Ornaments – More than just adornments!

The tradition of wearing jewellery in India is as old as the country itself. Women have been adorning themselves with jewellery since centuries. A variety of materials have been used to design these jewelleries. With the discovery of fire and tools, metals like gold, silver, copper, bronze and brass were molded and shaped to make ornaments. Natural materials like shells, bones, feathers etc. were also used as decorative jewellery.

With modern tools and techniques, jewellery has also evolved considerably. More intricate and polished designs have taken the front row. With the advent of science and technology new and improved substances have been invented, alloys like stainless and surgical steel and platinum are increasingly gaining popularity.

The significance of bridal jewellery is much deeper than just beautifying a woman. There’s a scientific reason behind the history of traditional jewellery. Most of the ornaments have medical and therapeutic benefits:

Bangles:

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Bangles are known to improve blood circulation by maintaining a constant friction on the skin. Women are often advised to wear bangles during pregnancy because the tinkle provides acoustic stimuli to the baby.  Bangles also regulate the female reproductive organs.

Finger Rings:

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Finger rings press certain nerve points in the brain and provides stimuli. The first four fingers are known to press the reflex points of brain, eyes, ears and heart respectively. This is also the reason why wedding rings are worn on the 4^th finger of the left hand.

Maang Tika:

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The maangtika is worn on the crown of the head. It consists of a chain with a hook at one end and a pendant on the other. Ideally, it covers the hair parting and the pendant falls on the forehead exactly between the brows. The endocrine pineal gland is located at this point. Acupressure point activation of the pineal gland makes one feel happier, mentally clearer and de-stressed. From a spiritual point of view, the activation of the pineal gland is known to mobilize the 6th chakra or the ‘agya’ chakra to its fullest. This chakra signifies preservation and is known to help the wearer attain spirituality and enlightenment.

Nose pin:

The nose pin/ring is perhaps one of the most seductive ornaments a woman adorns. It is said that the real reason why women started wearing nose pins was to avoid nose infections. According to ayurvedic medicine, the nostrils piercing location is associated with female reproductive organs therefore it reduces menstrual pain and eases the labor pain during child birth.

Anklets and Toe Rings

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Anklets regulate the blood flow by maintaining a constant friction with the feet. It also helps relive ankle swelling. The third toe is connected to a nerve that passes through the uterus and the heart. Therefore, wearing a toe ring will press this nerve and stimulate it. This helps maintain the vitality of the reproductive organs. Toe rings are known to aid conceiving in married women.

Necklace

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Chokers and necklaces work by pressing points of the thyroid glands, heart and liver. Thus keeping these organs well stimulated and functional.

Indian jewellery is more than just ornaments; they are actually tools of maintaining good health in females.  A plethora of traditional jewellery is available in the market today; one can modify these according to one’s needs and desires. Wear the right ornaments to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

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How to Care For Your Gold Jewellery

When we buy gold jewelry, it is more than a financial investment. It is an asset for life.

When left by itself gold will not tarnish or rust, but with time, due to environmental factors and the natural wear and tear, gold starts to lose its shine and turns dull. It fails to make the same statement as it did when it was first bought.

With these useful tips from N.Gopaldas, you can ensure that your gold jewelry will maintain its shine and glamour for years to come.

1. Firstly, we must treat all gold jewelry with care, even though it is a strong metal, rough handling can lead to scratches and dents in the ornament. We must take special care of the jewelry that we wear regularly, like gold rings, gold chains, gold earrings etc. It’s best to take off these ornaments before doing manual work.
2. Chemicals are known to damage gold. Most household cleansing agents contain bleach and chlorine that may cause the gold to erode, making it weak and susceptible to breakage. Wear a rubber glove while doing household chores. Avoid wearing gold jewelry while in the swimming pool and in shower. 
3. You can easily clean your gold jewelry at home. Add a few drops of mild detergent in a bowl of luke warm water. Soak your gold jewelry in it for a few minutes and then clean with a soft cloth. You can use a brush with very soft bristles to clean the nooks. Once all the dirt is cleansed, rinse the gold jewelry with warm water and dry. Once dry buff it with soft cotton cloth or muslin.
4. Longevity of your gold jewelry also depends on how well you store them. Most Indian gold jewelry comes in velvet lined boxes, but a better way to store your gold is by folding it in cheese cloth and putting it in plastic ziplock pouches. These will effectively keep out the moisture and maintain the shine of your jewelry. You can then store it in a box if you like. Make sure to keep your jewelry away from the sunlight.
5. Finally, whenever you buy online gold jewelry in India, always keep the warranty card with you. You can always take your jewelry to professional jewelers for cleaning. Many jewelers do it for free.

