Description

This anklet features an intricate arrangement of diamonds and vibrant enamel motifs in red, blue, green, and white executed in the meenakari technique. Delicately rendered depictions of deer, elephants, and peacocks adorn three-dimensional bulbous forms, which extend from a circular band. The design culminates in large radiating spheres with irregularly faceted diamonds set in kundan technique, a process by which pure gold foil is joined to gemstones through pressure alone, forming a molecular bond even at room temperature. This technique was perfected in the eighteenth century in the Rajput and Mughal courts of northern India. The anklet is constructed in two separate parts, held together by small screws, each topped with a gold bead rosette.

South Asia has long been a renowned source of precious gemstones, with India being the sole supplier of diamonds until the early 18th century when deposits were identified in Brazil and then later in South Africa. In royal treasuries, gemstones were prized for their natural size and vibrant hues rather than being cut into faceted forms as they are today.