My Jhumki Jhumka Collection!

Jhumkis are a classic, just like sarees...they never go out of style!
Amma had a major crush on Jhimkis or Jhumkas ( down south it is Jhimki and in the North it is referred to as Jhumkas - they are basically the same!)...but she could not afford them when she was a young woman herself...so when she could afford them....she bought one too many for me and I had many variants since childhood - but didnt have a fancy for them whatsoever!

Years passed by, and Amma's fascination has caught on, it is right on trend...and it definitely suits my big face! I have enough variations in gold, 1gm gold, lac, silver, gemstones, temple jewellery, different combinations...you name it...and I have it! :-) I am hoping to pass them on to Baby A - well, if she doesn't care for them, like Amma would say "One day, you will beg me to give it to you...so will she!" ;-)

These are my first jhimkis....the one's my parents gave me as part of my wedding jewellery in gold. They are classic south indian style jewellery and I have a piece that reflects my roots down south!

...these are called "temple jewellery" and are often worn in south indian weddings and for dance performances as well....they are very flattering on most faces! :-) I wore them for my wedding too! 

I bought these 1-gm gold jhumkas and wore them for Baby A's ayush homam....it's an affordable option that suits my pocket while looking as good as any gold jhumkis.

I have always been in love with kerala jewellery - i like bithe lovely designs - their maanga mala, big oversized jhumkis...this is a palakka style jhumki and oversized jhumkis are always in vogue...the fact they suit my equally big face is a plus!

Second to jhumkis, I love pearls or anything pearly for that matter...also, they add elegance to any outfit- be it a saree or any western formals!

I bought these to go with a contemporary red saree for my brother's wedding. I wanted something that would not be too overwhelming, considering the red saree is bright already - sort of monochrome-colored jhumkis!

Oxidized jewellery/costume jewellery for everyday use, to be paired with kurtas and kurtis.

I love turquoise and anything blue or turquoise-y! ...I loved these coz they are a good mix of modern look with traditional elements, especially in a jhumki!
Unlike my usual self, I have worn all of these at some point in time - casual, everyday, important events, to work....everywhere! How do you like my collection? I plan to expand this collection....as time goes by.

Gorgeous box of Jewellery - Manjushaa!

I am always on the lookout for traditional jewellery - with a contemporary twist! I love it, when its simple yet elegant, affordable yet good quality and as I began my search - i stumbled upon www.manjushaa.com
Manjushaa literally means "box of jewels" and what a gorgeous treasure it is! :) I was pleasantly surprised to find something in every single category - right from anklets, maang tikkas to an awesome collection of temple jewellery and navratna collections which are timeless and can be worn numerous times at weddings, and almost with every saree!

Part of the "Navaratna" Collection...these lovely sets can be a versatile addition to your jewellery...without burning a hole in your pockets!


They also have some traditional pieces and some unique pieces of "temple jewellery". I have seen many versions that look very similar on so many women that these sets were a refreshing change from the usual...don't you think?

I am lusting on this set - the chain is so pretty too! I remember my granny or paati wearing a similar earring and begging her to give it to us! ;-)
A bride could make this a part of her wedding ensemble or it could work for those who look for jewellery for their arangetram too! any bharatanatyam enthusiasts, are you listening? The workmanship is stunning - and every piece of jewellery leaves an impression on you - I am impressed, for sure! 

I have a soft corner for Jhumkas - they are timeless and forever in trend! Look at these beauties...

Have a look at their website ( Click here) and take a look at their huge variety of lovely, simple designs...understated and very elegant! Their prices are very reasonable, starting from Rs.500/- and upwards and the kemp collection starts from Rs.2000/- onwards! Enjoy! 

Indian jewellery with a twist!

