Lakshmi Bangles

Well though I am not feeling well, I just can't keep myself posting some lovely pieces of Jewellery, I laid my hands on recently. Well they are a pair of Lakshmi Bangles. These are made of one gram gold and have the circular Lakshmi coins on the bangles. They are studded with 7 stones of white, red and green. They are the latest ones in the market. Just have a look.

Many other designs are available in these bangles. But I loved only these. Aren't they cute? These will keep the shine for a long time, if used carefully, without coming into contact with water and stored properly. 

Well so what do you say?

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Storage For Bangles-4

My previous posts on Storage solutions for bangles are here:

http://summersofindia.blogspot.in/search/label/Storage%20for%20Bangles

This time, I am showing you a leather case for storing Bangles.

This is a smaller sized one. Bigger sized(longer) and one having two rows are also available.

Inside it is padded with velvet or suede or felt. The separators (round disks you can see) are removable and one can place them as per ones needs. I feel this one is good for bangles made of gold and other precious materials. It is easy to carry in travels. 

So if one is going for a marriage in some distant place, one can carry the required bangles in this case.

Remember the jewellery case I posted about in one of my previous posts?

Here it is. Bangles as well as other jewellery can also be stored and carried. 

Well  that's all for now. Watch out for more in my next posts.....

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Storage For Bangles-3

Here is a wooden stand for storing bangles. Bigger sizes stands made of other materials are also available in the market. 


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Bracelet

Here is a bracelet with antique finish. Studded with multi coloured stones and decorated with intricate vine patterns and roses. 

The edges overlap so it can be adjusted to fit the size of our arm. Goes well with similar neck pieces, ear rings and other accessories.

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Storage for Bangles-2

Since I make jewellery and also love to collect some items, I also search for storage solutions as well as containers for carrying them on travels. When it comes to bangles there are many storage solutions available, depending upon our budget, space available and also the quantity of the bangles you have. Also you can have separate boxes for bangles made of gold or precious stones and for ordinary ones which we use frequently.

Here was my previous post on storage for bangles:

http://summersofindia.blogspot.in/2012/12/storage-for-bangles.html

Let us now see what else we have.

These are the ones made of walnut wood and available in different sizes as you can see.  These are available with Kashmiri stalls which sell products from Kashmir.They have wooden rods on both sides on which one store the bangles. The major problem is that one has to cover them with see through polythene covers, so that we can see the bangles but save them from the dust.

The one below is locally made and available with our local stores

Oh by the way many queries are pouring in as to where one can get these containers or stands. They are available with stores selling, bangles, novelties or cosmetics and other such ladies items.

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Storage for Bangles

Bangles are one of the important item of jewellery for Indian women. They come in many shapes, sizes, materials and colours. I am so fond of them that i have quite a collection. Every time I buy a dress or a sari, I try to buy matching bangles. it is also considered auspicious to buy bangles when we visit temples or go on pilgrimages.  Moreover, young girls, and married women are gifted bangles on various occasions.

Well buying is one thing storing is entirely another. I had a wooden bangle stand. I can store 3 rows on each side.

Then I also used a plastic rectangular container with a lid as the wooden one was not enough. I had to use thick paper separators cut out of card stock to keep the bangles in rows. 

But this was not enough. I searched for a better solution. Boxes padded with velvet were available in various sizes.They are very beautiful and colourful, some richly decorated with laces, coloured stone etc.  But the problem was that the padding was outside too. This would attract a lot of dust and maintaining them is a real headache. So now I bought these made of fiber.

This is how it looks. Made of fiber sheets. The edges are rather sharp. I need to do something about them as I hurt my fingers more than once. It also looks very fragile. I was not really satisfied with the make or the material. But my bangles will be safe from the dust. It is also easy to wipe off any dust or stains from the box. So i just went for them.

It has 6 rods made of soft plastic. I was not too sure that they would hold the weight of some heavier bangles. But I had no choice.

 It has latches to close the box.

This is how I arranged my bangles, carefully managing and balancing the weight of heavier ones and taking care not to pile up all heavier one in one row.

I filled up both the boxes and my wooden stand very tightly and am still left with some more bangles. Need to buy another one.....

All in all though I am not entirely satisfied with the make or the material, the boxes perfectly fit the space in my cupboard and my budget too. All in all it was a good purchase.....  

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The Shankh Pola Bangles

The Red and White bangles worn by the married woman of Bengal are known as Shankh Pola Bangles. The white ones are made of Shankh meaning Conch shell and the red ones I think are of lac. Some say white bangles are made of Ivory. But I think that would have been in the past as these days, there is a ban on ivory and it is costly too. Moreover Shankh means Conch shell. 

Here is a glimpse:

This goes well with their traditional white/off white  and red sari. I always have a pair of these saris. I love the combination.

