18th century

Necklace

This ornate necklace combines white sapphires set in gold with delicate enamelwork. Although enamel is not indigenous to India, by the seventeenth century skilled enamellers were working at both the Mughal and Rajput royal courts. The enamel would lay against the skin, a hidden decoration considered to be a secret pleasure for only the wearer to enjoy. There was also a practical reason to enamel: twenty-two-carat gold is very soft and scuffs easily. Enameling the reverse, which is in direct contact with the skin, reduces abrasion and the loss of metal. The enamel itself lends rigidity to the object made of thin sheet gold.