Jadau is a distinctive jewellery style originally rooted in Rajasthan. It involves embedding precious and semi-precious stones in gold, crafting opulent ornaments. Jadau is also used to craft kundan and polki jewellery, the two emblematic decorative arts of Rajasthan.

The term “jadau” derives from the Persian word “Zardozi”, meaning ornament or decoration. The journey of crafting jadau begins with a design concept. Subsequently, gold is refined, shaped, melted, and cooled to create the perfect foundation for placing the stones. The final step involves enameling or embellishing the stones by applying the polki and kundan techniques. This tradition is influenced by Mughal cultural traditions and is one of the oldest forms of Indian jewellery. Jadau adorns rings, earrings, chokers, bangles, kadas, and wedding jewellery. Earlier, elaborate ornaments with kundan or jadau jewellery design needed the collaboration of hundreds of artisans, who worked closely as a small industry. Designers, goldsmiths, and meenakars (enamel artisans) collectively bring a jadau piece to life.

Among the most outstanding ornaments of the MET museum’s collection in New York is a bazubandh (armlet) that was later made into a brooch. Dating back to 18th-19th century North India, it belongs to the Islamic-Mughal tradition of jadau. This piece features gold inset with rubies, colourless sapphires, onyx, emeralds, pearls, and diamonds. It was a gift from George Blumenthal.

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