The Forgotten and Understated Craft Of Meenakari Makes a Beautiful Comeback

One thing that has remained unchanged throughout history is our relationship with jewellery. From heavily bejewelled necklaces to intricately designed rings, we have loved them all the same. And a country as large as ours does offer numerous varieties of adornments that are soaked in tradition and culture. One such glorious style of jewellery making is meenakari.

Meenakari is actually a delicate art which fuses metals such as gold, copper, bronze, and silver with richly-coloured enamels to form tantalising bijoux. Believed to have originated from Persia, this technique was used to make vases, sculptures, decorative items as well as jewellery. Complex designs are carved into metals, after which the depressions are laid with colourful enamels.The product is then placed in a kiln so that the metal and enamel fuse to become one. Jewellery pieces made by this method are rich in colour and have a royal essence to them due to which they are quite sought after, especially as part of a (Hindu) bride’s solah shringar (sixteen essential adornments). “Enamelling is a technique that requires a high degree of skill and application. It creates colours in jewellery that cannot be obtained from even the most sparkling gemstones,”says Shashwat Shah, a partner at Umrao Jewels.“A range of shades, right from deep crimson to fuchsia to turquoise to royal blue or for that matter any colour imaginable, can be introduced to a piece of jewellery. It is an art that was cultivated centuries ago, requiring meticulous care and precision to create beautiful objects.” An interesting fact shared by him is that in the days of kings and queens, the jewellery makers were told to depict in their work, scenes of war or valour.As such, the jewellery pieces of the time told beautiful stories. These days, inspiration is taken mostly from nature.

“The genre of royal jewellery started with the Mughals and was soon continued by the Rajputs of Rajasthan who started a whole new paradigm of jewellery crafting through the Kundan- meenakari style of jewellery,” says Yash Agarwal, creative director at BG (Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas) Jewellers. Kundan means pure gold and, in this technique, thin sheets of gold are made to hold precious stones that are used to adorn the jewellery piece. The enamelling is done on a gold base which provides a vibrant background for the Kundan and stone.

Amrapali bangle

Another term closely associated with meenakari is polki. With polki jewellery, it is almost imperative that unpolished, natural, uncut diamonds are used. The reverse side of the jewellery pieces are enamelled with the meenakari method while the front face is meticulously decorated with diamonds. “The demand for these pieces is huge during the wedding season,”says Tarang Arora, general manager of Amrapali Jewels,“Every bride wants to wear a statement diamond polki necklace for her wedding”. Having been in the business for almost four decades and having practised meenakari for just as long, Amrapali Jewels believes in carrying forward traditions while skillfully improving on it. “Meenakari work in polki necklaces are generally found in green or blue,” says Arora,“And inspired by European paintings and art, the new design gives meenakari a contemporary look as we use di erent colour palettes,” she adds.  As mentioned earlier, this art form has become slightly uncommon in India.The reason behind this may be the lack of knowledge about the technique. Meenakari is rarely taught to anyone except the family of actual meenakars. It is like an age- old family recipe passed down generation after generation, hardly ever being shared with an outsider. Another factor affecting this trade is the lack of manpower. Meenakari is a complex, laborious art that requires many artisans to work together.There are various steps to be followed and each step involves a di erent artisan with a different prowess. “All pieces are completely handmade; they pass through many hands as they are sculpted, painted, and engraved. Often a single piece can take up to 200 days to complete,” says Sunita Shekhawat, CEO and proprietor of Sunita Shekhawat Jaipur. She adds,“But these facts only increase the demand. We have been surprised by the extensive response from women in India and globally.” She says she was able to gather her influence from the Raj gharanas of Jodhpur to which she got access at a young age. Being the daughter of an army officer from a Rajput family, Shekhawat also travelled extensively. “The cultural contrasts between my homeland and other regions are the mood board that I draw from and present a palette of unusual hues and tones in new forms. A core theme through all collections is duality. On either side of the jewellery, one will find two styles of illustration—traditional and modern.” 

So despite facing quite a few challenges, contemporary jewellery houses are helping to keep this celebrated art form alive. “We create jewellery that enhances the beauty of a bygone era by incorporating new styles,” says Subhash Naheta, chairman of Jaipur Jewels. By being one of the primary creators of meenakari jewellery for royalty in India and by having more than 150 years worth of accumulated knowledge about the art,Jaipur Jewels can truly be regarded as one of the veteran meenakars of India. Naheta also tells us, “Our meenakari jewellery pieces are inspired by the glory of Mughal art and culture and have used the nest diamonds to fashion creations that are sure to please for generations.” It has been observed by him that a large number of brides these days prefer traditional jewellery pieces with sublime meenakari work. Kunal Rawat of Rawat Jewels says that he too has noticed a rising level of appreciation for this painstaking art of meenakari, especially in the wedding sphere. He says,“As opposed to the passing trend of big polki jewellery, brides nowadays want intricately studded polki jewellery which also has a play of meenakari, even on the front side of the jewellery piece.They also enjoy experimenting with pastel hues from the Benarasi meena family or fakthai meena which derives from shades of lilac or even mint green meena.”

Amrapali necklace

Modern day brides seem to be stepping towards contemporary designs and lighter meenakari pieces. These o er just as much splendour to the bride’s ensemble as the traditional pieces but are a lot easier to carry off. “When a woman picks up a (meenakari) piece, she is able to see the back, ablaze with the intricate engravings in colour and is able to appreciate the craftsmanship, the beauty and splendour! This is why some call it the ‘wearer’s pleasure’,” concludes Shah. Meenakari art truly refines itself time and again for Indian brides.

LEAD IMAGES: LEFT: NISHIS CREATION NECKLACE. PHOTOGRAPH: NUNO OLIVEIRA.RIGHT: SUNITA SHEKHAWAT NECKLACE(BOTTOM), HOUSE OF MBJ NECKLACE (TOP), GEM PALACE BANGLES. PHOTOGRAPH: ISHAAN SURI, ARTFOTOSTUDIOS.