House of Argent
Rooted in Silver. Raised in Jaipur.
Three generations. One craft. Infinite stories.
The Story of Silver
Silver was first smelted in Anatolia around 3000 BC, and its luminous white gleam quickly earned it a sacred status across ancient civilisations. In Egypt, pharaohs were buried with silver jewellery alongside their gold — silver was actually rarer than gold in the Old Kingdom, and therefore more precious. The Greeks and Romans gave silver its lasting linguistic legacy: our word "argent" derives from the Latin argentum, while the Sanskrit rajata — both meaning "shining" or "bright" — reveals silver's ancient Indo-European roots.
Silver travelled the Silk Route into the Indian subcontinent around 500 BC, where it found an enduring spiritual home. The Vedas prescribed silver for the lower body — anklets, payals, toe rings — as a conductor of earth energy, reserving gold for the upper body's solar connection. Mughal court jewellery elevated silver to extraordinary heights, and Rajput royal ateliers produced some of the finest silver filigree the world has ever seen. Johari Bazaar, established in the 17th century under Maharaja Jai Singh II, became the epicentre of this craft — and remains so today.
Sterling silver emerged in 13th-century England, when silversmiths established the 92.5% purity benchmark — 7.5% copper alloy for the durability that pure 999 silver lacks. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) was founded in 1955, and mandatory silver jewellery hallmarking finally came into force in India in 2021 — a landmark for consumer trust. Why 925? Pure 999 silver is too soft for daily-wear jewellery, tarnishes rapidly, and cannot reliably hold gemstone settings. The 7.5% copper gives strength, workability, and longevity — while retaining sterling silver's legendary lustre and hypoallergenic properties.
Our Story
House of Argent was founded in 2006 by Arjun Mehta and his mother Sushila Mehta in Jaipur's Johari Bazaar — but the story truly begins in the 1940s. Arjun's grandfather, Manohar Lal Mehta, served as a royal silversmith to the House of Jaipur after completing a European craft apprenticeship in London in 1962 — an unusual journey for an Indian craftsman of that era. The name "Argent" was chosen to honour both this heraldic silver tradition and the cross-cultural craft lineage that defines the family.
We began with just 4 artisans and a single display cabinet. Our first national craft award came in 2010, our first export order to Dubai in 2011, and a Bollywood costume designer's order of the Moonstone Ring set for a lead actress put us on the map. Today, House of Argent employs over 60 artisans across two workshops, carries 400+ designs, and ships to customers across India, UAE, UK, and USA. We received the Jaipur Craft Heritage Award in 2019.
How We Make It
1. Design & Sketch
Every piece begins as a hand drawing in our Jaipur design studio — inspired by Rajasthani architecture, Mughal motifs, or contemporary minimalism.
2. Wax Carving
The 4000-year-old cire perdue (lost wax) technique: master carvers sculpt each design in jeweller's wax, capturing every filigree detail.
3. Silver Casting
We alloy 99.9% pure silver in-house to our exact 925 specification — pouring molten sterling into investment moulds at precisely controlled temperatures.
4. Filing & Shaping
Every cast piece is hand-filed by master artisans — removing sprue marks, refining edges, and achieving the perfect weight and balance.
5. Three-Stage Polishing
Rotary barrel tumbling for uniform lustre, hand buffing for highlights, and microfibre finishing for that unmistakable sterling gleam.
6. Hallmarking & QC
Every piece is inspected under 10x magnification, then laser-engraved with its official BIS hallmark — your guarantee of 925 purity.
The Hands Behind the Silver
Ramesh Kumawat
Master Silversmith · 32 years
"Silver remembers every hand that shapes it."
Parvati Devi
Filigree Specialist · 24 years
"Each thread of silver is a prayer."
Suresh Nayak
Wax Carver · 18 years
"The wax holds the dream. Silver holds it forever."
Kavita Sharma
Quality & Hallmarking · 14 years
"Our name is only as good as our silver."
Understanding Your Silver
| Feature | Pure Silver 999 | 925 Sterling Silver | Silver Plated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purity | 99.9% | 92.5% | <5% (surface only) |
| Durability | Very soft | Firm, daily wearable | Chips over time |
| Tarnish Resistance | Tarnishes quickly | Good with care | Tarnishes rapidly |
| Skin Safety | Hypoallergenic | Hypoallergenic | May cause reactions |
| Price Value | High, impractical | Best value | Cheapest |
| BIS Hallmarkable | Yes | Yes | No |
| Recommended For | Investment bars | Fine jewellery | Fashion accessories |
House of Argent uses only 925 Sterling Silver. Every piece is BIS hallmarked.
Our Promise to You
BIS Hallmark Guarantee
Every piece carries an official BIS 925 hallmark. No exceptions.
30-Day Easy Returns
Not the right fit? Return within 30 days, no questions asked.
Lifetime Free Polish
Send back any piece for a free professional polish, forever.
Anti-Tarnish Packaging
Every order ships in cloth-lined box with an anti-tarnish strip.
Conflict-Free Silver
Sourced through verified BIS-registered Indian refiners only.
Secure Payments
All transactions PCI-DSS certified. No stored card data.
What We Stand For
Ethical Sourcing
We source silver exclusively from BIS-registered Indian refiners with transparent supply chains.
Zero-Wastage Workshops
Silver dust, filings, and offcuts are 100% recovered and recycled — nothing leaves our workshop as waste.
Fair Artisan Wages
Our artisans earn above-market wages with full benefits — because the hands that make our silver deserve dignity.
Jaipur Crafts Heritage Award 2019 · Featured in Vogue India, Femina, Times of India · GIA Supplier Partner · Export Excellence Award 2022