Diamond, ruby, gold or pearl, which one is the prettiest of them all? This is a question you could well be asking yourself at the NAC Jewellers exhibition of antique, diamond and Jaipur kundan jewellery. Here the traditional manga mala meets the trendy, lightweight diamond pendant; reversible kundan and minakari necklaces jostle for attention alongside elegant antique jewellery and a display of thousand patterns of diamond necklaces poses quite a task for you to make up your mind, unless of course you want to pick up everything.
“In 2004 we conducted an exhibition of thousand diamond bangles and now we thought we should showcase our vast collection of neck pieces. Of the thousand patterns around 80 to 85 per cent has been designed and manufactured by us inhouse,” says N. Anantha Padmanaban, managing director, NAC Jewellers.
The collection of kundan jewellery on display has been sourced from Raniwallah jewellers in Jaipur and Padmanaban says each piece has been personally handpicked by him. There are chains, chokers, necklace sets made of uncut diamonds, tourmalines, emeralds and pearls on 24 carat gold.
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For those with a penchant for all things vintage and beautiful, the selection of antique jewellery is sure to appeal to them. The designs with images of gods, goddesses and Nature have Burmese rubies set on wax with 24 carat gold on top. According to Padmanaban these are South Indian antique pieces, some as old as 100 years. Such ornaments cannot be recreated as these stones are hard to get and the workmanship is impossible to replicate now. He also believes that the recreated pieces aren't as light as the original ones and also work out to be more expensive. “A lot of replicas are available in the market but people need to be careful about where they buy their jewellery because sometimes jewellery makers use only 14 carat gold and substandard stones,” he adds.
Most of the antique collection at NAC has been procured from Tiruchi, Madurai, Thanjavur and Karaikudi. “Antique jewellery is a favourite because of its timeless beauty and needs to be passed on from one generation to the next,” he says.
The exhibition opens today and is on till February 6 at NAC Jewellers, 58, North Mada Street, Mylapore.
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