How to select Traditional Indian jewelry : Bangles

Bindiya chamkegi, choori khankegi, mere haathon main nau nau chooriyan hai, choori maza na degi and the numbers are almost endless. Bangles are one of the most glamorous among traditional ornaments in India. Any cultural or religious occasion/ceremony remain incomplete without the tinkling sounds of these bright jingling circular ornaments.

Bangle derives its name from Hindi (Bungri). The circular ornaments are worn around the wrists. Usually women wear bangles. Men too wear but that is not bangle actually that they wear around their wrist. It is a bracelet, rather masculine in form and is called a ‘kada’. Bangles are usually worn by married women and it kind of symbolizes matrimony. These days it has become a fashion statement though. Bangles are worn by both married and unmarried women alike.

An Indian woman or a girl almost looks bland without bangles. Bangles kind of spice up her congenital elegance and grace. Bangles look good on women of whichever nationality and make them look even more feminine. Although glass bangles, rubber and plastic bangles can be worn daily, yet it is the golden bangles that escalates elegance to the highest. Golden bangles worn singly or in pairs or even in clusters as could be afforded by some, intensify the beauty of a woman and add to her aesthetic appeal significantly. It might sound a bit of exaggeration but gold bangles shoot up confidence levels too. (Chuckles)

With gold price on an all time staggering high almost 21,000 Rs per 1 tola or 10 gms, it looks as if purchasing gold would be a right investment. Gold is generally preferred for its resale value. Barring the making expenses, you would get back most of the money you invested. All the working women out there and reading this article could invest on either thin, delicate gold bangles, multifashioned bracelets, or thick kadas, reminding us of the nobles, thaakuraains and akin depending on their affordability. Bracelets and kadas fit any wrist size as they are equipped with screws and hinges. Nevertheless you could get any gold bangle modified to dangle along your wrist comfortably.

Choosing the right bangles for the right occasion is not less than a challenge. Pearl bangles, thick gold bangles and stone (ruby, emerald, corals) bangles go on elegant saris like Kanjeevaram or Banaras Silk Saris. And these kind of bangles usually are in vogue during wedding season. Girls prefer wearing ‘tilai kaam ke chooriyan’ or ‘kankar ke jode’ that are flooded in bangle markets like laadbazaar in Hyderabad (India) during festive occasions, over their khada dupattas, gharara, shrara, ghagra and the list is potentially endless. For simple cotton suits, salwar kameez and other apparels like cotton saris plain, jingling glass bangles are the best.

When the bollywood blockbuster Devdas was released women flocked the nearby bangle showrooms to get similar bangles that Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit wore. The trend continued for 4-5 months and in some places even a year until Fanaa was released. Devdas chooriyan and Fanaa chooriyan were selling like hot cakes. Bangles and software are two things in India that assume rapid transformation. If there are sellers they are takers too. Bangles that are made in plastic and are multicolored go on perfectly even when you are dressed in westerns like jeans, wrap around skirts etc.

For working women bracelets should be the best choice. Bracelets with exuberant floral patterns, studded with small diamonds and other stones could keep the elegant woman within you in tact. It will make you remind that you are beautiful and such beautiful things are made just for you. You can choose your type of bracelet from a variety of designs and patterns and made of yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and platinum. It all depends on your affordability. If the bracelet’s a delicate gold chain, interrupted by some beautiful stones then ensure that you clasp or hook it properly.

Usually girls select bangles that compliment the color of their dress. If the dress is in pastels the bangles worn by Indian girls are usually dark and contrastive. In India women of all age groups, culture and religion admire bangles. Even the simplest woman would try some on a special occasion. A typical Indian lady wears 12 bangles over her wrist. She would wear bangles of same color or contrasting colors. Sometimes 2 thick gold bangles are worn over a wrist and in between these bangles plain, or multicolored glass bangles are worn. Gold bangles could be replaced with pearl bangles, Bangles made of clay and other material. The ‘dulhan ka joda’ ( A set for brides) and the ‘Sonabai’ are the most popular bangles of the Deccan.

Bangles are precious to women whether they are made in gold, silver, platinum, glass, wood, ferrous metals and plastic. If they are gifted to them by the man they love the bangle becomes even more precious. Bangles are usually worn in pairs. Most women wear gold bangles along with glass bangles. This gives a heavily adorned look typical to Indian beautification. It also adds to a woman’s feminine grace and beauty. These days college going girls prefer wearing many thin multicolored plastic/rubber bangles that compliment their dressing. Many thin multicolored bangles cascading over their delicate wrists is indeed treat to the eyes.

Women usually prefer wearing bangles having intricate designs. This symbolizes their taste for art and design. We find many women during marriages and other cultural events coming together in groups and discussing passionately over a bangle’s design. Where it was bought and why it is so special and things like that.

Choora is a kind of bangle that is worn by Punjabi women on her wedding day. It is a set of white and red bangles with stone work. According to tradition, a woman is not supposed to buy the bangles she will wear. These bangles make the Punjabi Dulhan look extremely beautiful.

Bangles have been adorning women’s wrists since times immemorial. A figurine of a dancing girl wearing bangles on her left arm has been excavated from Mohenjadaro. The figurine dates back to 2600 BC.

Glass bangles in India are produced mostly in Firozabad (North India) and in Laadbazaar. We find many foreign tourists too flocking these places to see the glittering circles jingling and tinkling round their fair/dusky wrists. With gold jewelers flooding almost all the popular metropolitan markets purchasing gold from the right place shouldn’t be a problem at all. Gold bangles made in 18 carat, 22 carat and 24 carat could be bought from any big name in the market. While purchasing gold people usually peep into the jeweler’s ancestry. If the ancestry is prominent you can rest assured. Musaddilal and Sons, Meena Jewelers, Mohammad Khan Jewelers, Tribhuvandas Bheemji Zaver are some noted names in the market.

I conclude by remembering Sarojini Naidu’s (The Nightingale of India) famous lines,

‘Bangle sellers are we, who bear,

Our shining loads to the temple fair.

Who will buy these radiant, bright,

Rainbow tinted circles of light?

Lustrous tokens of radiant lives

For happy daughters and happy wives’

I know you are in love with Indian bangles now!

Anu Veluri