How much gold is required to make a mangalsutra?
Mangalsutra refers to the symbolic necklace placed around the bride’s neck during traditional Indian weddings, and remains an important piece of wedding jewelry for brides-to-be. While the placing of mangalsutra is an ancient traditional practice that originates as far back as 6AD, brides-to-be still enjoy picking and wearing a mangalsutra necklace on their wedding day.
But how much gold is required to make a mangalsutra? In this article, we’re going to take a look at the importance of gold in mangalsutra, and how you can pick a mangalsutra that best suits both your design and style preferences. Let’s take a look!
WHAT IS MANGALSUTRA?
Mangalsutra is an important ceremonial necklace used in traditional Indian marriages. Grooms place a mangalsutra around their bride’s neck to highlight her status as a married woman, and the bride wears her mangalsutra for the duration of her marriage to protect her husband from ill health and the ‘evil eye’. The black beads in the mangalsutra serve to absorb all negative energies, protecting both the bride and her family from negative forces.
HOW MUCH GOLD SHOULD BE IN A MANGALSUTRA?
Gold is a highly symbolic color in Indian culture, and remains an important feature in any mangalsutra necklace. The gold in mangalsutra represents prosperity for the couple, as well as acting as a symbol of wealth and status. Traditionally, the chain of the mangalsutra is made of gold, but some women now choose to modernize this tradition by opting for metals and colors of their own choosing.
If you were looking to honor this Indian tradition as intended, you’d want to look for a high quality gold chain with a yellow-gold hue, such as a 22k gold mangalsutra or a pure gold mangalsutra.
HOW TO PICK THE BEST MANGALSUTRA
While it’s important to honor traditions, it’s also important to ensure that your mangalsutra aligns with your own personal style, aesthetic preferences, while also being practical for your everyday life. Don’t forget that brides wear their mangalsutra for the full duration of their marriage, so it’s important for it to be both comfortable and reflective of the bride’s style.
Here are some tips for picking a mangalsutra that combines style and practicality with tradition and symbolism:
CONSIDER YOUR JOB
As many women are now part of the workforce, it’s important to consider the practicalities of your own mangalsutra. In the past, mangalsutra necklaces could reach up to 30 inches in length, but as many women now work in offices with dress codes, this is no longer the norm.
That being said, you can still pick a necklace that honors the important mangalsutra tradition, while ensuring that it won’t be inconvenient while carrying out your day-to-day activities. For example, in mangalsutra tradition, the necklace’s pendant should be able to reach the bride’s heart. This means that you could opt for a simple mangalsutra necklace, complete with gold chain and black beads, so long as the chain is long enough to reach the middle of the breastbone.
THINK ABOUT COLOR
While most mangalsutra chains should be gold, that doesn’t mean your choices are limited when picking out your own. You can opt for white gold, rose gold, or yellow gold for your mangalsutra, depending on your own style preferences. Do note that white gold is more prone to damage, while yellow gold would be considered the most traditional hue to opt for.
CONSIDER YOUR PENDANT
An integral part of any mangalsutra is the pendant, and any bride-to-be is at liberty to be creative in choosing her own pendant for her mangalsutra chain. You can opt for a diamond pendant, a gemstone pendant, or even a personalized, engraved pendant with a sentimental inscription.
DON’T FORGET QUALITY
An integral part of any mangalsutra is the pendant, and any bride-to-be is at liberty to be creative iOne of the most important things to remember when picking mangalsutra is the quality of the gold. Not all gold is created equal: gold chains with a higher percentage of pure gold are going to be the best option here, as they offer the traditional yellow-hue gold associated with mangalsutra and Indian culture. If you want to combine durability with gold quality, we’d recommend opting for 22k gold, rather than 24k or pure gold. Pure gold damages much more easily, while the 8% of alloyed metals in 22k gold helps render the mangalsutra more durable.
