Uncut diamond jewellery or also called the “uncut diamond jewellery polki style”, is a look that overpowers the bling and whiteflash of cut and polished diamond jewellery. In the age of conspicuous consumption, to bling means to out bling others and dazzle. Here in Canada it is not very common to see uncut diamond settings, whereas in India, uncut diamonds is jewellery that is classic and been around for a very long time. Uncut diamonds have been part of jewellery craftmanship and showcased by India’s finest jewellers since ancient times. Uncut diamond jewellery was the show stopper at India International Jewellery Week of 2011(IIJW) with models displaying classical uncut diamond pieces intertwined with modern jewellery designs. Some of the outstanding uncut diamond jewellery showcased at the 2011(IIJW) were Amrapali from Mumbai (Amrapali the first Indian jeweller to enter Harrods Fine Jewellery Room) , Birdhichand Ghanshayamdas from Jaipur, Johara from Nagpur, Gitanjali group from Mumbai, CVM Exports Designers from Junagadh, Laxmi Jewellery Exports Pvt. Ltd from Ahmedabad and Kashi Jewellers from Kanpur. These jewellery houses show casing uncut diamonds will no doubt be on the runway at India International Jewellery Week of 2012 to be held at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai August 19-23 2012 . IIJW will once again lift the curtain revealing India’s finest in uncut diamonds and world jewellery designs.
Birdhichand Ghanshayamdas from Jaipur
Johara from Nagpur
Gitanjali group from Mumbai,
CVM Exports Designers from Junagadh,
Laxmi Jewellery Exports Pvt. Ltd from Ahmedabad
and Kashi Jewellers from Kanpur.
- kangana ranaut uncutdiamonds iijw 2011
Kundan keshri settings is the type of jewellery craftmanship that we see displayed in many of the uncut diamond jewellery pieces in India. Kundan keshri is an ancient gemstone setting, actually one of the oldest forms of hand made jewellery from India which is said to originate from the jewellery worn by royalty in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Kundan keshri means that under and between the uncut diamonds or gemstones and their mounts, gold foils of highly refined 24 Karat molten gold are inserted to look almost like a bezel setting in a very natural, borderless form . The Lac, a certain tree sap, holds the setting in place. The uncut diamond kundan setting originated in the ancient times of pre-bezel, pre-claw, pre-pave’ and pre-Van Cleef and Arpel’s invisible settings.
The diamonds can be set on their own or along other gemstones like pearls rubies, emeralds, semi- precious stones or pure gold kundan fillings.Today this form of kundan setting is still popular and not only set in gold but also in silver and further made affordable to all in the form of imitations of costume jewellery that mimic uncut diamonds and gemstones making it versatile for both bridal jewellery as well as daily wear.
Uncut diamonds in keshri kundan pieces are not rough diamond settings that we see in today’s many modern jewellery settings. The uncut diamonds in Indian kundan jewellery are shaped and cut flat and polished on the flat surface with elaborate ancient processes to form intricate designs and patterns, some with meenakari which involves painted design details of enameling on the gold. The uncut diamonds in the kundan keshri setting have a star gazed look that does not have a whiteflash gaudy appearance but a mezmerising glassy pure diamond look reflective of starry skies gone by. If you want to capture the aura of uncut diamonds follow Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas on Facebook,the award winner jeweller of National Jewellers
for most unique designs of 2012.
India International Jewellery Week 2012 Grand Hyatt Mumbai Aug 19-23 2012 Promotional Video
The learned craftmanship of kundan keshri and meenakari take several years for the artisan to learn. If visiting Rajasthan, there are many local artisans in Jaipur where the manufacturing process of kundan jewellery with uncut diamonds can be seen. One such craftsman can be visited online at Kundanart.com.
Video 1 India International Jewellery Week 2011
Uncut diamonds keshri kundan jewellery are best seen where they originated in Jaipur.There local craftsmen skillfully produce this art for custom pieces replicating the Nizam era collection of an antiquated old charm look. Today’s look of uncut diamonds in keshri kundan have the antiquated look of the Nizam’s collection once worn mainly by Indian royalty but is now modified to be much lighter in weight adapted for modern comfort with a chic glamour appealing worldwide to both men and women. The appeal for uncut diamond jewellery among celebrities extends from Bollywood to Hollywood.
Video 2 India International Jewellery Week 2011
We often forget that the impact of indian jewellery worn by india’s royals was once the rage during the colonial era as it was significant in setting the stage for fashion among the royals in Britain,France, Russia and Iran. Today the same glamour of uncut diamond jewellery is widely appealing not only to Hollywood celebrities but also to trendsetters worldwide.
