With winter season also comes the wedding season in India. And of course, no Indian bride’s wedding outfit is complete without gold jewelry. Bangles, necklaces, headbands, waist-bands, anklets; you name it, and you’ll find it in an Indian bride’s wardrobe. Gold necklaces, in particular, are an important part in the Indian solah-shringar. They are the main focus of the bride’s wedding repertoire. A good necklace can make even the most boring wedding outfit a fashion statement.

However, Indian jewelry can be confusing. The number of necklace designs available in our country is astonishing. Long necklaces, short necklaces, wide-band, narrow-band; each category of necklaces has a huge number of subcategories. You can even customize your own wedding necklace these days.

If you wish to be married the traditional way though, you should be familiar with the traditional Indian gold jewelry. A mind-boggling variety of necklaces are available in the market. And it can put you in an incurable dilemma if you haven’t done thorough research beforehand.  So if you’re planning to go wedding shopping, you should definitely give this article a read. You should be properly familiar with the kinds of designs of bridal gold necklaces to make the right choice for yourself.

So here I have listed some of the most popular necklace designs that you can shop to wear at your wedding this season-

Gulbandh

This is the quintessential Indian necklace design, one you often get to see in TV serials. It is also called the “Princess necklace” because of its quaint craftsmanship. It generally has pearls dangling from its base and sometimes has diamonds embedded on it. Gulbandh is especially a good choice if your wedding dress is already very embroidered and extravagant. This necklace best compliments blouses with closed, high necklines. So go for this necklace if you want to look regal without being too gaudy.  

Rani Haar

If you have seen Jodha-Akbar, then you probably are familiar with this kind of necklace. Aishwarya Rai made this necklace popular by beautifully sporting it in her role of a Rajput princess in the movie. This queenly necklace is long, which gives it a regal look. Rani haars usually comprise of long chains (single or multiple) of gold with a heavy gold locket at the end studded with pearls and gemstones. These necklaces look best when paired with another necklace- especially chokers or collar necklaces. A Rani Haar is a popular choice to jazz up any plain wedding attire and is a typical attention-grabbing wedding ornament.

Choker

A choker necklace looks exactly like a choker, just that it’s made of gold. You can get this necklace in varying widths and sizes. Choker necklaces look great with all kinds of wedding outfits, be it a traditional lehenga or an indo-western outfit. These necklaces go well with both high neck blouses and low-cut blouses. There are many varieties of choker necklaces in the Indian market. A Persian choker necklace has strings of pearls dangling from it, while a Jadvi laccha choker has precious stones embedded on it. This is a great choice if you are going for a slightly modernized version of an Indian wedding.

Bib Necklace

It is named so because it resembles a baby’s bib. A bib necklace covers almost the entire area from your collarbone to your chest and is often quite heavy. This necklace may be purely made of gold, or embellished with precious stones or pearls. You can opt for this design if you are planning to wear a blouse with a low neckline, or if the rest of your attire is not too flashy. A bib necklace, again, is one of the more modernized necklace designs in the Indian jewelry market. These necklaces are also the most easily customizable (don’t ask me why), so win-win for you!

Collar Necklace

This necklace is like a combination of bib and choker necklaces. The necklace starts from or above the collarbone and flares out like an actual collar. These necklaces are generally simpler and more subtle than any other kind of Indian necklaces. But do not be mistaken, they are as quaint, regal, and beautifully crafted as any other traditional wedding jewelry. Their relative simplicity makes collar necklaces are a really good choice if your outfit and other jewelry are flashy. You can flaunt your collar necklace by pairing it with a round neck low-cut blouse.

Aadh Necklace

This traditional Rajasthani wedding ornament is truly one of its kind. An Aadh necklace comprises of a choker necklace made with a block of gold with intricate work on it and has strings of golden triangles dangling from it. These necklaces are regal, quaint, traditional, and cover almost the entire neckline. This necklace looks best with blouses having a low-cut square neckline. If you are planning to do a traditional destination wedding at Udaipur (like in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani), this should be your go-to. So go ahead, sport an Aadh necklace at your wedding, and make a statement as the most beautiful bride anyone will ever see.

Now that you know more about traditional Indian necklace designs, take your pick and get ready to look like a queen on the most special day of your life.