Our karkhana
The golden karkhana.
Where our karigars turn gold into heirlooms, by hand, as it has always been done.
In the hands of a sonar, gold becomes more than a precious metal. It becomes an heirloom, a piece of history, where every curve and contour tells a story of skill, patience and a deep connection to our culture.
In the karkhana
One piece, many hands.
Follow a pair of chandbalis from a line on paper to an heirloom.
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The drawing
It begins as a line on paper, drawn and drawn again until it is right.
From our sketchbook -
The gold
Gold is melted, poured and coaxed into shape by hand, the way our karigars’ fathers taught them.
In our karkhana -
The setting
Polki, rubies and emeralds are set into soft gold one stone at a time, and held by gold alone.
In our karkhana -
The finish
Polished until it glows, then checked by a master’s eye. Only then is it ready to be yours.
In our karkhana
Our sonar family
The hands behind the gold.
Our karigars come from families who have shaped gold for generations. They are paid fairly, and every piece carries their hand.
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An eye that reads gold by its glow.
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A steady hand at a quiet bench.
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Pearls, strung one at a time.
From our karkhana
The crafts we keep.
Old ways of working gold, kept alive in every new piece.
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Jadau
Stones set in gold, and held by gold alone.
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Jaali
Rubies in a lattice of gold, strung on seed pearls.
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Navratna
Nine stones for nine planets, in one circle of gold.
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Kundan
Gold refined until it can be pressed around a stone by hand.
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Polki
Diamonds left uncut, just as the earth made them.
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Opal
Opals framed in polki: an old hand, a new light.
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Polki and opal
A river of uncut diamonds, ending in an opal.
An inheritance
An art of the royal courts.
Jadau was perfected in the workshops of India’s royal courts, where rubies were laid in pure gold one stone at a time. In our karkhana, it is still done that way.
Made for you
Bring us your idea.
Every heirloom began as someone’s idea. Bring yours to any of our stores, and our karkhana will make it, by hand.