Every gold necklace here is drawn and set by hand: the choker that sits high at the throat, the rigid hasli on the collarbone, the long rani haar, and the bridal necklace set that brings them together. Most are kundan meena — stones set in front, enamel fired behind — so no two come out quite alike.
Choosing
Which gold necklace suits you?
Start with where you want it to sit. A gold necklace worn high — a choker or a hasli — frames the face and suits a high or boat neckline. A long one, like the rani haar, runs down the body and fills a deep neckline or the open front of a lehenga blouse. Most brides wear one of each: a short piece at the throat, a long one below it.
Weight follows the work as much as the size: a short choker dense with kundan can hold as much gold as a long plain chain. Ask for the net gold in any design — the figure we quote leaves out the stones and the lac that holds them.
Help me chooseLengths
Indian necklace names on the length scale
Buying from abroad, or from a site that lists inches? Here is where each Indian necklace falls on the standard length scale — choker, collar, princess, matinee, opera — measured end to end, clasp included.
12 to 16 inches
Choker and collar
High on the throat. The aad and the timaniya are worn here, most on a silk dori that ties at the back, so a little length can be let out or taken in.
Rests on the collarbone
Hasli
Rigid, so it is sized by the neck rather than by a length in inches, and holds the same curve on everyone.
18 to 20 inches
Princess
Just below the collarbone: the length of most pendant sets and everyday chains.
22 to 23 inches
Matinee
Clear of a choker worn above it, so the two read as separate lines rather than one crowded band.
About 30 inches
Opera — the rani haar
Below the bust. Layered under a choker, the two lengths make the Rajasthani bridal look.
Inside the workshop
How a kundan necklace is made, stage by stage
A kundan necklace passes through several pairs of hands, each karigar doing one stage — which is why a piece takes our workshop 15 to 20 days. The names are the ones you would hear on the bench.
Ghaatघाट
The gold framework: every cup a stone will sit in, cut, shaped and soldered by hand. The design is fixed here — nothing after can change the outline.
Meenaमीना
On a kundan meena piece, coloured enamel is fired onto the back of the frame in a kiln. It has to come before the stones: the lac they will sit in melts long before enamel fuses, so meena cannot be added to a finished kundan piece.
Lacलाख
The hollow frame is filled with lac, the resin of the lac insect. It is the bed every stone is pressed into. It adds weight on the scale — which is why the weight we quote is the gold without it.
Jadaiजड़ाई
The setting: each stone or polki is laid on the lac, and strips of pure gold foil — the kundan itself — are pressed in round it and burnished until they hold it with no claw or glue.
Puwaiपुवाई
The stringing: pearls, beads and drops are threaded on and the necklace is finished with its dori. Then it is polished and checked against the drawing.
How is the price of a gold necklace worked out?
Four parts. The net gold weight times the day's rate for its karat — 22K or 18K, on our 22ct gold price today page, which follows IBJA — plus the making charge for the handwork, plus the stones, plus 3% GST on the total. Ask for those four lines separately; two quotes are only comparable line by line.
Why does a kundan necklace weigh more on the scale than its gold?
Because the scale also weighs the lac inside the frame, the stones, the enamel and the pearls. Only the gold is charged at the gold rate, so a bill should show the gross weight and the net gold separately. The figure we give you is the net gold, without the lac.
Which gold necklace designs suit a wedding?
For the wedding day, a broad kundan or polki choker with a rani haar beneath it is the classic Rajasthani pairing. For the functions around it, one lighter piece — a timaniya or a hasli — carries the look without the weight, and is the necklace most often worn again.
Which necklace length suits a deep neckline?
Go long — a matinee length or a rani haar fills a deep or sweetheart neckline. A choker alone above a deep neckline leaves the space below it bare; with a high or boat neckline it is the other way round, and a short piece looks best.
Is a hallmarked necklace hallmarked on every part?
The BIS hallmark is stamped on the gold, usually near the clasp or on the back of the frame, and certifies the purity of the gold alone — not the stones. Each hallmark carries a six-digit HUID you can check in the BIS Care app.