A morning in Johari Bazaar

We get to Johari Bazaar before ten, which in Jaipur means most shutters are still half down. That's the best time: owners have time to talk, and the trays haven't been picked over yet.

Red, green… and one tray of lilac

Almost every jhumka counter here leads with ruby red and emerald green. They're beautiful, and they're everywhere. Three shops in, we found a single tray of lilac meenakari — the enameller upstairs had been experimenting. That tray became our Monsoon Hour jhumka.

We asked for one change: a lighter dome, so you can wear them through a whole sangeet without your ears hating you. Two weeks later, the samples arrived.

Out of every fifty pieces we pick up in a market, one makes it to Nemara.

What we look for in Jaipur

Glossy enamel with no pinholes. Kundan that sits flush. Fringes that move. And colours that work with denim as much as with a lehenga.

— Nemara Buying Team