Thinking of buying new jewellery? Here’s what 200-year-old Indian designs can teach you about choosing timeless pieces

Before adding another jewellery piece to your collection, look at what 200-year-old Indian jewellery can teach you.

Starting from the way a gemstone is cut and set to the story behind a motif, historic Indian jewellery represents a lesson in searching beyond the price tag. When purchasing jewellery today, the conversation usually starts with the price: how many carats, how much gold, and finally, how much it costs. But the jewellery that has survived centuries makes us think about it differently. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Shreyans Gandhi, executive and creative director of Gazdar, highlights lessons from 200 years of Indian jewellery craftsmanship that you can consider in your jewellery shopping.

Look at craftsmanship, not just the price

“Historic jewellery makes it quite clear that craftsmanship has a value separate from the amount of gold or size of a gemstone,” highlighted Shreyans. Kundan, for example, uses highly refined, malleable gold worked into extremely thin strips that are carefully pressed and burnished near the gemstones instead of depending on conventional prongs.

Historic jewellery makes it quite clear that craftsmanship has a value separate from the amount of gold or size of a gemstone, (Gazdar)

This creates a close, seamless relationship between the stone and its setting. “Today’s buyers, the question is therefore not about how much gold it contains but about how well it has been made. Looking at the precision of the setting, the finishing of the metal, and the skill that is involved in its creation,” advises Shreyans.

Learn to look at gemstones differently

Historic Indian jewellery challenges the idea that a gemstone’s beauty is about maximum sparkle. Shreyans highlighted that Indian table-cut diamonds, now also known as polki, were traditionally made as thin, flat stones that retained a lot of the natural form and weight of the rough.

Unlike the modern brilliant cuts, which are designed to maximise scintillation, they offer a softer lustre and broad planes of light. The distinction is important. A buyer focused only on brilliance could overlook the character of an older or differently cut stone.

Technique can reveal a jewel's history

Jewellery also has the potential to carry the geographical history through its construction. Meenakari, for example, has developed a distinctly Indian character after being absorbed into the luxury arts of the Mughal courts. The process involves the creation of recesses in metal, filling them with powdered glass and metallic oxides, firing the piece repeatedly, and polishing the surface to create its luminous finish.

For today's buyer, the understanding of the technique reveals whether a piece genuinely reflects a craft tradition or simply borrows its appearance.

Jewellery also has the potential to carry the geographical history through its construction. (Gazdar)

Look for the story behind the motif

The incorporation of flowers, birds, animals and foliage in Indian jewellery is rarely just decoration. The collection showcases the longstanding relationship between nature, ornament and symbolism.

Shreyans advises to consider the terminal bangle, whose open ends can be included in sculpted tiger, elephant, bird or makara heads. These forms blend decorative vitality with auspicious, protective and regal associations. Understanding its story can transform a jewel from an accessory into something with cultural and personal meaning.