What Is Kundan Pearl Jewelry and Why Is Hyderabad Its Most Celebrated Home

Kundan pearl jewelry is a centuries-old Indian tradition in which gemstones and pearls are set into a pure 24-karat gold framework without prongs or claws, using finely pressed gold foil to hold each stone in place. Hyderabad became its most celebrated home because the city’s Nizam rulers were among the most extravagant pearl and gemstone patrons in Indian history, drawing master craftsmen from across the subcontinent and creating a local tradition that fused Mughal Kundan technique with the Deccan’s own pearl culture.

That combination is what makes Hyderabadi Kundan pearl jewelry distinct from what you find in Jaipur or Delhi. The craft arrived in the Deccan through royal patronage and stayed because the city already had something no other centre could replicate: a 400-year-old pearl trading tradition and artisans who understood how pearls behave alongside gold and gemstones.

How does the Kundan setting technique actually work?

The word Kundan comes from the Sanskrit kundanam, meaning pure gold, and that purity is the whole point of the technique. Standard jewelry gold is alloyed for hardness. Kundan gold is refined to 24 karats, which makes it unusually soft and malleable. That softness is precisely what allows a craftsman to press it around a gemstone and hold it in place without any mechanical fastening.

The process begins with the ghaat, a skeletal gold framework shaped into the design. Wax is poured into the framework during the paadh stage to give the piece structural support. The interior is then packed with surmai, a heat-resistant mixture of shellac and antimony. Stones are seated into the cavities in a step called khudai, positioned and warmed with charcoal so the shellac softens and grips each gem from below. Then comes the defining step: the pakai process, in which very fine strips of 24-karat gold foil are pressed around each stone, layer by layer, until the setting is completely secure. No glue, no prongs. Only the gold itself, shaped by hand.

The reverse side of the piece then receives meenakari, enamel work applied by a separate specialist called a Meenakar. This hidden decoration, often in deep reds, greens, and blues, is a hallmark of authentic Kundan work and one reason a single piece can take weeks to complete. Each stage belongs to a different craftsman: the goldsmith, the stone setter, the enameller, the polisher. A Kundan necklace is the work of several hands, not one.

Where did Kundan jewelry originate, and how did it reach Hyderabad?

Kundan gem-setting has been in use since at least the 16th century, when it was recorded in the Ain-i-Akbari, the official chronicle of Emperor Akbar’s reign. The Mughal court in Delhi and the Rajput courts of Jaipur and Bikaner were its earliest patrons, commissioning pieces for ceremonial adornment as well as everyday luxury objects: hookah bases, paan boxes, dagger hilts, and archers’ rings.

From Rajasthan, the craft spread south. As Mughal influence extended into the Deccan and the Nizams of Hyderabad consolidated their rule through the 18th century, Kundan artisans followed the money. The Nizams were not passive admirers. They commissioned actively, gifted lavishly, and built a court culture in which fine jewelry was a language of political and personal power. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam, was said to have kept sacks of pearls in his palace basement, and his pearl collection alone is estimated to have been worth around $100 million in today’s value.

That level of demand shaped an entire economy of craft. Merchants arrived from Basra and the Persian Gulf carrying natural pearls. Artisans from across India followed. The Qutub Shahi kings before the Nizams had already established Hyderabad as a pearl trading hub, so the infrastructure for sourcing, grading, and working with gems was already in place when Kundan setters arrived. The fusion that resulted, Mughal setting technique applied to Deccan pearl traditions, produced something that neither tradition could have created alone.

Why does Hyderabad’s pearl culture make its Kundan work different?

Most Kundan jewelry centres set rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and uncut polki diamonds. Hyderabad does all of that, but it adds pearls in ways that are structurally and aesthetically specific to the city’s own design vocabulary.

The Gutta Pusalu necklace is the clearest example. In Telugu, gutta means a cluster and pusalu means beads or pearls. The design features cascading clusters of small pearls suspended from a Kundan-set gold base, the pearl clusters moving like a fringe and catching light differently from any rigid gemstone. The form originated along the Coromandel coast in the late 18th century and was adopted and refined by Hyderabad’s artisans into one of South India’s most recognisable bridal necklace styles.

Generations of artisans in Hyderabad’s Laad Bazaar and Charminar district perfected the art of pearl grading, stringing, and matching alongside Kundan setting, so the two skills developed in parallel. A Hyderabadi craftsman working on a Kundan Gutta Pusalu necklace needs to understand how pearls behave under heat, how their lustre interacts with gold foil, and how to grade and match pearl clusters so the finished piece reads as a single coherent object. That is a different and more demanding skill set than Kundan work alone.

