat for over a generation. Begin your commission conversation in the showroom or send us reference images and your occasion details to start the design conversation.

Visit our showroom →Send us a message

07 · Frequently asked questions

How is jadau different from kundan?
Both use uncut polki diamonds and high-karat gold, but the mechanical method differs. Jadau embeds stones directly into heated gold — the softened metal is pressed around each stone and closes around it as the gold cools. Kundan uses strips of pure 24K gold foil to mechanically hold stones between the foil and a lac (shellac) base. In practice, both terms are used interchangeably in retail advertising. Ask your jeweller to describe the actual setting method, not just the label — this tells you whether you are getting the genuine craft or a lookalike.
Will meenakari enamel fade or crack over time?
Quality meenakari fired correctly into properly engraved gold does not fade under normal wear conditions. Cracking can occur if the piece is exposed to sudden severe temperature changes — avoid wearing into very cold water immediately after a hot environment. The most common damage is scratching from contact with other jewellery in storage. Store meenakari pieces individually in separate pouches. Dullness (not cracking) that develops over years can often be polished out by a skilled meenakari artisan — bring the piece back for an assessment.
Can jadau pieces be resized or altered after they are made?
Minor alterations are possible — ring sizing by 1–2 sizes or clasp adjustment — without disturbing the stone setting if the structural alteration avoids the set sections. Significant resizing or structural shape changes require re-heating the gold, which risks the enamel on the reverse face. Our general advice: discuss size requirements in detail before the commission begins, and commission to the correct measurement rather than planning for later changes. We advise on this during the design consultation.
What is the price range for a jadau bridal necklace set?
A full jadau necklace + earring set with polki diamonds and meenakari, in 22K gold, from a working workshop in Rajkot: ₹3–8 lakh depending on gold weight (typically 30–60g for necklace and earrings combined) and stone quality. Sets with primarily coloured gemstones and modest polki content fall at the lower end; dense polki compositions with larger stones and complex meenakari work fall at the higher end. All quoted pieces at Kishna are itemised by gold weight and stone specification.
Can I bring my own heirloom pieces to be reset in jadau style?
Yes — we offer heirloom redesign as a transparent workshop service. The original gold is weighed and documented in your presence before any work begins. If the original piece includes polki diamonds or coloured gemstones, they are assessed for reuse in the new design. The new design is agreed before work starts and the original gold content is fully preserved against the new commission — you pay only for additional gold required and the making charges. Bring any existing piece to the showroom for a free assessment.

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