These bangles were offered to goddess Kali in Kolkata and after performing Pooja there they were blessed and given to me by my friend. The yellow stains you see on the white bangles is that of turmeric. I always wanted to own one pair of these bangles and now my wish is fulfilled :)......

Keep an eye on my blog......

UPDATE 2-8-2014: 

Friends one of the visitors, Ananya has given the link where you can buy these bangles. Here it is:

http://sonababu.com/

Visit the site and see for yourself. I have provided this as update here so that those who visit this post may not miss it. My thanks to Ananya for taking time to leave the message.

Hope you will visit the site. I am also planning to buy some.

Bangles in Fashion

Friends these days I feel so tired after a days long work. Moreover it is raining here intermittently sometimes heavy, sometime just drizzling mostly highly overcast. All this is making me lazy. My niece also suffered from fever for the past one week or so. So I had to look after her by sitting her bed side through out the nights. With all these I dont feel like getting up in the morning from my bed...:) :).  I am unable to post much..though I have loads and loads to share with you.

My TAST10 and Butterfly Sampler have been kept on the back burner for want of time and energy. I have bought loads of beads and other material for making necklaces. Have planned to embroider my saris...Oh God I have so much to do...so many creative designs keep on churning in my mind. I don't even have time to jot them down. 

Any way just a snippet to share with you. Recently when I was scouring the markets I found some metal bangles. These days they are a rage here. they are available in rainbow colours, pastel shades regular colours, some plain, some with glitters, some with gold dots and so on. The colours are beautiful  and match our saris or dresses well.  So we have lots of colours to choose from They are very thin and we have to buy at least a dozen.  They make beautiful tinkling sound when worn. I love that. The cost is very cheap. Since they are metallic they are durable. we need not fear that they may break. You can also combine two or more colours depending upon the sari or dress you are wearing. So here is a glimpse.

See the colours and how various colours can be combined.

This is a simple metal bangles with some design on it. These are also available in many colours and designs.

Hope you like them...keep watching...some more next time....

Bangles-New additions to my Jewellery

These are some new additions to my Jewellery-Bangles. I love stone bangles because they don't loose their shine for a long time and they are never out of fashion. With matching stone ear rings and other accessories, they will look good with any dress or sari.

These are light blue stones. I have some saris and dresses in this colour.

These are multi coloured stones. these days Multi coloured stones are a rage and go well with any coloured dress. I have  some ear rings and necklaces to match these.

This one I loved the moment I saw it. I love earthy tones of browns and terracotta. Have a sari in dark brown colour. I am working on it. Will soon post. Any way this matches that.

A set of four bangles in multi coloured stones-can be combined with glass bangles to match the dress.

Now here are the bangles made with beads on metal. There some beautiful colours like white, green-Light and dark, Blue-light and dark, red, orange etc. I picked up few colours. They can be combined to match the colour of the dresses or saris.

Green and cream

Orange with cream.This will match this sari.

The cream coloured sari with orange border.

All the three colours together. These match Silk saris with rich Pallus. So I bought them.These can also be combines with glass bangles.

I have this habit of window shopping and when ever I come across something to match my requirement, I buy it. That way I have been building up my collections.

Bangles

Bangles one of the jewelry unique to Indians. Its known as Chudi in Hindi and Gazulu in Telugu. They were known to Indian women since ancient times and formed part of traditional jewelry. The bangles along with the Bindi (dot worn on fore head of vermilion) are the indications of the married status of Indian women especially Hindu women.

Shapes, Sizes and Numbers:

Bangles are usually circular in shape and are not flexible where as the flexible type are known as bracelets.

These days we have bangles which are square triangular and other shapes too. There are also danglers attached to the bangles.

The sizes are 2.4, 2.6 and 2.8 inches diameter.

Usually Bangles are worn as pair or six or twelve. One thicker bangle may also be worn. The Women of Lambadas (Gypsies) of Andhra Pradesh, Ahirs from Rajasthan and Rabari from Gujarath wear huge bangles made of ivory along with silver ones almost from their upper arms till their wrists.

Materials:

Bangles are made of precious metals like gold, silver, platinum (these days), studded with gems, pearls, corals beads etc. Ancient times, bangles were made of shell materials, gold, silver, bronze, copper, Pancha loha (mixture of five metals), iron, terracotta, wood, ivory camel and other bones and other materials. Even in modern times this continues. Now bangles made of glass, rubber and plastic and other inexpensive metals have also been in fashion. bangles made of lac and silk thread, are also popular. Bangles are being adorned by multi coloured stones, kundans, beads, cowrie shells and danglers etc. Meenakari bangles are the metal (gold silver or ordinary) ones on which there is inlay of enamel paint. Gold plated bangles are a huge hit as they look like gold and come at a very less price. but they need gold plating form time to time and should not come into contact with water or cannot be worn daily.

