Indian Bridal Jewelry – When Beauty Meets Class
From necklaces to earrings, from bangles to anklets, the Indian bride looks exquisitely elegant with all the jewelry she wears on the most special day of her life-her wedding day. Who will not look extraordinarily breathtaking with the bridal jewelry made more sophisticated with diamonds and other precious stones?
Today, Indian brides opt to follow a golden-themed trousseau. Most brides prefer to go light when it comes to the jewelry she will be donning on her wedding day. They prefer something that they could still wear even after the wedding. This is also to discourage thieves to get itchy at the sight of the bride heavy with jewelry. Since time immemorial, the bridal jewelry has always been thought of as streedhan, the term used to mean personal wealth that should prove beneficial during the rainy days.
As with any kind of jewelry, the bridal Indian jewelry is specifically designed to enhance the woman’s beauty. Every single adornment in the Indian bride serves that purpose. The intricately crafted necklace in her neck, the colorful bangles in her hands, the subtle sounds of the anklets around her feet-all these add to the colorful sophistication of the Indian bride.
Garnet, jade, amethyst, pearl, and other precious stones, however, are favorites in most Indian communities. This is because these special stones are believed to pass their magical healing touch to its wearer. They are said to impose a therapeutic effect on the wearer’s blood vessels and, therefore, temperament. The nine precious stones or the navarathnas are almost always visible in jewelry worn in the bride’s hands and ears.
A significant bridal jewelry ever-present in every wedding is the mangal sutra. Made on a necklace of black beads, this piece of jewelry is tied by the husband around his future wife’s neck. This symbolizes the union they are about to involve themselves into as well as a protection against unknown spirits. Usually the bride would modify and suggest how her mangal sutra will be done. She may opt to replace the golden pendant with a diamond stud or have the black beads placed alternately with golden ones.
Indian brides hailing from the south traditionally wear silk saris likewise accentuated with golden jewelry, while Maharashtra brides frame their faces by wearing long strings of pearl from their temples down to their shoulders. Ivory makes up the bangles or churas worn by the Punjabi bride. Churas play an equally significant part in the bridal wedding customs. These are red and green bangles handed by the bride’s mother and worn by the bride for forty days even after the ceremony.
Indian brides are also known for wearing toe rings. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh women are adorned with the bichwa or toe rings. Bengal brides are adorned with loha or bangles, which are elegantly encased in gold. Andhra Pradesh and Orissa brides look more resplendent with the finest silver jewelries, while brides from Jaipur look astounding with their colorful bangles and necklaces of gold.
Indeed, the Indian bride-and the adornments she wears-is a picture-perfect epitome of beauty meeting class.