Granulation
Tiny metal spheres fused to a surface to build texture and pattern, with no visible solder.
Granulation fuses minute gold or silver balls to a base using a chemical bond rather than a solder seam, so the joins are invisible.
The technique is ancient, and it recurs across Etruscan, Mughal and South Indian temple work.
In Indian jewellery it usually appears as rawa work, the fine beaded texture edging temple pieces.
When you are buying
Look closely at the grain. Even, individually distinct beads mean real granulation; a mushy repeating texture means a cast copy of it.
Filigree
Lacework made from fine twisted wire, soldered into openwork patterns. Light for its size.
Temple Jewellery
South Indian jewellery in a deity and motif vocabulary, originally made to adorn temple idols and now worn by dancers and brides.
Kundan
A setting technique where highly refined gold foil is pressed around stones to hold them, with no prongs or claws.
Making Charges
What you pay for craftsmanship on top of the metal, charged either per gram or as a percentage.