Some things are made to last. Kundan embellishment is one of them. For over five centuries, this intricate art of setting uncut gemstones into pure gold foil has adorned the jewellery of Mughal emperors, Rajput queens, and generations of Indian brides. Today, kundan has found a new form — on clutch bags, evening purses, and festive accessories — and it is more relevant than ever.
If you have ever been drawn to a bag that seemed to glow from the inside, that caught light the way fine jewellery does, there is a good chance you were looking at kundan work. This guide explains what it is, where it comes from, and how to wear it beautifully.
The history of kundan: five centuries of unbroken craft
Kundan as a formal craft tradition traces its origins to the royal courts of Rajasthan and the Mughal ateliers of the 16th century. The word kundan refers to highly refined gold — pure, without alloy — and the technique takes its name from this precious base material.
Artisans in Jaipur, Bikaner, and Delhi developed the technique into one of India's most celebrated jewellery forms. Unlike casting or machine-pressing, kundan work is entirely hand-assembled: each stone is individually set by a kundansaz, pressed into a bed of lac beneath gold foil, sealed by hand. No two pieces are ever identical.
What kept kundan alive through centuries of change — Mughal decline, British colonial rule, partition, industrialisation — was its irreducible human quality. It cannot be automated. It cannot be mass-produced without losing what makes it precious. Every kundan piece carries the fingerprints, in the most literal sense, of the person who made it.
How kundan embellishment is made
The process of creating a kundan piece involves three distinct craftspeople, each specialising in a single stage.
The ghadia (the framemaker) begins by constructing the base structure — in traditional jewellery, this is gold; in contemporary bags and accessories, it is typically a metal frame or suede base. The kundansaz then sets the stones: each uncut gemstone — glass, quartz, or semi-precious stone — is bedded into warm lac, a natural resin, and a fine sheet of gold foil is pressed over it to hold it permanently in place. Finally, the meenakari artist may add enamel work to the reverse, completing the piece from both sides.
What emerges is a surface that does not just reflect light — it seems to hold it. The uncut stones refract differently from faceted gems, creating a softer, warmer glow that reads as luminous rather than sparkly.
Why kundan works beautifully on clutch bags
Kundan's transition from jewellery to accessories is a natural one. The same qualities that make it exceptional on a necklace — its warmth, its weight, its unapologetically Indian identity — translate perfectly to an evening clutch.
A kundan-embellished bag does what no printed or synthetic-embellished bag can: it anchors an outfit in genuine craft. When worn with a Banarasi lehenga, a Kanjeevaram saree, or a heavily embroidered ensemble, a kundan clutch does not compete with the outfit — it completes it. The metallic setting echoes the zardozi embroidery. The stone colours pick up the thread work. The overall effect is one of coherence.
At Sache, our kundan clutches are made on a suede base — a material that grounds the embellishment without competing with it. The artisans who set each stone are not contractors or suppliers. They are co-owners of Sache, which means the care they bring to every piece is the care of someone who has a stake in it.
How to style a kundan clutch bag
Kundan is bold, so the styling principle is simple: let it be the centrepiece, not one element among many.
With heavy silk sarees: A kundan clutch in a contrasting colour — say, deep teal on a ruby red Banarasi — creates a considered contrast that photographs beautifully. Avoid matching too closely; a near-miss reads as accidental.
With bridal lehengas: For brides, a kundan clutch in ivory, champagne, or antique gold is a near-universal pairing. It adds accessory weight without competing with the lehenga's own embellishment.
For the bridal party: A matching set of kundan clutches for bridesmaids creates cohesion without uniformity — especially effective in group photographs.
With jewel tones: Ruby, emerald, and sapphire are the natural homes of kundan. A deep jewel-toned lehenga with a kundan clutch is a pairing as timeless as the craft itself.
For sangeet and haldi: Kundan's warmth makes it equally at home at informal functions. A smaller kundan potli or clutch at a sangeet adds festive intention without the formality of the main ceremony.
Carrying a piece of India's history
There is something meaningful about choosing a bag that is not mass-produced — that was made, slowly, by hand, by someone who understood exactly what they were doing and why it mattered. Kundan embellishment is not a decorative shortcut. It is a tradition that has outlasted empires.
When you carry a kundan bag to a wedding, you are not just choosing an accessory. You are choosing to be part of a lineage of craft that has been passed from hand to hand for five hundred years.
Explore Sache's kundan clutch collection — each piece made by artisan co-owners, priced from Rs 1,499. Shop at sache.co.in