While the poor wear the plastic and rubber ones which are cheaper, the rich wear the gold and bangles made of precious metals and gems. But the rich and poor women alike love the glass bangles.

It is believed that the manufacturing of glass bangles were started by the Moghuls. Ferozabad near Delhi was where these glass bangles were born which first used to manufacture chandeliers and lamps.

The popularity of glass bangles was due to the myriad colours that could be manufactured. Reds, greens, blues purples and as many shades of the colours that one can imagine of can be produced. The tinkling sounds made by these glass bangles and the colours that can match the colour of the dress perhaps made it so popular, that even the rich women wear it with their gold bangles. More over our tradition also makes it a compulsion that a woman must wear glass bangles no matter how rich she is. This is especially so on the occasions of marriages, and other festivities when women are gifted and supposed to wear glass bangles.

These are from my collection. You can see the bangles made of lac, glass and studded with stones. The red and green ones with gold designs are more popular.

These are the bangle stands. They are made of wood. You can see rainbow colours from my collection. I love wearing them to match my dress.

Here are stone studded bangles.

These are stone studded ones on metal.

This is the Meenakari bangle. I have a black and white sari and dresses to go with it.

These are the ones made with silk thread. These can be custom made to match your dress. The set you can see consists of bangles, ear rings and necklace.

These are the bangles worn by our Lambada women-the gypsies of Andhra Pradesh. See the danglers attached with ghungroo which make a pleasant sound. These are made of silver.

Marriages and Festivities:

Bangles form an important part of jewelery for girls and women at every stage in their life. When girls come of age, there is a ceremony where they are presented with glass bangles and other costly ones like gold by those who can afford to along with other pieces of jewelry. All the close relatives especially the maternal uncles and aunts, do gift her so that she can have a sizable amount of gold and silver by the time she gets married.

Marriage is an occasion where women wear bangles and are gifted by the relatives and friends alike with bangles.Women from Punjab wear white made of ivory and red bangles studded with stones known as Chooda. Women from Bengal wear bangles made of conch shell and plastic, a combination of white and red colours. In Andhra Pradesh the Muslim women wear a set (dozen) bangles of gold colour made of glass known as Sonabai Chudiyan and Hindu women wear green and red glass bangles. The green is for prosperity and red for happy married life.

In Andhra there is ceremony for women expecting a child and during this, all the women (relatives , friends and neighbors) who attend the ceremony not only present bangles but put them on the hands of the expecting mother. Thi is supposed to be very good for the to be born child.

Girls and women alike buy and wear bangles on all festivals like Teez, Karva Chauth in North India and Dassera, Deepavali, Taddi of South India.

Bangle Sellers

In olden days, the bangle sellers were so famous. they used to carry glass bangles in wooden boxes or in a cloth bundle. The women would eagerly await his arrival. Once they made their choice he would deftly put them on their hands which is bit of a difficult task to wear glass bangles by ourselves. One could buy them when they visited temples or during the carnivals held on special occasional. Even today near all the temples in South India shops sell bangles. It is considered as auspicious to offer, sari, blouse, bangles, turmeric, vermilion and flowers to the Goddess in the temple.Then there are vendors selling on push carts which are in vogues even to this day.

It is no wonder that entire areas in old parts of many cities are famous for their shop selling bangles like the Ferozabad-famous for its manufacturing of glass bangles and is known as Suhag Nagari. Chandini Chowk of Delhi, Chowk of Lucknow, Maniharan in Jaipur and our own Lad Bazaar from Hyderabad is famous for the bangles. Jaipur and Hyderabad are very well known for their bangles made of Lac and Hyderabad is also famous for its golden coloured glass bangles known as Sonabai ki chudi.


This is a stall in an exihibition selling bangles.

Bangles -glass or metal or plastic are sold by the dozen (12 numbers) or half dozen (6 numbers).The costlier and thicker ones may be sold on or two or four in number.

The bangles are so popular a jewelry in India that many songs have been written on them and the beauty of the women adorning them including the songs in movies, titles of the movies, sentimental scenes involving them and so on.... Is it any wonder our poetess Sarojini Naidu, The Nightingale of India wrote a poem titled the Bangle sellers? here is it for you......

The Bangle sellers

Bangle sellers are we who bear
Our shining loads to the temple fair...
Who will buy these delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.

Some are meet for a maiden's wrist,
Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
Some are aglow wth the bloom that cleaves
To the limpid glory of new born leaves

Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or, rich with the hue of her heart's desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.

Some are purple and gold flecked grey
For she who has journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest,
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
And serves her household in fruitful pride,
And worships the gods at her husband's side.

So what do you think?