NORTH INDIA, 19TH CENTURY

The navaratna bazuband was both an ornament and a talismanic jewel. The Sanskrit term navaratna, meaning ‘nine gems’, refers to the nine gemstones associated with the celestial deities and planets; their combination was believed to provide protection and auspiciousness. As Oppi Untracht explains, outside Dravidian South India, navaratna gemstones were used as a talismanic device (Traditional Jewelry of India, London, 1997, pp. 304–311).