Turquoise Silver

Turquoise is the one stone in this collection set in both oxidised and gold-plated silver, and the finish changes it more than the setting does. Oxidised silver is deliberately darkened so the recesses hold shadow, and against that near-black the blue sits sharp and cold. Gold plating — a warm surface over solid sterling, not a gold-coloured base metal — closes the gap, and the stone reads softer. Firoza, ₹2,050, is the oxidised piece here: an openwork teardrop edged in granulation, tiny silver beads set one at a time, with the cabochon bezel-set at the point. Firoza means turquoise. At 3.20 g the pair is light enough for a working day.

₹1,120 to ₹11,499 is a wide spread for eight pieces, and most of what separates the two ends is bench time. Boond — the word means drop — is the plainest piece here at ₹1,120, and the place to start if you have never worn the stone. The Bloom Trio at ₹6,800 carries three hand-hammered flowers per ear in graduating sizes, a cabochon bezel-set at the heart of every one: six stones, six collars of silver worked by hand. Higher up, turquoise stops carrying the piece by itself. Utsav, ₹9,400, sets it with moonstone and amethyst in a chandelier; Surya, ₹11,499, puts it against amethyst and carnelian in a temple drop.

Necklaces come down to scale. Kinara, ₹1,664, is built from turquoise chips rather than one set stone, which keeps it fine enough to layer. Pasa, ₹4,040, makes the opposite argument — a single cube pendant, one shape, nothing competing with it. Antara, ₹3,800, spaces its stones along the chain instead of massing them at the front.

One thing to expect. Cabochons are chosen one at a time, so what arrives will not be a copy of the photograph, and nearly everything we make is made once, so there is no second one to compare. Prices include GST. Shipping within India is free, orders leave Jaipur within one business day, and you have seven days to exchange.