Know Your City: At CKC Jewellers’ Crystal Museum Salon, exhibits ranging from jewellery made for kings to ancient fossils

, this is true in a very literal sense. Visitors can expect to see items ranging from contemporary jewellery to pieces over a century old, dating from the company’s early history in Bengaluru.

Entering the museum, the first thing that most visitors are likely to see is the Sesquicentennial Chain, bearing gold coins with images of important events associated with the company: such as the official key used in the inauguration of Russel Market, which was made by CKC Jewellers; and an image of the High Court, where silver salvers made by the company were once presented as mementoes to outgoing judges. The museum is divided into several sections, themed after gemstones – the entry area, for instance, is named after the melo-melo pearl (also on display in the museum), a type of rare pearl produced by sea snails.

Visitors can expect to see items ranging from contemporary jewellery to pieces over a century old, dating from the company’s early history in Bengaluru. (Express Photo)

The pride of place is given to the commissions that the company produced for India’s royal families. In total, 21 of these families ordered commissions at one point or the other – chief among them the Wodeyars, who were the main patrons of the company, traditionally making and receiving orders on Thursdays. A display shows miniature replicas of items ordered by these families – an intricate silver door for the Wodeyars, a golden helmet for the armouries of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and a pram for the infant prince of Sandur. Other royal curiosities include a Gandaberunda pendant, which was traditionally given out as a mark of honour by the Wodeyars. Another piece, the Champagne Diamond Ring, was purchased by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar as a gift for Pratap Singh Chauhan, a sub-divisional magistrate in North India, who had shown hospitality to him during a trip.

Many displays are more modern – for instance, an idol of Ganesha recently carved from a single rock made of ruby and zoisite, weighing 1,308 kilogram. Others are older but more eclectic – for instance, an antique oakwood dental cabinet from America, with many drawers opened from just a single keyhole, as well as a 20th-century gilt music box in the shape of an egg. There is also something for the fossil enthusiasts of Bengaluru – a well-preserved tooth of the extinct whale-eating Otodus megalodon, the largest shark to have ever existed. Also present is a falcon sculpture carved entirely from the bones of a woolly mammoth, found in China in the 19th Century.

The museum is divided into several sections, themed after gemstones – the entry area, for instance, is named after the melo-melo pearl (also on display in the museum), a type of rare pearl produced by sea snails. (Express Photo)

For jewellery enthusiasts, a library containing rare and old volumes on gemstones and jewellery is present, with hand-drawn designs that appear almost photographic at a glance. Other displays present in the library section include a vintage diamond-encrusted Rolex decorated by CKC Jewellers, alongside a medal of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire. Only 150 of these were ever made, commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1878. A case here also holds a relatively humble set of beads – the same beads that were sold by the company founder, Cotha Krishnaiah Chetty, from the back of a bicycle.

Other items are on display by virtue of their rarity: tanzanite and kunzite gems, for instance, or a string of Basra pearls valued in the crores, after the near extinction of the oysters that produce them. Visitors can also make use of a number-coded audio guide to provide context to the displays.

Visits are open to the public at large and may be booked through the appropriate page on the CKC Jewellers website or on this link: https://calendly.com/crystalmuseum/c-krishniah-chetty-crystal-museum-salon-v2?month=2023-07