When Nadir Shah the Persian ruler, descended on the plains of India in the early 18th century not only did he take away the dazzling pair of bazu-bands or armlets, one in which the Koh-i-noor diamond was embedded and Derya-i-noor in the matching piece. He also decamped with an enormous booty which took a hundred labourers fifteen days to melt to ingots for transport. 5000 chests was filled with gold rupees and 8000 with silver, and a lot many with precious stones and bejewelled ornaments. This is India, the land of colour, sparkle and beauty.
For centuries, India has been acclaimed for its rich tradition of jewellery. Early visitors to the country and to the courts of its many kings, were struck by its variety, its opulence and its widespread and socially impactful usage. Europeans both wrote about it and traded in it. Indian jewellery reached its zenith in that part of Indian history which historians refer to as the Mughal period, stretching from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. — http://www.zevraat.com/herijew.htm