What is worn for pride, flaunted as a symbol, and dressed for elegance? Mangalsutra is the most auspicious and holy piece of jewelry for many married women in the Indian subcontinent.
It is a fine necklace that is tied by the groom to his bride during their wedding rituals. It might seem very spiritual or traditional but a mangalsutra marks a woman as a married woman in Indian society.
In every part of India, you can find so many Mangalsutra designs across several communities with unique artwork and intricate patterns.
Mangalsutra, a Sanskrit word for auspicious thread, is a very old wedding ritual that dates back to several centuries. It was generally worn to keep away the evil and the evil of other men.
No matter what it signifies and what it used to be known for, nowadays, a mangalsutra has been classified as a piece of significant wedding jewelry that has to stand out from all.
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All mangalsutra designs have a regional and spiritual meaning behind them and it is very precious to that particular community and its people.
India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and all their diasporic communities all over the globe follow this social practice of mangalsutra. The Hindu community is the only community that strictly follows this practice.
However, it has become less mandatory for a married woman to wear a mangalsutra in today’s world. Often women prefer to wear it during special and festive occasions. Thus, a variety of mangalsutra designs are shopped by women and dressed accordingly for various occasions of the year.
Let’s go on to check out the best mangalsutra designs for the love of tradition and heritage of India.
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OXIDIZED MANGALSUTRA DESIGN
Oxidized jewelry is the most trending in recent times and it is a very fine process of making modern yet ethnic jewelry. Oxidation of silver is a method of blackening the silver through the treatment of a chemical process. It is where sterling silver is turned into a black patina.
Oxidized mangalsutra design is a gorgeous necklace for a married woman to dress up with pride and elegance. This mangalsutra is designed with small gemstones or glass in between oxidized silver material. The thread of the mangalsutra is sometimes decorated with black beads and oxidized silver balls.
Most of the oxidized mangalsutra designs are embellished with green, pink, and white stones apart from a string of beads. The main pendant-like piece is beautifully designed with intricate designs and stylish artwork for a modern woman to wear with confidence and still be very humble to her Indian heritage.
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| STYLE TIP - Khadi sarees are the best look styled with an oxidized mangalsutra design. |
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TRADITIONAL MANGALSUTRA DESIGN
India at its heart is very traditional and all Indians love to flaunt their ancestral and religious tradition. Especially during festive and family events, traditional jewelry is loved by all if you gracefully style it with your attire.
Traditional mangalsutra design can be found in different designs in several regions of India.
Every state has a different story and design behind such traditional mangalsutra design. For example, Maharashtrian mangalsutra design is unique for its own as it consists of a small bowl-shaped pendant in the middle and thus, it is called ‘Vati’ - the Marathi word for a bowl. Classic black beads woven over a gold chain through that vati are significant for Marathi heritage and culture.
Another similar traditional design with a different approach is the South Indian thali mangalsutra design where the pendant is flat-shaped like a plate and gods are embellished over it like a popped-up art.
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| STYLE TIP - Fashion garments that originated in a particular region surely go well with their type of traditional mangalsutra design. A Maharashtrian vati mangalsutra is a better look with a paithani saree than a chiffon silk saree. |
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PETITE MANGALSUTRA DESIGN
Any jewelry that is designed in a smaller form factor can be called aesthetically petite jewelry design. Petite mangalsutra design is a very delicate look that symbolizes classy femininity and softness with beauty.
Such petite mangalsutra designs are all about the highlight centerpiece of the necklace. It almost looks or can be considered as a pendant.
Diamond stonework with golden edges is most often used and single chains of black beads are used. The majority weight of the mangalsutra is hung on the main piece and the rest of the chain is very lightweight.
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| STYLE TIP - Any petite-shaped jewelry or for now, petite mangalsutra design would stylishly go along with denim and solid color plain kurta dresses. |
If you desire to wear gold jewelry but cannot afford to shop for heavy gold made of pure carats, alloy-made jewelry is a perfect alternative. Alloy-based Mangalsutra design is a classic substitute for your regular gold studded mangalsutra.
It is made of an alloy mixture along with gold-colored water or even oxidized silver plating. It mimics the actual carats-based jewelry in a much cheaper way but expresses the same level of quality and style. Alloy mangalsutra designs are ethnically designed with gemstones and beads like a traditional mangalsutra.
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| STYLE TIP - Traditional 9-yard saree is the perfect garment for an alloy-based mangalsutra design. |
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GOLD MANGALSUTRA DESIGN
Like we all know, the best and most expensive jewelry is the gold one, and always crave more. Golden mangalsutra design dates back to several ages as so many ethnic designs have been carved with gold and gold-based mangalsutra design is a typical mangalsutra that is worn by many married women in India.
Across several regions in India, the design variations in the same mangalsutra can be found vastly. There are so many patterns and print designs on gold artwork. Gods and floral engraving on gold are believed to be auspicious and bring wealth and prosperity to the bearer.
If you find it too expensive you can also opt for cheaper gold-water-based alloy mangalsutra for a similar experience. They look the same but are very cost-effective and stylish at the same moment.
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| STYLE TIP - Gold Zari sarees or sarees with gota border are well suited with such gold mangalsutra designs. You can also pair it with Kundan earrings and maang tikka if necessary. |
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DIAMOND MANGALSUTRA DESIGN
Oh, diamonds are an all-time precious thing in everyone’s life. It is the epitome of jewelry for the majority of people. Yes, there are more expensive gems but for the most who can afford such expensive diamonds - it is the one they always look forward to buying.
Diamond jewelry is the costliest and diamond mangalsutra design looks so elegant and completely lustrous that it could woo anyone who puts their vision over it. Diamond mangalsutra design can be so beautiful that it can easily replace all the other types of gold or alloy-based jewelry.
An easy alternative to such a design is a glass-based mangalsutra design that replicates the diamond crystal effect into a simple glass gem and is covered with oxidized silver all around but with complete finishing.
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| STYLE TIP - Black garments like black or grey sarees, kurtas, or formal lehengas are gorgeous contrasting pairs with diamond mangalsutra designs. |
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MODERN MANGALSUTRA DESIGN
For the ones who look at modern aspects into every other thing, you can surely check out stylish and delicate modern mangalsutra designs where unusual shapes and designs are implemented with simple gold chains to put around your neck.
Small diamond or gold work is used very precisely for such modern mangalsutra designs. You can also consider it very similar to petite mangalsutra design but the only factor that keeps them is the use of new and unique designs.
Shop for the best of modern designs in mangalsutra sets at the festive sale of karmaplace.com where all items are shipped from different parts of India directly to anywhere you live in the United States. You can select and shop from a wide collection of mangalsutra.
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| STYLE TIP - From ethnic wear to modern stylish fashion, all types of attires can be styled with such a modern mangalsutra design. |
This is how there are various types of Mangalsutra designs and there are so many varieties of making a mangalsutra into such a holy jewelry accessory for Indian women. It has been worn for more than a century now and it is nowhere to go but it is always evolving.
It is now very much adapted to the modern metropolitan look for modern women and it has almost merged into other types of necklaces. However, the tradition of wearing a typical and ethnically designed mangalsutra is still favored by all and it gets them excited for portraying their heritage to the world.
