Wedding jewellery for a Bengali bride

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Jewellery
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The Bengali bride usually wears a lot of jewellery and it is mostly gold and silver. In yesteryears, women used to wear a massive amount of gold on their wedding but with time most women today wear a moderate amount of bling. Bengali brides in 99.99% cases, will only wear traditional or modern pieces of jewellery. Most women inherit their mother’s or grandmother’s jewellery pieces with some new ones made for the wedlock. All traditional and modern pieces with pure gold are still handmade by traditional craftsmen in West Bengal and thus they are of course a pride to own. Here is a list of the traditional wedding jewellery that are the must-haves for a Bengali bridal trousseau. 

  1. Sonar Mukut / Golden CrownBengali brides mostly wear classy or modern pieces, but wearing gold mukut (crown) is often seen as a sign of wealth and prosperity of the family. Many modern brides make Gold plated silver crowns to wear on their wedding.
  2. Tikli – The Bengali bride usually wears a small Tikli or sometimes attached with a Tiara type jewellery piece. It generally gives a better definition of the hair parting. Also, it is used to keep the veil in place.

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  3. Hair Bun Pin – This is a common hairdo for the wedding. It is worn over the bun to make it look even more luxurious. The piece is a stone-studded one with ‘meenakari ‘work in plain gold. 
  4. Nose Ring – Nose rings or ‘nath’ are very popular within Bengali brides. Bengali women have nose piercings to flaunt them on their wedding day. 
  5. Kaan-er-dul – Most Bengali women wear large intricate earrings ranging from Jhumka designs to Kaan Bala designs. There are also layered earrings and layered Jhumka designs. Many women also have golden pear-shaped earrings attached to their jhumkas or Kaan Bala and these look marvellous when you have a larger fuller face. Whereas,  ‘Kanpasha’ looks great on fuller faces and is usually made in the shape of a saucer with intricate work and petal designs.
  6. Choker Necklace – The style of ‘Chick’ or ‘Choker’ has been popular in Bengal since time immemorial. Very intricate designs and craftsmanship is seen in these Chokers which are worn lower on the neck and just above the collarbone. The width varies but is usually 1 to 1.5 inch in width.
  7. Paanch Noli Haar or Sat Noli Haar – The Panch Noli har is a necklace which has five gold chains attached to central design. The Sat Noli Har has seven gold chains attached to the central design of jewellery or decorative piece. Bengali brides wear multiple necklaces to cover their neck and look glamorous on the wedding day. 
  8. Ratanchoor – The hands obviously need to be dolled up for the wedding and most Bengali brides choose a ‘ratanchoor’ to ensure that their hands look gorgeous. Mostly these are worn in gold plated silver variants.
  9. Angti – These are jewellery rings meant to be worn on wedding occasions and like the ‘Kaanpasha’ they are given the shape of a Round ‘dhaal’ or ‘crest’. 
  10. Baala – These are synonymous to the Bengali wedding. These come in solid form, filled with ‘Gaala’ or ‘lac’, adjustable, 2.5 round bangles. Some bangles have special peacock designs, lion or floral designs. The ones with the rose design is the ‘golap bala’.
  11. Baoti – These half-cut bangles known as ‘Baoti’ are widely popular. They are usually filled with Lac to preserve the shape of the gold bangle. A Gayatri Baoti has exquisite Naksha work done throughout. This popular jewellery needs to be checked out.
  12. Amritapaker Bala – Known for their luxurious and shiny spiral pattern, they are usually heavy and need to be made with at least 20 gm of gold for each bangle. These are traditional and have very exclusive patterns and many Bengali brides wear them on their wedding day.
  13. Ananta – These are the armlets, which are popular among Bengali brides and they often wear them on their wedding day. 
  14. Kamarbandh – Some women will wear ‘Kamarbandh’ to keep their saree in place and accentuate their waist. This is actually a waist chain that is made with gold and worn on the wedding day. This jewellery is a must-have.
  15. Silver Payel – Most women wear silver anklets at their wedding, and some choose gold plated silver ones. These make the pretty feet of the brides look even prettier.

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