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India Wedding Jewelry
It may take a full blown book to write about all that qualifies as wedding
jewelry in India, to say the least. On so many occasions, wedding jewelry and
particularly, the bride’s jewelry becomes a matter of discussion amongst the
guests.
Most of the Indian bridal jewelry is presented to her from her parents and what
the groom presents her is very less excluding some exceptional cases such as
that with rich families. At the very basic, there are three things that make up
the Indian bridal jewelry. The first among them is the mangal sutra, a gold
necklace strewn with black beads. The black beads are believed to keep the
marriage from evil. Next is the pair of bangles; traditionally bangles used to
be plain and round with or without diamonds and other precious stones. Western
influence and breakaway innovations have changed the entire looks of bangles so
much that bangles look completely differently. Although diamond studded bangles
and other jewelry are gaining popularity by each passing day, you can notice
that Indians, regardless of their regional origin and riches, like gold to be
the prominent part of even their studded jewelry.
The last amongst the basic bridal jewelry is a pair of toe rings (bichua.) Toe
rings are usually available in silver, mostly because higher wear and tear
factor. Like mangal sutra, bichua are mandatory for brides and married women in
India; they are not more than plain rings without jewels of any kind for obvious
reasons.
If you have not noticed by now, here it is- rings do not count amongst
traditional wedding jewelry but they sure count prominently in the gift package
that the bride receives from her parents and the groom. Second unusual thing is
there are not many occasions when you can see jewelry made in white gold or
platinum. For centuries, somehow, these two metals have failed to catch the
imagination of Indians. Although it is a socially stigmatic issue, there are
practices of groom’s parents demanding for certain value of jewelry to be gifted
to the bride.
Other prominent bridal ornaments include a waist band (kamar bandh,) a sort of
sleeve band (baju bandh), bindia (a studded jewelry hung from the hair parting
adorning the forehead), earrings and Jhumkas. Jhumkas are sort of studded ear
pendants.
Groom does not wear jewelry except for a ring, usually the engagement ring, and
a non studded bracelet on the wedding day. A pretty simple necklace may
sometimes find favor with grooms.
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