| Stone Type | Pearl |
| Weight (g) | 0.00 |
| Colour | White |
| Occasion | Wedding |
A domed circular ornament sits at the forehead, its gold openwork face set with a white kundan stone and ringed completely with small pearls. It hangs from a short strand of pearls ending in a hair hook. Roughly 5 inches overall.
A borla is the round, domed version of the maang tikka, and it is specifically Rajasthani — the name comes from bor, the ber fruit, which is what the shape resembles. Where a standard tikka is a flat pendant that lies against the forehead, a borla is three-dimensional and sits proud of it, catching light from every angle rather than only face-on. It is the form worn in Marwari and Rajputi bridal dress.
The dome is what makes a borla read differently from any other head ornament. A flat tikka shows one face; a dome has no single correct viewing angle, so it holds its appearance whether you are seen straight on or in profile — which matters on a piece worn at the hairline, where a photograph is as likely to be taken from the side.
Pearls ring the dome and continue as the chain. Using the same element for both means the piece reads as one object rather than an ornament attached to a chain, and a pearl strand is softer against the parting than a metal chain would be.
A centre parting is needed. The hook slides into the hair at the parting and the dome rests on the forehead; the chain should lie flat along the parting rather than being pulled tight.
Borla suits Rajasthani and Marwari dressing in particular — lehengas, bandhani, leheriya — and works with a simple necklace rather than a heavy one, since both sit in the same eyeline.
Weddings, bridal wear, festivals, sangeets and receptions.
Type: Borla maang tikka. Metal: Copper base. Work: Gold openwork dome with a kundan centre and pearl border, on a pearl chain. Size: approximately 5 inches overall.
This is brass with a gold-tone plating rather than solid gold, which keeps the price where it is and the weight low enough to wear comfortably. Plating is a surface rather than a bulk property, so how long it lasts depends almost entirely on what it meets — perfume, hairspray and sweat all shorten it, while a dry cloth after wearing and a closed pouch between wearings extend it considerably.
Put this on after perfume, hairspray and hand cream, and take it off before washing, swimming or sleeping. Wipe with a dry soft cloth and use a dry soft brush around the stone settings and between any pearls, where a cloth cannot reach. Store it in a zip-lock pouch — which is what the supplier themselves advise, and the single most effective thing for a plated piece, because it keeps humid air off the metal. Never use silver polish, dip cleaners or an ultrasonic cleaner.
| Stone Type | Pearl |
| Weight (grams) | 0.00 |
| Colour/Finish | White |
| Occasion | Wedding |
| Gender | women |
| SKU/Product Code | KEYU-NAA1992 |
