Traditional Hyderabad Nizami Jewelry

Hello my beauties!

How have you all been? Today i brought a traditional stuff for you,So I thought I should start from where I had left. The last post of mine was about the traditional wear of Hyderabad i.e. Khada Dupatta.  Today’s post will be all about the unique jewelry of the Nizams which is still adorned by almost all the Hyderabadi brides. The traditions and history related to each piece is also very interesting which I will be highlighting. Let us begin one by one.

1.  Head Gear – Teeka and Jhumer:

Teeka is a piece of jewelry that is worn on the forehead.  Though it is worn by brides of others parts of India too, but the specialty of Hyderabadi Teeka is its unique patent circular shape embellished with Almas (chips of diamonds) and pearls. Teeka is bought from the groom’s side and the mother-in-law gifts it to the bride. The design of the teeka draws similarity from a shield used by soldiers in war.  It symbolizes that the groom will now act as a shield to the bride which she wears it as a pride on her forehead. I found this thought quite lovely, don’ you think so?

To complement the teeka, we have a Jhumer in the forehead which is generally worn to the left side of the forehead. It is a triangular shaped ornament with strands of pearls joined with gold and emerald plates. This is gifted to the bride from her close maternal relatives which symbolizes that their love and affection is always with her as blessing on her head.

2.  Necklaces – Jada Huwa Lachcha and Saath Lada:

I wouldn’t be wrong in saying that no Hyderabadi bride is ready without these two ornaments – Jada Huwa Lachcha which is kind of an elegant choker designed with uncut diamonds and gold with precious stones like emerald or rubies hanging in the bottom. Many of today’s chokers draw inspiration from this antique design.  Celebrities like Dia Mirza ,Late Sunanda Tharoor have been spotted wearing it at various weddings, etc.

Saath Lada as the name suggests “saath” meaning seven and “lada” means strands. Saath lada comprises of seven strands of pearls, each strands has its pendant made of gold and precious stone. This grand piece of jewelry just lifts up the whole look of the bride as the small strands of pearls start from the neck and go on increasing one by one till the navel. The small and delicate flower-shaped pendants just accentuates the beauty of this piece.  The Jada Huwa Lachcha is gifted to the bride from her parents and Saath Lada is generally gifted by the groom’s side.

3.  Earrings – Karan Phool and Chand Baliyan:

Coming to the earrings, they are of two types. First is the Karan Phool. These earrings are generally worn with Jada Huwa Lachcha. The design consists of a large flower that covers almost the whole of the ear with small strands of pearls to fasten on to the hair. Second, being the Chand Baliyan. I think everyone is familiar with this one as many celebrities like Rani Mukherjee, Kareena Kapoor have been wearing this at various occasions. There was a time when Rani Mukherjee used to swear by them. She was seen sporting them every time as it used to lift up her face. This crescent moon shaped earrings are my personal favorite too.

4.  Nath:

In Hyderabad, young girls generally pierce their nose just before their wedding date. It is a symbol of the bride’s purity and chastity. The nath is a gold ring with a ruby bead and two pearl beads.

5. Tirmani:

Tirmani means three (tri) gemstones (mani).  Tirmani is basically made from three different gemstones.  Tirmani is a unique aristocratic Nizami necklace studded with ruby/emerald and uncut diamond teamed with pearls to give it a royal finish.

6.  Jugni:

Jugni is a necklace made from 2 to 3 strings of pearls and ends in an exquisite kundan pendant studded with precious gem stones. The highlight of this ornament is the pendant which is shaped in a kairi (raw mango) embellished with stones.

So, this post was about all the major types of ornaments from the Nizam’s treasure chest which are mostly dominated with pearls, uncut diamonds, emeralds, rubies. Hope you all liked it. Do let me know which ones did you find unique and would try.  I would really love to know about it.

Hope you all like the review.

Thanks.