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How to Buy an Engagement Ring

After you have dated for a couple of months you are finally ready to pop the question. After days of trepidation you muster up the courage to finally ask her and the answer will change the course of the rest of your life. You pick a venue, order the most expensive wine on the menu, you have practiced your speech several times in front of the mirror and you’re all set to go. Wait! Is something missing? Of course, the most important little thing of all – An engagement ring that she will adore.

When it comes to buying a ring, you’ll have plenty of advice from everyone around, especially your mom, who will probably want you to propose with the family heirloom that her great great grandmother passed on to her.  While this is absolutely fine with some women, most others would prefer to get their own. Something that is just between the two of you.  You’ll have friends telling you how you should spend at least 2 month’s worth of salary on the engagement ring. But this is all really nonsense.

An engagement ring is not just a jewel, it is a promise that you make to your beloved, of loving and caring for them for the rest of your lives. It symbolizes your personal style and the ever growing love that you will share with them. It is the bond which will hold you together for the rest of your lives. Therefore, when buying the perfect ring for your loved one, the only thing you should listen to is your heart and to make things easier for you we have a small list of what to keep in mind when buying a ring.

1. Get her what she wants

You don’t have to take her shopping for the actual ring of course. Just pay attention to what she gushes at when you go shopping. Women are cunning; she would have shown you the exact ring she wants when she actually got engaged to someone someday (this would of course be in your early dating days when engagement would probably be the last thing on your mind).

Nevertheless, rule number 1 is pay attention.

If you have the attention span of a goldfish, which in all likeliness you do, then chances are that you’ve already missed those finer details from your early dating days and have absolutely no idea what she would like.  Then you go for the back-up plan ‘The Best friend’. She knows everything that your girl likes, so make her your ally.

2. Shake those pockets

Once you know what you’re going to get her, browse through a couple of shops to find the best deal. Contrary to popular beliefs, you don’t have to spend a fortune on the engagement ring.

There are plenty of options that will comfortably fit in your budget, if you’re patient enough to scan through the hoard of jewellery shops around. Always be prepared to throw in some extra cash if it comes to that.

3. Get your four C’s right

99% of the time, you would prefer to go with the traditional diamond ring. Before you go shopping, spend some time to understand what makes diamonds so special?

Cut: The brilliance of the diamond comes from its cut. How the stone is cut determines how brightly it shines. Badly cut diamonds do not reflect light and appear dull and lackluster.

Color:  For all of you men who though diamonds are colorless. Duh! Diamond color ranges from colorless (D) to pale yellow (Z). Although the colorless or white ones are the most expensive ones. If you’ve done your homework well you’ll already know what color your lady prefers.

Clarity: Inclusions are minerals that are often found in the diamond.  This is what gives the diamond its imperfections. The lesser the imperfections, more expensive the diamond is. Try to look for stones that have imperfections which are not visible to naked eye. That way you can get a high clarity stone within your budget.

Carat: It is essentially the weight of the diamond. Again it is directly proportional to the price. However, with the right shaping and mounting you can even make a stone appear larger than it is. Check out with a couple of jewellers who can get you custom made rings.

4. Get her a ring that fits

Steal one of her rings if you have too but make sure that when you propose the ring fits her perfectly. Otherwise it’s a big mood killer for women.

