The Pancharatna

Pancharatna — the five jewels, the Sanskrit convention for the most complete composition: five elements, each with its own meaning, together forming a whole greater than its parts. Here, the five are the five deities of the household puja — Lakshmi at the centre, Ganesha on either side, Radha and Krishna at the corners. A full domestic altar worn at the throat.

The miniature at the heart of this piece is a real hand-painted work, executed by a master artist from the Jaipur miniature tradition — not a print, not a transfer, not a photographic reproduction. Each brushstroke has been laid by hand in the particular manner that has defined Rajasthan's miniature painters for generations: fine squirrel-hair brushes, mineral pigments ground by hand, a working method that cannot be hurried and does not scale. At Neeta Boochra, we commission these paintings individually from master artists working in and around Jaipur, because the luxury of a piece like this is not in its weight or its finish — it is in the hours of a human hand that are embedded in it. Five paintings, each individually commissioned. Each one the work of a human hand over multiple sittings.

The Pancharatna is crafted in 925 sterling silver with an oxidised finish. Five oval hand-painted miniatures hang from a row of multicolour stone beads strung on a sarafa thread: Lakshmi in the centre, seated in her lotus in gold and rose tones; Ganesha flanking her on either side in pink and blue robes; Radha and Krishna at each corner, in their classical pairing. Each miniature is set in a fluted oxidised silver frame. The thread is adjustable with drawstring closure. Anti-tarnish e-coated. A devotional statement piece.

Style Tip: The Pancharatna is for the considered occasion — the puja, the festival day, the family gathering where tradition is the point rather than the background. Wear it against ivory, raw silk, or deep indigo. The necklace is the ceremony.