Indian jewellery is among the most opulent and finely wrought in the world and this book draws on over 100 exquisite pieces from the V&A's superb collection, many never published before. Nick Barnard illuminates the social context and symbolic meanings as well as the varied techniques employed by craftsmen. He describes how jewellery was worn and by whom, how stones were sourced and cut, how traditions of making and wearing varied in different parts of the country, and how the V&A's own collection itself was brought together by travellers and scholars over the years.