Nothing prepares you for the sensory overload and history lessons when you drive past the old gates of Parkota on one side and a bustling commercial centre on the other, en route to the Museum of Meenakari Heritage (MOMH). 

Among the diamonds, rubies, spinels, sapphires and emeralds glistening in custom-built acrylic cases arranged around a circular room are eye-catching rarities of enamelling that celebrate techniques ranging from plique-à-jour to champlevé, cloisonné and basse-taille. More compelling, however, is the museum’s special emphasis on the impact that Indian craftsmen had on the evolution of 16th century meenakari art. For these elements were not just imported into India; they were embraced, mastered, and reinterpreted by Indian meenakars—adding a distinct touch of their own, morphing European techniques and colours into a unique Indian idiom. “The exchange of knowledge was not one-way; it was a dance of learning and teaching, giving and taking, imbibing and creating, which led to the birth of a unique genre of art that we now recognise as Indian meenakari,” says Dr Usha R Balakrishnan, a prominent jewellery historian. It is these long, rich traditions that inspired fine jewellery designer Sunita Shekhawat to launch MOMH, a privately-owned permanent gallery that resides on the ground floor of the three-storeyed Shekhawat Haveli flagship designed by Studio Lotus. Entry is by-appointment to the minimal space characterised by dramatic spotlights and shadows designed by Siddhartha Das Studio. But it is Dr Balakrishnan’s curatorial focus that encapsulates the diverse epochs and geographical scope of this rare and sumptuous art, presented for the first time within a uniquely global context.