A full bridal set is the largest single thing this house makes. What follows is what the ten weeks actually contain, because the process is usually described in three romantic sentences and it is not a three-sentence process.
Weeks one and two — drawing
Nothing is made. We look at photographs of the family's existing pieces, because a bridal set almost always has to sit alongside jewellery that already exists. Drawings are done to scale, on paper, at actual size — a necklace always looks smaller on a screen than it does at the collarbone.
Weeks three and four — wax and weight
The set is modelled in wax and worn. This is the only honest way to answer the weight question. Most clients revise the design at this point, and the revision is nearly always downward: the piece that looked right on paper is heavier at the neck than they want to carry through a three-day ceremony.
Weeks five to eight — gold
Casting, then the long part: filing, joining, and the raising of any repoussé elements from sheet. Stones are seated last and checked twice by two people. The second check is the one that catches things.
Weeks nine and ten — finishing
Polishing, hallmarking, and the final fitting, which is done in daylight rather than under the counter lamp. Then the tag is written: gross, net, fine, making, and the date. That tag is the piece's birth certificate, and it is worth keeping.
Written at the bench at Sita Shree Jewellers, New Road, Kathmandu. Bring any piece — ours or not — and we will look at it with you across the counter.
