Jadau, kundan, polki, meenakari: the words explained

Jadau is a technique, not a stone. Molten-soft 24K gold foil is used to hold uncut stones in place without prongs — a method that came to Rajasthan with the Mughal courts and stayed.

Kundan refers to that highly refined gold foil itself. When you see a 'kundan set', you are looking at the setting method.

Polki is the stone: an uncut, unfaceted natural diamond that keeps its raw table. It scatters light rather than sparkling — which is why it reads warm under wedding lighting where brilliant-cut stones read cold.

Meenakari is the enamel work, usually on the reverse of a Jadau piece. It exists because a well-made piece is beautiful on the side no one sees.

A true Jadau piece is built in layers: a frame, the kundan setting, the stones, the meena on the back, and finally the pearls or beads. Each layer is a different craftsperson. That is why it takes weeks, and why machine-made lookalikes never quite sit the same on the neck.