Gemstone Carving - Jaipur
The pink city, Jaipur resides in the heart of Rajasthan. Holding the distinction of being the first planned city in India, Jaipur is planned by well-known architect Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya. When the Prince of Wales visited India in 1876, Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur painted the entire city pink as a symbol of hospitality. Hence the city is known as the pink city. The capital city of Rajasthan is renowned globally for its coloured gems.
The art of gemstone carving in India is a very ancient tradition dating back to the Indus Valley civilization period when precious and semi-precious stones were first used in jewellery and in decorative art. Jaipur became one of India’s most important gem and jewellery export centres. A dynamic transformation and internationalism have modernized manufacturing.
With his imagination and creativity, artist Amrit Lal has worked on a defined shape that highlights minute details and reflects his talent for working with gemstones through the process of carving.
The process of cutting and polishing gems is called gem-cutting or lapidary, while a person who cuts and polishes gems is called a gem cutter or a lapidary. All gems are cut and polished by progressive abrasion using finer and finer grits of harder substances. Other compounds, such as cerium oxide, tin oxide, chromium oxide, and aluminium oxide, are frequently used in polishing gemstones.
Very few artists are involved in gemstone carving art. Shri Amrit Sirohiya from Jaipur is the one who is an expert in carving art. He is the only one from his family who choose this art as his other family members are miniature painters and clay moulding artists. He wanted to experiment with new things in the art field itself. Today he is a very well-known artist, won many awards and participated in national as well as international exhibitions. He established The Creation of Gem Stone Carving Institute which trained around hundred young students.
