RUBY RAANG  ·  THE JEWELLERY JOURNAL

Kundan, Polki, Jadau — What's the Difference, and How Do You Choose?

The essential guide to India's three most celebrated jewellery traditions — by Ruby Raang

Ruby Raang Journal  ·  Jewellery Education  ·  2026

Walk into any Indian jewellery conversation, and three words will surface almost immediately: Kundan. Polki. Jadau. They are used interchangeably — and almost always incorrectly. Ask most buyers to explain the difference, and you'll get a thoughtful pause followed by a confident but approximate answer.

This is not a criticism. These are ancient, complex traditions, each with their own origin, technique, aesthetic, and occasion logic. Even experienced jewellery buyers often conflate them. At Ruby Raang, we believe that the woman who understands what she is wearing — truly understands it — wears it with a different kind of confidence. So here, finally, is the guide that answers every question you've been too afraid to ask in a jewellery shop.

AT A GLANCE — THE THREE TRADITIONS

Kundan — The Art of the Gold Foil Setting

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Kundan is the most widely worn of the three traditions, and the most frequently misunderstood. The word kundan does not refer to the stone — it refers to the technique. Specifically, it refers to the ancient Indian method of setting a stone — any stone — by pressing refined gold foil (called 'kundan') around it until the foil holds the stone in place without prongs, claws, or clasps.

Originating in the Mughal courts of Delhi and later perfected in Jaipur's ateliers, kundan jewellery traditionally used precious stones — rubies, emeralds, sapphires. Over centuries, the technique evolved to encompass glass and faux stones, making it accessible without compromising the visual richness. What you see in a piece of kundan jewellery is a sea of colour and depth — stones that seem to glow from within because the gold foil beneath them acts as a reflective base, amplifying the light the stone catches.

This is why Ruby Raang's kundan pieces have a particular luminosity that photographs beautifully and catches candlelight in a way that machine-made jewellery simply cannot. Every piece is hand-set, stone by stone, by artisans who have trained in this technique for years.

Shop Ruby Raang Kundan: rubyraang.com/collections/all

Polki — The Uncut Diamond's Wild, Beautiful Truth

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If Kundan is about mastery of colour, Polki is about honesty of material. A polki stone is a naturally occurring, uncut, unpolished diamond — exactly as it emerged from the earth, before any lapidary touched it. Flat on one side (the back, foil-lined to maximise light reflection), irregular on the face, and deeply organic in the way only nature can produce.

The Rajput royal courts understood that the rough diamond, left in its natural state, had a beauty that cutting could not improve. Each stone is unique — no two polki pieces are ever identical, because no two rough diamonds are the same. The warm, slightly misty quality of polki diamonds is unlike the sharp brilliance of a cut stone: it is quieter, deeper, and to many eyes, considerably more beautiful.

Traditional polki work is set in 22–24 karat gold, which is why authentic polki jewellery commands a significant price. At Ruby Raang, our Johri collection uses high-quality faux polki stones in antique gold settings, delivering the aesthetic and character of polki at a price that makes the tradition accessible. The terracotta enamel borders in our Johri Polki Necklace mirror the traditional meenakari backing used in authentic polki work, creating a visual richness that is unmistakably of the Rajasthani jewellery tradition.

Shop Ruby Raang Polki: rubyraang.com/collections/necklaces-1

Jadau — The Highest Art Form

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Jadau is the most technically demanding of the three traditions — and correspondingly, the rarest. The word comes from the Hindi "jadna" — to embed. And that is precisely the technique: in jadau, gemstones are not set onto a piece of jewellery. They are fused directly into molten gold as the piece is being formed, becoming structurally inseparable from the base. The result is a jewel where stone and gold are not two elements joined — they are one.

Originating in Rajasthan and Gujarat, Jadau jewellery requires a team of highly specialised craftspeople: the ghadia (who shapes the base gold), the kundansaz (who sets the stones), and the meenakari artist (who applies enamel to the reverse, because the back of Jadau jewellery is considered as important as the front). A single Jadau necklace may take weeks or months to complete. This is not jewellery that is made quickly. It is jewellery that is made permanently.

Jadau pieces are heirlooms in the truest sense — passed from mother to daughter across generations. They are the jewellery of royal weddings, significant celebrations, and deep personal meaning. If you ever have the privilege of wearing Jadau, wear it knowing you are wearing one of the most technically extraordinary art forms that human hands have produced.

So — How Do You Choose?

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The answer depends on three things: occasion, budget, and how you want to feel.

If you are building a collection that you'll wear across many occasions — festivals, functions, weddings, casual ethnic days — Kundan is your foundation. It is the most versatile, most wearable, and most accessible tradition, and Ruby Raang's Kundan pieces are designed to be exactly that: the kind of jewellery you reach for instinctively.

If you are choosing your bridal jewellery and want something with the warmth of antique gold and organic stone character, Polki — or our Johri faux-polki collection — delivers that Rajasthani bridal aesthetic in a way nothing else does.

And if you are ever in the extraordinary position of investing in a piece that will outlive you — Jadau is the answer. It is, quite simply, the highest art form in Indian jewellery.