The Best Guide to South Indian Wedding Jewellery Necklaces

If there is one thing consistent in South Indian weddings, it is the South Indian wedding jewellery in solid gold. Southern Indians absolutely adore gold jewellery, which is quite evident from the fact that they respect and consider their South Indian wedding jewellery auspicious. This means that no South Indian wedding is complete without the bride adorning an array of South Indian wedding jewellery. 

But one piece of jewellery that stands out from the rest in South Indian wedding jewellery is the necklace. Sculpted in solid gold and embellished with semi-precious stones to add more colour to the look, South Indian wedding jewellery necklaces are nothing short of a royal component of the trousseau.

There is so much more to traditional temple jewellery than most of us are acquainted with. Let us share with you a variety of South Indian wedding jewellery necklace styles, that are popular among South Indian brides.

1. Manga Malai

Image Courtesy: RAG Artistry

If you didn’t get the hint from its name, then let us help you with the term ‘Manga Malai’s’ meaning. Manga Malai means the shape of a mango, which is exactly how the design of the necklace looks like as well. Manga Malai necklace is an in-loop design consisting of innumerable mango shaped motifs, joint from the sides, with pointed bottoms curved outwards.

The overall appearance of this kind of South Indian wedding jewellery looks magnificent and goes perfectly well with a Saree. Manga Malai comes in a variety of versions, letting the bride pick a design which is either heavy for a grand wedding look or a toned-down version that can be worn later as well.

2. Kasumala

Kasumala is the commonly worn style of South Indian wedding jewellery necklace among women and brides. The design consists of gold coins woven together into a seamless chain. These coins are considered to be the auspicious coins of Goddess Laxmi, with many designs actually have an imprint of Goddess Laxmi on each coin as well.

If the bride wants an opulent version of the Kasumala South Indian wedding jewellery, she can opt for the designs decorated with semi-precious stones as well. Although a Kasumala necklace can very well be worn for the main wedding ceremony, the bride can also adorn the same for her wedding reception too!

3. Kemp Necklace

If Rajasthan has Meenakari jewellery, then Southern India has the Kemp jewellery. Similar in terms of craftsmanship, Kemp jewellery resembles Meenakari’s royal style a lot. Multi-coloured glass stones embedded on metal alloy and finished with a polish of gold, this style of South Indian wedding jewellery necklace is nothing short of royalty in itself.

The South Indian brides often opt to purchase a complete set of South Indian wedding jewellery in kemp style to keep everything in harmony. Such kemp necklaces are best worn for the main wedding ceremony, complete with Suryapirai and Chandapirai hair embellishments in Kemp style as well.

4. Laxmi Haar

The most popular South Indian wedding jewellery necklace style that you often get to see is the Laxmi Haar. It is the grandeur of a Laxmi Haar which makes it the face of all temple jewellery of Southern Indian. As the name suggests, the main element of this necklace style is the engraved idol of Goddess Laxmi in gold polish or pure gold.

The idol is complimented with engraved motifs of peacocks and elephants and comes with an option of pure gold to semi-precious stones embellished version in the market. The necklace is considered auspicious and a symbol of prosperity and wealth, which is why a Laxmi Haar is worn for many auspicious occasions and festivals post-marriage too by the bride.

Now you know how vast the South Indian wedding jewellery necklace style truly is! Their royalty factor makes each of these necklace styles statement makers in themselves. You can easily incorporate wearing these necklaces later for family functions and other special occasions as well. The cost of each of these necklaces differs, depending on the amount of gold and semi-precious stones that get used in creating the final design.

Although now, imitation versions of South Indian wedding jewellery are also available in the market for a cheaper price tag, certain temple jewellery designs only get their true shine and visual value when they are made in real gold. But the imitation jewellery too comes in a variety of qualities, with varied price tags for you to easily find South Indian wedding jewellery that caters to your budget easily.

Whatever style and quality of South Indian wedding jewellery you decide to go ahead with, it will make you look like a million bucks, guaranteed! So go ahead and pick your very own version of the temple jewellery necklace for your wedding.