5. Say it with love

Add your personal touch to the ring if you like, some sort of engraving maybe. Most importantly, say it like you mean it. The ring, after all is only a token of your feelings for her.
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Indian Traditional Jewellery at the 66th Cannes Festival

Recently there was a lot of hue and cry over what Indian actresses wore at the 66^th Cannes Film festival. One actress who attracted some pretty strong comments from the critiques was Vidya Balan. Irrespective of what the critics say, we think she looked absolutely stunning walking the red carpet in a Sarbyasachi Creation with jewellery by Pankaj Surana and Amrapali.

Vidya Balan pulls off the Indian traditional look beautifully. She probably looks her best draped elegantly in a Kanjeevaran silk. Cannes was no different. She wore a lot traditional Indian textiles like kanjeevaram, khadi, cotton and benarsi.

This lady made us proud with her sophisticated and elegant style at an international event.

The highlights of her looks were the traditional jewellery that she adorned during the event.

Look 1

 In this look, Vidya has worn a stunning maroon lehenga and kept the accessories to bare minimum with only a pair of ethnic jumkas.  With little pearl detailing, this jhumka completes Vidya’s attire beautifully. This is a classic example of how you don’t need hundred jewels to brighten up your dress. The right jewellery will often transform your entire look making you the belle of the ball.

Look 2

In one of the pictures posted by Bollywood’s Biggest Fans Club – BBFC on Twitter, Vidya appeared in a dark green lehenga choli with golden border. She seemed to have replicated her previous look. The jumkas were replaced with a pair of gold earrings in floral shape and the only addition was a jadau nose ring.  Once again minimalism being the key to her unique looks. Vidya looked like a princess straight out of the Mughal era here.

Look 3

Next Vidya traded her heavy lehengas for a light gold and white cotton saree. She paired gold earrings with a multi layer beaded necklace. The nude make up was perfect for the gold and white theme. But what we really like about this look is the unassuming little jade ring on her finger and the simple watch. The beauty of little details. We think she couldn’t have looked any more elegant then this.

Look 4

It was the season of lehengas. For the premiere of The Great Gatsby, Vidya wore a grand pale pink lehenga with black border. There’s a little black jacket on top of the choli, which is a bit of a spoiler if you ask us. However, what saves grace is the heavy maharani style pearl necklace and the earrings.  Overall, Vidya looked like a royal princess in this ensemble.

Look 5

Vidya looks absolutely gorgeous in this pink saree matched with a red high neck blouse. The jewellery that Vidya chose for this ensemble looked stunning on her. A red and gold necklace with a contrasting blue beaded necklace gave her look a beautiful balance. But the real highlight of this look was the jadau nath. It changed the entire look to give her a regal countenance. The nose ring was truly her magic touch.

Look 6

Finally, here’s Mrs. Balan doing what she does best. A copper colored kanjeevaram silk saree looks absolutely stunning on her. Here she’s gone a little bold with her jewellery and we can finally see some gold on her. This is a classic combination and no Indian woman can go wrong with it.

We think that this was by far Vidya’s best look at the 66^th Cannes festival. She looked every bit the gorgeous Indian woman that she truly is.

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How to distinguish between fake and real diamonds?

Admit it; we have all fallen prey to online shopping. We are addicted to the comfort online shopping provides. Imagine having to venture out in the sun to buy a simple article, when you can simply order it online by sitting in the comfort of your home. But online shopping is not without its share of misgivings.  As much as we would love to splurge online, we are often wary about the genuineness and quality of the products. This is especially true when we buy jewellery online. From time immemorial we have seen our grandmothers and mother spend hours at the jewellers thoroughly testing even the smallest piece of ornament. In today’s fast paced life, we really can’t afford to do the same, yet we want to buy the best possible quality there is. Here are some simple tests that anyone can run to check of the diamonds are real or artificial.

