Geeta Jewellers

India | Rajasthan Desert Jewelry Traditions

Geeta Jewellers is a family-based jewelry practice from Rajasthan, India, rooted in desert communities where silver and gold adornment have long played a central role in daily life, ritual, and identity. The family traces its work across nine generations, with designs, techniques, and meanings passed down within the household rather than learned formally.

In Rajasthan’s desert regions, jewelry is worn not only for beauty, but for protection, status, and spiritual grounding. Members of the current generation grew up watching elders shape metal by hand, set stones, and explain the significance of specific forms and symbols. That knowledge continues to guide the work today.

The family uses traditional techniques including hand forging, embossing, engraving, filigree, stone setting, meenakari enamel work, and kundan. A distinctive element of their practice is baandloo, a technique in which 24-karat gold foil is applied onto a 92.5 percent silver base. This method has been passed down within the family and allows gold’s symbolic presence to remain central while working primarily in silver.

Motifs are drawn from the cultural and spiritual life of Rajasthan. Protective amulets appear frequently, including the “Seven Sisters and One Brother” design, traditionally worn to guard against harm and misfortune. Deities and symbols associated with protection, balance, and strength reflect how jewelry functions as both adornment and safeguard.

The workshop employs 33 artisans from the local Soni community, working across metal preparation, stone setting, gold foil application, finishing, and polishing. Wages are set above regional averages, with an emphasis on steady work rather than short-term production. Flexibility in working hours allows artisans to balance craft with family responsibilities.