1,100 carats of diamonds, 43,800 pearls & a kilo of gold: What went into creating this jewellery piece

In 2004, Munnu Kasliwal of the Jaipur-based jewellery store, Gem Palace, received an order from a royal family in the Middle East. The piece, delivered in 2007 for a wedding, was one of the standout works the store had created. It was a satlada (a seven-layered necklace), a headdress and a pair of earrings. The multi-crore set included 1,100 carats of diamonds, 43,800 pearls and over a kilo of gold. It weighed approximately four kilograms and took over 75 artisans three years to make.

Last month, this piece made its way back to India at the opening of the store's Mumbai outpost. Munnu's son, Siddharth Kasliwal, reveals that his father made a sketch of the entire necklace, headdress and earrings. "After that the stones and pearls were sourced, which was a lengthy process, as it takes time to find so many pearls of the same colour and quality. The piece was made at leisure by highly skilled artisans and my father was involved in every step," he says.



Working on such an elaborate piece can be draining, which is why the artisans needed adequate rest. "The gold filigree work at the back also requires tedious effort. To watch the hand and eye coordination of the karigars as they work is amazing," says Kasliwal.


Siddharth Kasliwal

The jewels were on display for a day in Mumbai. Before this, the piece was at Kremlin Museum. Kasliwal says, "The family was kind to lend it to us for display." The piece was flown to Delhi by the family on their private plane and carried to Mumbai by Kasliwal via the diplomatic channel.

Before the official unveiling, Kasliwal's team milled about, busy with lastminute touches. As he had guessed, the piece turned out to be the big attraction of the launch with guests f locking to it and snapping photos.

Although the piece appears heavy, Kasliwal says that the design ensures that it isn't. "When the piece was made, jaali work was done with the idea of keeping it as light as possible. The jaali also reduces the amount of gold that would have been used," he says.

'No split in the family'

Recent media reports have pointed to an alleged fallout between Siddharth Kasliwal and his cousin Samir (son of Kasliwal's uncle Sanjay). Rumours began to swirl when the family closed its original store in south Mumbai. A few months later, the cousins set up two stores on the same street. But Kasliwal denies any problems. "There is no competition. The money goes in the same pot. I am an equal partner as him. There is no split in the family," he says.

Kasliwal says he shared a laugh with his cousin over the media reports. "Samir and I are on great terms. At our Jaipur store, he is usually downstairs and I am upstairs, managing one-on-one interactions. Samir is great at handling people, sometimes 20 at a time. I start feeling claustrophobic with too many people around," he says.