Natural polki, lab grown or imitation: what a camera actually sees

Uncut natural polki keeps its raw table and scatters light instead of sparkling. Under warm wedding lighting it reads soft and antique — the look most families picture when they say Jadau.

Lab grown stones are chemically the same material as mined diamonds, with the same hardness and optics. In a Jadau setting, where the stone is held in kundan foil rather than prongs, the difference is very hard to see even in the hand.

Imitation stones are glass or cubic zirconia. In photographs, and in a piece worn for one function, they perform far better than their reputation. They are the right answer for haldi and mehndi jewellery.

Cost separates them completely: natural polki is the largest single line on most bridal invoices, lab grown a fraction of it, imitation a fraction of that.

Our standing recommendation: natural polki in the centre motifs of the main bridal piece, where eyes rest and photographs focus; lab grown across the sides and the second piece; imitation for the function jewellery. Nobody looking at the photographs will be able to tell, and the family saves a very large number.