Heirloom waist jewelry, hand-drawn and hand-finished in recycled 22k gold, sterling silver, uncut stones and hand-woven silk — measured to the body that will wear it, and made to outlive it.
A kamarband — from the Persian and Urdu for “waist band” — is one of the oldest and most evocative pieces of jewelry in the world. Worn across the Indian subcontinent, Persia, the Caucasus and the Arab world for centuries, it was never merely an accessory.
A kamarband marked a wedding, a coming of age, a triumph. It was passed from mother to daughter, weighed in gold, and worn over silk at the most important moments of a life. It is jewelry with memory — a small architecture of metal and stone that carried a family’s story forward.
We founded Kamarband to bring that heritage back into the light, without nostalgia and without pastiche. Every piece in our atelier begins as a pencil line on tracing paper. It is then pierced, chased, soldered and polished by artisans who learned the craft inside their own families. Nothing is mass produced. Everything is measured to the body that will wear it.
“An heirloom should fit you today and outlive you tomorrow.”
We work only with recycled 22k gold and 925 sterling silver, traceable uncut rubies, emeralds and freshwater pearls, and silk cord woven on handlooms in Rajasthan. Our stones are sourced from small family cutters, and every order is accompanied by a certificate recording the maker, the weight and the date of completion — so that the next person who inherits it will know exactly whose hands made it.
Our atelier works on three principles: measure twice, cut once, and never rush a joint. Whether you commission a bridal kamarband in heavy gold or a minimal everyday chain, the process is the same — a conversation, a drawing, a fitting, and a piece that belongs to a single person and no one else.
Each collection is a different conversation between weight, light and movement. Choose a silhouette, then let us adapt it — length, motif, stone and clasp — to your body and your story.
01 — Heritage
Heavy 22k chains with hand-pierced medallions inspired by Mughal and Rajput courtwork. Built in segments so the piece moves like fabric, not like armor. The signature bridal kamarband, made for the day everything changes.
Bridal · 22k gold02 — Cascade
Layered sterling silver drops that catch the light with every step. Cool, architectural and surprisingly light on the waist. Perfect over linen, denim or an evening slip — a piece that lives equally well in daylight and candlelight.
Everyday · 925 silver03 — Silk
Hand-woven silk cord knotted around uncut rubies, emeralds and freshwater pearls. A softer, more tactile interpretation of the kamarband — no metal against the skin, only colour and weight. Custom-dyed to match a fabric swatch you send us.
Custom dyed · Silk & gems04 — Minimal
A single fine line of gold or silver, with one small motif at the centre. Designed for people who want the meaning of a kamarband without the ceremony — wearable under a shirt, visible at the beach, forgettable only in the best way.
Unisex · Fine chain05 — Atelier
The full commission: a private consultation, hand-drawn sketches, stone selection and three fittings. We have made kamarbands for weddings, for anniversaries, for dance costumes and for people who simply wanted one good object in their life. Tell us the story; we will build the object around it.
Bespoke · By appointment06 — Archive
We restore inherited kamarbands — re-solder broken links, replace missing stones, re-string silk and re-polish gold that has gone dull with decades of wear. Bring us your grandmother’s piece and we will return it to her hands, not to a museum case.
Restoration · All metalsWe do not stock inventory. Every kamarband that leaves the atelier was spoken about, drawn, measured, shaped, fitted and finished for one person only.
We begin with an hour together — in person or by video. We talk about the occasion, the outfit, the weight you want on your waist, and the pieces already in your family. If you have an heirloom, bring it; we will study its construction and honour it.
Our designers produce two or three hand-drawn options, each with a different motif, proportion and rhythm. You choose one; we refine it until the silhouette is exactly right. Nothing is cast from a catalogue — every line is drawn for you.
Our master goldsmiths pierce, chase, solder and set by hand. Gold is rolled in-house, links are formed one by one, and stones are set with traditional kundan and jadau techniques that hold gems without glue or prongs.
We fit the piece to your actual body — not to a size chart. Length, drop and the exact resting point on the waist are adjusted until the kamarband sits where it was always meant to sit. One or two fittings are typical; three is normal for bridal work.
Final polish, stone-tightening check, hallmarking and a document recording the maker, weight and date. The piece is delivered in a hand-stitched silk pouch, ready to be worn — and, one day, inherited.
Every gram of gold and silver we use is reclaimed and re-refined. New mining has no place in a piece meant to last a hundred years.
Nothing is outsourced to a factory. The same twelve artisans who design your kamarband also finish and sign it.
We produce only against confirmed commissions. That means longer lead times — and almost no unsold jewelry in the world.
Any piece we make can be returned for repair, re-polish or re-sizing for as long as it exists. Heirlooms are meant to be maintained.
“I wore the Heritage Gold kamarband over my mother’s silk sari. Three people at the wedding asked to photograph it. It weighed exactly what I asked for — heavy enough to feel like an heirloom, light enough to dance in.”
“My grandmother’s kamarband had been sitting in a box for forty years, broken in two places. The atelier restored it in six weeks and it now fits my daughter. That is not a repair. That is a resurrection.”
“I commissioned a minimal silver piece as a birthday gift to myself. No ceremony, no wedding — just a good object. It has become the thing I notice first when I get dressed.”
Techniques, stories, restorations and the occasional argument about clasps — written by the people who actually make the pieces.
No news yet.
Commissions are accepted by appointment. Tell us about the occasion, the outfit and the weight you have in mind — we will reply within two working days with a first proposal and an atelier slot.
We work with clients across the world and ship fully insured to more than thirty countries. If you are visiting Jaipur or London, we encourage you to come to the atelier in person — the weight of a kamarband on the body cannot be described, only felt.
For commissions, please include your approximate silhouette measurements (waist, high hip and the desired drop), reference images if you have them, and the date by which the piece is needed. If you are working from an existing garment, sending a fabric swatch by post is the fastest way to match tone.
Bring us a story, a swatch, or an old broken piece. We will take it from there.