Polki vs Kundan: the difference is in the stone.

Kundan and Polki are the two Indian jewellery traditions most often confused — even by people who own pieces from both. The confusion is reasonable. Both involve uncut stones. Both originated under Mughal patronage. Both are still made in Jaipur and Bikaner workshops whose fundamental method has not changed in two centuries. And the words are routinely used interchangeably in casual catalogues. The difference, however, is decisive.

Polki, in the traditional craft, is a setting of uncut natural diamonds. The diamond arrives at the workshop in roughly the shape geology gave it — the cleavage planes are honoured, the stone is cleaned, and it is mounted in 22-karat gold. There is no foil behind the stone. What you see is the stone in its natural geometry, with light passing through whatever natural facets nature provided. The look is milky, luminous, soft.

Kundan, by contrast, can use any uncut stone — diamond, but more often coloured glass or quartz — and the secret is the foil. A sheet of 24-karat gold foil (kundan = "pure gold") is hand-cut and burnished against the back of each stone. The foil acts as a mirror. Light that would otherwise pass through the stone is reflected back through it, producing the warm interior glow Kundan is known for. The look is bright, sparkling, jewel-toned.

A practical test, in person: hold the piece up to indirect light. Polki refracts — you will see the natural facets of the stone catching light unevenly. Kundan reflects — there is a mirror behind every stone, doing the work the foil was hand-cut to do. In photographs the giveaway is the highlight pattern: polki highlights are diffuse and milky; kundan highlights are bright and discrete.

For the wardrobe heuristic we give friends: Kundan is for evening light, Polki is for daylight. A polki necklace in a dim restaurant will look subdued; a kundan in midday sunlight will look almost garish. Match the silhouette to where you will actually wear the piece. Our Kundan-inspired and Polki-inspired edits both ship in our gold-plated antique finish — the choice is which interior-light story you want.