1. If the diamond is un-mounted, place it upside down on a newspaper, if you clearly read the prints then chances are that it is not a diamond. Also, see if it magnifies the text. Real diamonds cannot magnify texts.
2. Check the reflection given out by the diamond. A real diamond will always give shades of gray in its reflection while a fake diamond will give out rainbow colored reflections.
3.  One of the easiest tests to check the authenticity of a diamond is to breathe on it. If the fog stays on the stone for even a few seconds it’s not a real diamond.  Fog cannot settle on real diamonds.
4. Another easy test is the heat test. Read diamond dissipates heat, so it will not become hot even after heating it for a few second. A fake stone or glass however, would heat up immediately.
5. Real diamonds are radiolucent, which means that they will not show up on an x-ray like glass or crystals.
6.  Diamonds are one of the hardest elements known. Use the diamond to cut a piece of glass; if you can do this effortlessly you have a winner.
7. Most diamonds have a fluorescence which glows blue under an ultraviolet or black light. Fake diamonds do not have any fluorescence. However, this is not an exclusive test and must be combined with other tests to give a more accurate result.
8. Try floating the diamond on water. Real diamonds will sink while most fake one’s float.
9. As diamonds have a very hard surface they will not scratch easily. Look under a microscope a fake diamond will usually be covered in scratches while a real diamond won’t
10. It’s always best to get a professional test done at some point of time to ensure that you truly have a priceless jewel.

Having said that, whenever you buy a diamond online always insist on the certificate of authenticity from a reliable grading system. This is especially important when you’re buying diamond jewellery online. Happy Shopping!

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What’s your diamond earring personality?

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend and rightly so. Every diamond is unique in its cut, features, brilliance and shine, just like beautiful women. Each piece of diamond jewellery has its own personality. Every woman must have at least one set of diamond earrings. Here’s is our list of what earrings to wear based on your personality type:

The Stylish Diva:

Turquoise Diamond Studs

You’re easily the center of attraction and the life of every party. You love to have fun and are not afraid to show your wild side every once in a while. Your jewellery, like you is fun, dazzling and chic.

Something like this Turquoise Diamond Stud is probably what you’d love to wear on your night out. It’s a fun piece with gorgeous turquoise colored stones and embellished with diamonds.  The only thing that can match the sparkle of this gorgeous ornament is the twinkle of your eye.

The sophisticated thinker:

Laser Design Earring

Are you the deep thinker with thick glasses on? The smart, intellectual type? Then you probably like to keep your jewellery stylish and sophisticated, just like your personality. The intricate work of this laser design earring is exquisite and detailed with an aura of mystery around it. Equally elegant on Indian or western wear.  This earring would probably look best with your hair tied behind in a ponytail, so that the labyrinthine design can be admired by onlookers.

 

The girl next door:

Ruby Diamond Earrings

Coy, cute and unassuming.  You’re usually daddy’s little girl. You don’t really care much about your looks and yet manage to look effortlessly beautiful every time. Your simplicity is your biggest ornament. Your jewellery is like you modest and elegant. Wear a ruby diamond earring like this one to enhance the blush on your face. A simple ruby stud surrounded with diamonds will definitely make you feel like a princess.

The tough cookie:

Round Diamond Hoops

You’re not someone to mess with. A girl who does not need a knight in shining armor to rescue her. You are quite capable of taking care of yourself and everyone around you. Your jewellery, like you is tough and resilient. Something like these round diamond hoops is perfect for the no nonsense girl.  This will give you a feminine touch without making you overly girly.

These are just some of the ideas that you can use while selecting the right earring based on your personality type. Browse through some exclusive diamond earring collections to pick your favorites.
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Heritage Indian Jewellery

India is known for its rich tradition and culture. The history of Indian heritage is incomplete without the mention of jewels and jewellery which has been an integral part of its existence.

Over the centuries Indian jewellery has been deeply influenced by various regions within the country. For example, in Tamil Nadu and other southern states, nature inspired solid gold jewellery is very prevalent, while the western and northern parts of the country are known for their silver work. One can see a lot of tribal jewellery made of shells, animal bones and semi precious stones in the north eastern parts of the country while Mughal inspired meenakari and kundan work is the hall mark of some central and north Indian states.

Our jewels represent our culture and civilization. Heritage jewelleries not only illustrate the rich Indian culture and legacy, but it also characterizes the special craftsmanship and adroitness of our ancestors. Heritage jewellery is bought to be passed on from generation to generation; these are investments of a lifetime.