The Satlada, a seven-strand pearl necklace anchored by Kundan or Polki centrepieces, is another Hyderabad-specific form. So is the Paanchlada, its five-strand counterpart. These designs probably exist in other cities, but they were developed and refined in Hyderabad, and the city’s artisans remain the most practiced in producing them.

Kundan and Polki: What is the difference, and does it matter when buying?

Both are traditional Indian setting techniques, and both appear frequently in Hyderabadi jewelry, often in the same piece. The distinction is in the stone, not the gold.

Polki refers to uncut, flat-bottomed diamonds in their natural form, set using the same gold foil method as Kundan. The term Kundan technically describes the setting technique itself, so Polki jewelry is, by definition, also Kundan work. In practice, though, most jewellers and buyers use Kundan to mean pieces set with coloured gemstones or glass stones, and Polki to mean pieces set with uncut diamonds.

For a buyer, the distinction matters in two ways. First, price: genuine Polki diamonds are significantly more expensive than coloured gemstones, so a piece described as Polki should come with clear provenance. Second, appearance: Polki has a softer, more diffuse sparkle than cut diamonds, closer to candlelight than sunlight. Kundan with coloured stones, particularly emeralds and rubies paired with pearls, has a warmer, more saturated look that tends to photograph better against the deep colours of a silk saree.

Hyderabad’s Legacy Is Held in Its Pearl-Kundan Tradition

Hyderabad earned its title as the City of Pearls not through geography but through accumulated expertise: centuries of pearl trading, royal patronage that demanded the finest craftsmanship, and artisan communities that developed Kundan setting alongside pearl work rather than separately from it. The result is a jewelry tradition with a specific character that is difficult to replicate elsewhere.

That character shows up most clearly in pieces like the Kundan Gutta Pusalu necklace, where gold foil setting and cascading pearl clusters are designed as a single unified form. For anyone looking to understand or own a piece of that tradition, Mangatrai’s Kundan Necklace collection carries designs rooted in over 121 years of Hyderabad’s pearl and gem heritage, made by craftsmen who have been working in this specific idiom across five generations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Kundan jewelry different from regular gold jewelry with gemstones?

In Kundan jewelry, gemstones are held in place by 24-karat gold foil pressed around each stone by hand, with no prongs, claws, or adhesive. Regular gold jewelry uses mechanical settings. The difference gives Kundan pieces a flat, flush look where the gold and stone appear to grow into each other, and it allows stones of irregular shapes to be set without cutting them down.

Can Kundan pearl jewelry be worn daily, or is it only for weddings and special occasions?

Kundan pearl jewelry is generally best suited to occasions rather than daily wear. The 24-karat gold foil used in the setting is soft by design, which makes it susceptible to dents and loosening with frequent contact. Lighter Kundan pieces, such as small pendants or stud earrings, can handle more regular use, but elaborate necklace sets with Gutta Pusalu pearl drops are typically reserved for weddings, festivals, and formal events.

How do I verify that a Kundan necklace contains real pearls rather than imitation ones?

The most reliable at-home test is the tooth test: a real pearl feels slightly gritty against your teeth, while a glass or plastic imitation feels smooth. Beyond that, look for slight irregularities in shape, size, and surface. Perfectly uniform pearls in a Kundan setting are usually synthetic. A reputable jeweller should also provide a certificate of authenticity or be able to tell you whether the pearls are freshwater, Akoya, or natural saltwater pearls.

Is Hyderabadi Kundan jewelry the same as Jadau jewelry?

Jadau is a broader term for the technique of embedding gemstones into a gold base, and Kundan is the specific method within that tradition that uses pure gold foil. In practice, the terms are often used interchangeably in the market, particularly for bridal sets. Hyderabadi Jadau work tends to incorporate pearls more extensively than Rajasthani Jadau, and it draws on Deccan motifs such as mango shapes, peacocks, and Goddess Lakshmi pendants that are less common in northern styles.

What is the significance of the Gutta Pusalu necklace in Telugu bridal tradition?

The Gutta Pusalu is considered an essential part of a Telugu bride’s jewelry, with the cascading pearl clusters symbolising prosperity and abundance. The name itself, meaning a bunch of pearl beads in Telugu, describes both the form and the cultural weight of the piece. It is typically worn as the centrepiece of a bridal set alongside matching earrings, and its movement and lustre under natural light make it one of the most photographed pieces in South Indian weddings.