JAIPUR: A JEWELLED DESTINATION

The heart and soul of Indian jewellery, the Pink City is a must on every bride's itinerary when planning her big day. Making shopping for her bling easier, Brides Today lists the six super stores that personify Jaipur's mastery over coloured gems, polkis, jadau and more.

- ANSHU KHANNA

Possibly the biggest jewellery destination in the world and as design-driven as Paris, Jaipur’s tryst with jewels dates back to 1727, when the Pink City was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, and its people moved from Amer Fort and its adjoining villages to the spanking new town. With a palace at its heart, the king, a connoisseur of all things fine, built the first ever Johari Bazaar, or jewellers’ market, that soon had artisans from all over North India, right up to Afghanistan, making it their home.

Johari Bazaar marked the start of the gem and jewellery industry in Jaipur and also the arrival of numerous legendary jewellery houses that are known for their masterpieces even today. No bride who wants to add a rare heirloom to her trousseau can miss going to this veritable Mecca of heritage jewellery. To make her quest easy, Brides Today lists the super six jewellery stories that are a must visit in her itinerary once she’s in Jaipur.

No bride who wants to add a rare heirloom to her trousseau can miss going to this veritable Mecca of heritage jewellery

GEM PALACE

Three hundred years ago, the maharaja of Jaipur invited the Kasliwals to open a design atelier within the walls of City Palace and create jewellery pieces that the royal family commissioned to them. The jewellers and the royals have shared a close, intertwined relationship ever since.