Pair of Ruby-Set Hinged Gold Bracelets (Kada) with Enamelled Floral Ornamentation on Interior
Date19th - 20th century
MediumEnameled gold, rubies, diamonds
DimensionsOverall: 3 1/8 in. (7.9cm)
ClassificationsJewelry
Credit LineGift of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Courtesy of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
Object number57.146a-b
DescriptionThese hinged bangles, or kada, are lined with rubies, set using the kundan technique, in which strips of pure gold are applied around the stones. The inner faces of the bangles are enameled with red flowers on a white ground. This design is associated with Jaipur, which was known as the center of enameling in India in the 1700s and the 1800s.Rubies are a significant stone in Hindu cosmology. The red stone represents the sun in the navaratna, an auspicious combination of gemstones that corresponds with the sun, moon, and planets. From ancient times, rubies were sourced from present-day Sri Lanka until they were discovered in Burma in the 1500s and present-day Thailand in the 1600s.
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19th century
19th century
