What The Royals gets right about Jaipur's legacy

The Hindu

16-05-2025

In Netflix's The Royals, it is not just the palaces and politics doing the talking — it is also the jewellery. While the show plays fast and loose with plot, its styling leans into Jaipur's royal past, using jewellery to quietly hint at power, legacy, and shifting identities. What makes the jewellery in The Royals stand out is how little it tries to stand out. It is not flashy. It is worn with intent, rooted in place and character. Jewellery becomes less about opulence and more about context — who belongs, who is pretending, and who is finding their place.
From heirloom-inspired aad necklaces to sleek brooches worn with bandhgalas, every piece was carefully plotted out in advance, yet left room to evolve on set.
'For a show like this, jewellery is very, very important,' says Aastha Sharma, the costume designer for the show. 'We make sure we put our boards together, character-wise, and decide who wears what kind of jewellery, whether it's archival, more current, or something in between.'
Aastha and her team started by building visual boards for each character, sketching out their jewellery journey across the show. Once they had a sense of how much they would need, they began sourcing from some of Jaipur's best: Amrapali Jewels, The Gem Palace (founded in 1852 by the Kasliwal family, began as court jewellers to Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur), and Rambhajo (a name synonymous with kundan, meena, jadau, polki and fine diamonds), formed the core. 'Between the three big jewellers, we knew we would find what we needed,' she says.
But it was not just heritage houses. The team also brought in younger, more contemporary brands like Valliyan to balance things out. 'We wanted to bring in a mix — something that felt lived-in and rooted, but also fresh,' adds Aastha, adding, 'We worked with Valliyan to design Zeenat Aman's stick, since she's holding it in almost every scene.'
Historical context
In Jaipur, jewellery is never just about sparkle. It is memory, power, continuity, and in many ways, resistance. While the world has often seen jewellery as a woman's domain, in Jaipur, it has been a tool of both feminine agency and patriarchal control. For Rajput women, jewellery functioned as a visual archive of caste, class, and marital status. Pieces like the borla (the Rajasthani equivalent of the maang tikka), rakhdi, and hansli (a torque-like necklace) were coded with meaning.
But, it should be noted that as in much of pre-colonial India it was men who initially held the spotlight when it came to jewellery in Jaipur. Sarpechs (turban ornaments), necklaces, rings, ear studs, and armlets were all commonly worn by royal men. They were markers of rank, honour, and divine favour.
Navratna jewellery, which incorporated nine auspicious gems tied to celestial forces, was often worn by male royals and courtiers to signal cosmic alignment and protection. Jewellery also featured heavily in Rajput miniature portraits, where kings are shown laden with elaborate gem-studded regalia, often outshining their female counterparts in ornamentation. So yes, in 18th- and early 19th-century Jaipur, the male body was a canvas for displaying wealth and power. This visual grammar of masculinity was part of the broader South Asian tradition where ornamentation was associated with prestige — not femininity alone.
Sparkle and shine
At the heart of this visual storytelling is Jaipur-based Amrapali Jewels, whose pieces were central to several defining moments in the series. 'We've always seen ourselves as custodians of Indian craftsmanship,' says Tarang Arora, creative director and CEO of Amrapali. 'The Royals gave us an opportunity to explore that within a new narrative frame.' Interestingly, none of the jewellery was made specially for the series. 'We didn't create any custom pieces,' says Tarang. 'But we did lend jewellery we wouldn't usually part with, especially some of the finer pieces. The fact that it was shot in Jaipur, and that Aastha [Sharma] and Pacho [the current Maharaja of Jaipur] are both close friends, made this collaboration feel personal.'
The styling throughout the show relies on traditional craftsmanship — polki settings, meenakari work, and stone inlay — applied to characters in ways that subtly map their positions and transitions. Ishaan Khatter's coronation look features layered emerald and polki necklaces, vintage brooches, and a feathered headpiece, all echoing the grandeur of early 20th-century royal portraiture. Bhumi Pednekar wears a restored vintage choker with Basra pearls and uncut diamonds — quiet but layered, much like her character's journey from outsider to insider. Zeenat Aman's look is steeped in legacy: a classic borla and a necklace of emeralds and rose-cut diamonds — pieces that feel inherited, not acquired. Sakshi Tanwar's ensemble leans heavily on Rajput aesthetics — aad choker, nath, hatphool, and full regalia — conveying authority, tradition, and ceremonial weight. And, Vihaan Samat's panchlada necklace, worn across formal scenes, reflects a more gender-fluid reading of heritage, while Kavya Trehan's bold aad necklace fuses a bridal silhouette with contemporary edge.
In real life, members of India's erstwhile royal families still wear jewellery, though in more intimate, personal ways, says Tarang. 'It depends on the outfit and the occasion,' he says, adding, 'But yes, royals absolutely still wear jewellery, especially pieces that carry emotional weight.'
These are not flamboyant accessories for display. They are heirlooms — grandfather's coronation buttons, a grandmother's ring, ceremonial brooches — each with a story tied to personal history. 'That kind of significance lives on,' Tarang notes. 'It's deeply connected to memory and family lineage.'
He also points to a notable shift: men are embracing jewellery again. 'It was always maharajas' jewels,' he says. 'Historically, it was the men in the spotlight — wearing layers of necklaces, facing the court, leading processions. If you look closely today, especially in tribal communities, men still get their ears pierced and still wear jewellery as part of everyday culture. Notably, men from the Banjara, Bhil, and Sahariya tribes in and around Jaipur still wear jewellery. 'That tradition never went away entirely,' Arora adds. 'Now it's just on the rise again. You see it in The Royals — men wearing elaborate pieces, not just on their wedding day, but for other occasions too. And they're enjoying it.'