...my newest acquisition...after the neli ring, is this pearl beauty! I love it as it combines the traditional kundan pendant with a cluster of pearl strings - which makes it really modern yet ethnic! :)

I am a pearl junkie and have a variety of jewellery in pearls, including multitude of traditional pearl strings (thanks to Amma!)...to contemporary pearl strings in grey that can be paired even with western outfits - which I do tend to wear to work sometimes!...and I am very lucky in the fact that they are ALL gifts from family or friends! ;)
  

...here's adding another treasure to my kitty, and for once something I did BUY! :)

Indian Fashion, this time!

I have been away for quite some time, for good reason! I was in India celebrating my brother's wedding. I did most of my shopping and research for the clothes, jewellery and such like online so that we could focus on my brother's shopping when we got to India! While most of my friends and my folks were not very confident of my choices online, I totally was! I am often very clear about what I like and never have regrets or doubts.

Though I could actually see the actual product only when I got home to my folks in India, thankfully, all of them turned out really great and I loved it. This is not a plug for any of the websites, but the idea is to help others find things easily if they are away from home, or prefer doing things online, like me to save time and effort.

Sarees:
I picked up two contemporary Georgette sarees from www.cbazaar.com . They have a huge variety of sarees and you need a lot of patience to browse through their collections. I had about 4 months to decide since my brother's engagement to the wedding. I found that they drape really well and most importantly, are unique and one-of-a-kind! :) Here are the sarees I picked!
( P.S - The women in the pictures are not ME! ;))

 Saree for the Engagement - from the same website!

For the rest of the various events in the wedding, I wore my own wedding sarees, for the second time since the wedding! I love wearing sarees and feel it really suits me. However, as I live away from home, there aren't too many opportunities. I wore the traditional 9-yards for the muhurtham ( the important ceremony where the groom ties the mangalsutra on the bride!) which made so many of my folks really happy! :)

Blouses:
I don't like ornate decorations or elaborate embroidery on my blouses. But I love stuff that looks different from the usual styles and very well-fitting blouses. Most people wear the same-border blouses that come with the saree. Though I had the same ones, I decided to buy brocade-like materials for my wedding sarees. It turned out to be really expensive or too blingy for my liking! Finally, I bought materials used to stitch salwar kameez in Kumaran Silks in T.Nagar, who had exactly what I wanted, and at a reasonable price.

The salesman looked at me strangely when I said I am stitching blouses from these materials. Common sense tells me it can work, coz a blouse is just one-fourth of a kameez and it can work! It did!! I gave Amma a lot of grief over the tailor, but he really did a good job of all the blouses. Amma heaved a sigh of relief! :)

It was silk-cotton and let me breathe in the sweltering heat!!  As for my hair, its a different story altogether, the humidity made it a disaster and looked like cotton-candy!


Jewellery:

I loved this style of the necklace (as seen above), its a gift from my brother for Rakshabandhan. Its my choice, but he paid for it! :)
 
I have a wide variety of jhimkis, thanks to Amma, my wedding and I can open a shop! Yet, I added another one to my collection - these are the kashmiri style jhimkis! :) Actually, it is a set of 3 - another longer jhimki hangs to this! I wore only two, as I thought all three together would look over-the-top! :)

If you like the jewellery I am wearing, I bought them from Chaahat Hyderabad - look for them on Facebook. I have bought quite a lot of stuff from them and the jewellery is really pretty, prompt delivery and their customer service is pretty good too. They ship worldwide.

I also bought these bangles from www.99labels.com 

I won the second prize for this entry and I used that credit to buy a saree and these bangles. They also gave me a gift voucher for my birthday! ;)

Mehendi:

I love mehendi or as they say in Tamizh, marudaani! :)  Apart from the fact that it looks beautiful on your hands, it cools down your body temperature. and boy! I am HOT! ;)
I got this done on the streets of T.Nagar, and I must say they did a great job. There are a group of boys and men from the North, who sit there on the road with umbrellas and you can sit there and get it done! :) They also come home and do it for a group of people. There weren't too many girls at home, people were directly coming to the wedding venue mostly. So I decided to get it done there - quick and easy.

Pretty, isn't it?

P.S - I am not being paid to write to this post by any of these vendors or websites. It is just my way of helping people looking for information or as a point of reference.