Bengali Bridal Jewellery – Part Two (Brooch & Nath)

Bengali’s have always taken immense pride in their refined taste for music, poetry, art and cuisine. Having said that, their taste for Bridal Jewellery cannot be overlooked. This post is in continuance to my previous post on Maang-tika/Tikli/Matha-patti/Tiara, one of the essentials of Bengali Bridal Jewellery. In case you had missed out on the previous post, CLICK HERE to read it. Moving on to the second part of my Bridal Jewellery posts, let us explore the options, and particularly, what I choose for my D-day.

Brooch, also known as ব্রোচ (in Bengali) is a piece of ornament that is used to secure and tie up the pleats of a saree on the shoulders. Brooch is one of the most unused and neglected accessories by the Bride. Well, blame it on my keen observation, but eight out of ten brides do not opt for a brooch. Hence, while I was planning for my Bridal accessories, brooch automatically topped my list. It makes a classy style statement, and what more, this is one of the very few accessories that can even be used frequently after your D-day.

Most of the brides who do end up getting a brooch for themselves, opt for a traditional golden one (to match with their jewellery). However, I was not too keen on getting a golden brooch for myself. I wanted the brooch to be unique, something that could be used both for sarees or for evening gowns, as a statement piece. Ultimately, my search ended at a store called “Radha”, at South City Mall. I instantly fell in love with the brooch, because of it’s feminine floral design and it’s unique transparent colour. The colour of the brooch reminded me of Swarovski crystals. Also, it could be placed both vertically, as well as horizontally, making it all the more versatile.  

In fact, to sum it all, the brooch was one of the few things that I ended up using on all the three days of my wedding. Let the photographs do the rest of the talking.

 For Aaiburobhaat –

For Boubhaat –

My mum also picked up a brooch from the same store, but her’s was a rose gold toned leaf-shaped one. It was very pretty!

Nath or Nolak, also known as Nose Ring forms an integral part of the Bengali wedding jewellery. It is a common belief that bigger the ‘Nath’, higher is the status of the bride. Although I had my nose pierced way before I got married, it did not serve any real purpose, since my nath had nothing to do with piercings. I choose a huge one for my D day, and fortunately I got what I wanted on the very first day of my jewellery hunt (Yes, sometimes you do get lucky as well)! It was so huge that it slipped into my wrists as a bangle as well (wink wink).

I wore the nath, both for my wedding (including the morning of the wedding day) as well as reception, and I ended up receiving a lot of compliments, particularly for my nath. In fact, some of them even went to the extent of imagining it as a part of my heirloom jewellery. The nath was a huge hoop with a kundan flower set in transparent stones on one of its sides. It had a simple chain attached to it. I wanted the nath to be huge but simple, adding a mellow tone to my look. 

Listing all that was described in the post above:

Brooch from Radha, South City Mall.

Mine was priced at Rs.800/-

Mom’s brooch was priced at Rs.600/-

P.S. They have closed their South City Mall outlet due to renovation, but you can find their outlets in others malls in Kolkata. I had seen their outlet in Metro Plaza at Ho Chi Min Sarani.

Nath from Saakshi, City Centre Two (Rajarhat).

Priced at Rs.800/-

These days, you will get multiple options at Sassaram’s (Treasure Island), Saakshi, Chique, Raadha, Sia Jewellery (I found them to be affordable as well), and Vardaan Market (again an affordable option, as you can bargain!).

So that is all for this post. Do let me know if you had used or are planning to use any of these accessories for your wedding. Also, I will see you soon with more inputs on choosing unique and best pieces for your trousseau. So please do subscribe to my blog so that you do not miss out on the posts. And happy hunting!

Photograph Credits: Prasanta Singha, Fotosutra

Makeup Artist : Ujjwal Debnath (He can be contacted at 9732135269)