Green Kundan Ring with Bead Fringe

A large green stone sits at the top of this ring, uncut and irregular rather than faceted, bedded into a thick flat rim of gold-tone metal in the kundan manner. Around and below it the plate is worked into rounded lobes studded with small red and clear stones, and from the bottom edge hangs a short fringe of gold-tone beads.

What you are looking at

The irregular centre stone is the detail that matters. Traditional kundan work used stones more or less as they came — polished flat on top but keeping their natural outline, because the soft gold rim could be worked around any shape. That is the opposite of Western setting, which cuts stones to standard shapes so they fit standard mounts. An uneven outline on a kundan piece is a sign the design is following the old logic rather than imitating a modern cluster ring.

The fringe does the same job here as on a pair of jhumkas: it puts movement at the bottom edge of a piece that is otherwise static, so the ring catches the eye when the hand moves rather than only when it is still.

How to wear it

It is a tall ring with a moving fringe, so it is for occasions rather than every day, and not one for gloves or a crowded bag. Wear it alone, on the index or middle finger.

Fit and adjustment

The band is adjustable rather than sized: a tapered strip coiled so the ends overlap, which can be eased a little wider or a little tighter. Adjust it off the finger and in small movements — working the same band open and shut repeatedly is what eventually fatigues the metal.

Colours and availability

One colourway is stocked, with the stones mixed as shown. Stock is reasonable on this one.

Metal, stones and care

American Diamond is the Indian trade name for cubic zirconia: furnace-grown, hard enough to hold a sharp facet edge, and a little more dispersive than diamond. The coloured stones beside it are glass, because glass takes a deeper shade than CZ will.

Underneath the colour it is brass. That is why it sits with some weight rather than feeling like foil, and why it holds its shape.

Sizing is the usual worry when jewellery is bought for someone else, and it barely applies here. Necklaces and sets fasten with an adjustable chain, earrings need only a pierced lobe, and nothing has to be measured in advance. It arrives boxed and ready to give.

Perfume and sweat are what dull a plated finish fastest, so dress first and put this on last. Wipe it down afterwards and store it sealed; humid air left against metal is what ends a finish early. Payment is prepaid in every case. We do not run cash on delivery.