Every Indian woman adorns herself with at least some form of basic jewellery, be it a finger ring, a nose pin or a simple earring. Therefore, you can never go wrong when you gift someone with antique gold jewellery. Heritage jewellery is the perfect gift for an engagement or wedding. These antique gold jewels are more than just that; they are a blessing and a sentiment. Ask any woman and her most favorite piece of ornament will the one that was given to her by her mother or grandmother. That’s what makes heritage jewellery invaluable and priceless.

Today a wide range of heritage jewellery is available in the market and you could choose from the different styles.  There are gorgeous Heritage bangles and necklaces with intricate and elaborate work that will transform every woman in to a royal princess. And there are the smaller pieces of heritage jewellery like earrings and nose pins that you can wear regularly.  There ornaments are so elegant and beautiful that it’s really difficult to take one’s eyes off them or from the one wearing them.

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Have a sparkling Akshaya Tritya and save up to10% on all Diamond Jewellery from N.Gopaldas

Akshaya Tritya is a Hindu festival that is usually celebrated between late April and early May. It is an auspicious day believed to bring prosperity and good luck. In India,              families celebrate Akshaya Tritya by starting new ventures, or more commonly by buying gold or other jewellery.

What better way to spend Akshaya Tritya than to buy some exotic traditional South Indian jewellery for your loved ones. Diamonds are truly a girl’s best friend. Nothing can match the brilliance and sheen of diamond jewellery except maybe the sparkle in her eye when you gift her with one.

On the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritya, N.Gopaldas Jewellers are giving 10% off on all diamond jewellery, when you buy it online from their website.

N.Gopaldas jewellers are the pioneers of traditional South Indian jewellery in India. The company was founded by Shri. Gopaldas C. Mehta & Shri. Nandalal B. Shah in 1929. The business has been thriving ever since. The skilled craftsmen at N.Gopaldas take utmost care to deliver perfection to you, therefore, each one of their pieces are unique and exclusive.

N.Gopaldas is known for their exquisite design and exceptional quality.  Their designs display the perfect blend of traditional and contemporary.

N. Gopaldas houses some of the best in diamond jewellery in India. They have a range of jewellery that is fit for almost every occasion. They house the most exclusive diamond necklaces with heavy work that women can adorn during weddings and related events. For example, a diamond studded Mangalsutra could be a perfect gift for a new bride.  They also have a unique collection of pendants and necklaces with light work and modish design that would go perfectly well any western wear.

Earrings are style statements by themselves. A gorgeous pair of diamond earrings can effortlessly compliment a costume without any other accessory. N. Gopaldas has an exclusive selection of the choicest diamond earrings.  These can make for a perfect gift to women of any age.  They have heavy diamond jewelry for bridal wear to studs that women can wear every day.

Marriage is a great event in all Indian families and engagement and wedding rings form an inseparable part of this event. Rings also make for an excellent gift at such occasions.  It could be a great idea to take advantage of the 10% off on all diamond jewellery from Gopaldas jewelers now.

The main advantage of buying diamond jewellery online is that you save time while picking up your favorite jewellery from the comfort of your own home.

N.Gopaldas Jewellers are the one stop shop for all your diamond jewellery needs.

 
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N.Gopaldas: Jewellers since 1929

Jewels and Jewellery are an integral part of Indian heritage. N. Gopaldas Jewellers understand this sentiment and therefore each of their ornaments are crafted keeping it in mind. They are the pioneers of South Indian traditional jewellery since 1929. With changing times, N.Gopaldas jewellers have evolved their designs to suit the needs of their patrons and create harmony between the traditional and the contemporary. They are highly regarded for their intricate craftsmanship and exceptional quality standards. Their online store houses a wide collection of jewellery ranging from necklaces to gifting items. You will find jewellery in gold, diamonds, silver and platinum embellished with precious and semi precious stones. N.Gopaldas Jewellers are a one stop for all your traditional jewellery requirement.

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