|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jewellers do brisk business during the festive days. The greatest jewel shop in India is Gem Palace at Jaipur. The owners say the Mughals were once their patrons, writes
KDL Khan
Kolkata would nominate PC Sen Jewellers, while Delhi would recommend Surendra Jains of Connaught Place. Chennai would nominate the famous Vummidiars, while Bombay would propose Tribhuvandas Bhimji Zaveri. But according to international connoisseurs, the greatest jewel shop in India is Gem Palace at Jaipur owned by three Kasliwal brothers — Sudhir, Sanjay and
Munnu. So prestigious is this establishment that in honour of its designs and expertise, the Metropolitan Museum of New York, in its galleries, has assigned a permanent window to Gem Palace to display its fabulous jewels — the only jewellery firm in the world ever to get this honour. The Kasliwal family prides itself in the fact that the great Mughals were their patrons once, and their first royal appointment was from Maharaja Jai Singh II. He invited the family to come to Jaipur, the city he was creating in 1727, from Agra. They established Gem Palace in 1852, 125 years later. Rajasthan has the maximum number of elite maharajas in India. Gem Palace became a literal workshop for their jewels, and the files of the Kasliwal family has thousands of these designs. Came Indian freedom of 1947, toppling the Indian princes from their eminent positions, and further down the year, the removal of their privy purses in 1971. Imposition of tax made many of them sell their family heirlooms, and Gem Palace was their first halt. Naturally, this jewellers’ firm obtained the best jewel creations of ancient/medieval/feudal India. A majestic haveli on the busy Mirza Ismail road in Jaipur is home to Gem Palace, a place where travellers from across the world stop to glimpse into history. As one enters the shop, one gets the feeling of being transported in time to the ages of the maharajas at the zenith of their wealth and power. But Gem Palace is not just a jewellery showroom. It is home to some of the best craftsmen in the country. Many jobs are passed from fathers to sons, and more than 3,000 people are employed in sites across the city. The workshop is littered with piles of cut and polished precious stones from the rich lands of Kenya, Madagascar and Burma. These stones are cut, polished and drilled, using traditional methods, improved by master craftsmen over centuries. Barefoot craftsmen sit on pure white cushions and sometimes spend days working on just one stone, thus ensuring that once it leaves their hands, it is flawless. Goldie Hawn and her son spent an afternoon in the workshop, watching the creation of these masterpieces. Paris-based designer Marie-Helene de Taillac and an executive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art sat at low tables in the design studios working on future collections. Attention to detail is a rule in the Kasliwals’ approach to design. Some of the jewellery may take years to produce as the stones collected for each piece are selected painstakingly, perfectly attuned to one another. One magnificent diamond choker took nine years to materialise, as the Kasliwals collected the diamonds over the years. They also ensure that each of these pieces is beautifully embellished on either side, producing reversible pieces that have stunning gems on one side, and incredibly intricate enamel work on the other. For nine generations this family business has enjoyed a relationship with the very richest of patrons. A request to see something old is met with the head of the Kasliwal clan asking: "Will this do?" as he pulls out a chest to reveal a child's enamelled necklace and a pair of bracelets worn by the young Mughal emperor Jahangir, who ruled from 1605 to 1627. From a cupboard emerges a diamond fringe necklace made for a Hapsburg princess to attend the Congress of Vienna in 1815. In a cabinet upstairs is Shah Jahan's jade drinking cup. Queried as to the costliest treasure in their vaults, the Kasliwals state that it is a lifesize gold parrot, studded with diamonds/rubies/emeralds and pearls. It was made in the 19th century as a liqueur flask for one of the maharajas, whose descendants sold it back in the late 1980s. The price is about Rs 2 crore. The costliest treasure so far made by Gem Palace was a chandelier for one of the Middle East Arab monarchs, and it was made of 37,000 carats of rubies/sapphires/emeralds and 8,700 carats of diamonds. The cost was Rs 5 crore.
— MF
|
||
|
|
||
As the festive season sets in, thousands of jewellers all over India display their artistic treasures, awaiting customers. Here it is interesting to consider as to which is the most famous jewellers’ establishment in India. Each metro has its own candidate for the honour.