There is great documentation about Chettinad mansions, cuisine, and textiles, but it is limited when it comes to jewellery. Hence, Pettagam was established to honour, conserve, and celebrate Chettinad’s jewellery legacy.
Meenu Subbiah, founder, has been researching traditional Chettinad jewellery for the last 20 years. Some unique pieces on display include the Kazhuthuru (honouring a crab route, a faster path on the sea) and Gourishankaram (worn by men during their 60th birthday or wedding anniversary).
Chettinad jewellery is made entirely in 22-karat gold and known for its close-setting technique. Rubies, Pearls and Colombian emeralds are most used as the Chettiars travelled worldwide.
Some of them are deeply rooted in the Nagarathar community like the kazhuthuru and Gourishankaram, Through these pieces, visitors discover the rare and dwindling art of close-setting, a meticulous technique used in less than 10% of traditional jewellery, where diamonds or precious gems are secured from the sides and back within the metal. This is an intricate, time-consuming craft, and only a handful of artisans continue to practise it today. Reviving this dying art is one of their core missions.
Read the full story that first appeared in The New Indian Express dated here Dec 21, 2025 here:
Leave a Reply