Polki Setting — Foil-Backed Kundan Mountings for Uncut Diamonds
Polki Setting — Foil-Backed Kundan Mountings for Uncut Diamonds
The traditional Indian technique that holds a polki diamond face-up over reflective foil
A polki setting is the traditional Indian mounting technique used to hold polki diamonds, characterised by a recess of refined gold lined with reflective foil into which the stone is set face-up and secured by burnishing strips of malleable kundan gold around its edges. The setting works without prongs, solder joints, or modern claws; the stone is held entirely by the cold-worked malleability of the kundan gold and the underlying lac or resin bed.
Construction
The setter begins by building a substrate of lac or natural resin within a gold or silver framework, then melting the surface so the resin softens enough to receive the stone. A reflective foil — historically silver leaf, now often a metallised polymer film — is laid over the resin, and the polki diamond is pressed into the bed with its flat polished surface uppermost. Once the resin sets, the setter takes thin strips of highly refined gold (kundan, typically 22- to 24-karat for full malleability) and works them around the edge of the stone with a burnisher, pushing the gold into intimate contact with the stone and using its plasticity to lock the stone into the setting.
The technique is closely related to and often combined with jadau, the broader category of Indian foil-backed jewellery that may include rose-cut diamonds, coloured stones, and enamelled gold. Polki setting is the diamond-specific subset.
Function of the foil
The foil is essential to the optical performance of a polki setting. A polki diamond, lacking the pavilion faceting of a brilliant, returns relatively little light from the back of the stone. The foil compensates by reflecting light that has entered the stone and would otherwise pass through and be lost; the foil's mirror surface returns this light back through the stone toward the viewer. The result, in a well-executed setting, is a soft inner glow that is distinct in character from the bright sparkle of a faceted stone.
In the trade
Polki settings are produced principally in Jaipur and other Rajasthani centres, where the technique has been continuous for centuries. Craftspeople specialise within the workflow — gold-strip preparation, foil application, stone setting, and finishing are typically performed by different hands. The work is labour-intensive and the time investment in a major bridal piece is substantial; this labour content, together with the precious-metal weight of the kundan gold framework, is the primary driver of polki jewellery pricing.
Disclosure and care
The presence of foil-backing should be disclosed at point of sale, both because it materially affects the optical character of the piece and because it changes the care requirements: foil-backed jewellery should not be exposed to ultrasonic cleaning, steam, or prolonged immersion in water, all of which can disturb the foil or the underlying resin. Cleaning is by soft brush and a dry or barely damp cloth.