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| Metal | Brass |
| Stone Type | Meenakari |
| Weight (g) | 35.00 |
| Colour | Gold |
| Occasion | Festival |
A crescent top set with a pink stone sits at the lobe, and from it hangs a large open arch — a gold frame with its centre empty — inside which a butterfly worked in pink enamel is suspended. A wide fluted jhumka with a pearl fringe hangs at the base.
The arch is the whole idea. It is a big shape, roughly the size of the bell below it, and leaving its interior open means the butterfly appears to be floating in mid-air with nothing behind it. A filled panel would have made the butterfly part of a pattern; the empty frame makes it a creature caught in flight. It also keeps a piece this long from looking like a solid slab of gold against the neck, because skin shows through the middle of the earring.
Butterflies are rare in traditional Indian jewellery, which draws overwhelmingly on peacocks, lotuses, elephants and parrots. Rendering one in pink meena rather than the usual green or blue pushes it further from the traditional register — this is a piece that borrows the jhumka's structure and uses it for something else entirely, which is exactly why it stands out among more conventional designs.
Hair fully up, neck clear, no necklace. These are long and wide and should be the only thing you are wearing above the collarbone. They work beautifully against plain pinks, ivories, blush and soft greens, and are a strong choice for a mehendi or a daytime function where you want colour.
Mehendis, sangeets, festivals, receptions and daytime functions.
Moderate for the length. The arch is an open frame and the bell is hollow, so there is less metal than the silhouette suggests, but these remain occasion earrings.
This piece is brass finished with a gold-tone plating rather than solid gold, which is what keeps the price where it is and the weight low enough for comfortable wear. Plating is a surface rather than a bulk property, so how long it lasts depends almost entirely on what it is exposed to. Perfume, hairspray, sweat, soap and chlorinated water all shorten its life; a dry cloth after wearing and a closed pouch between wearings extend it considerably.
Put these on after perfume, hairspray and foundation. Wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing and use a dry soft brush between the pearl drops and inside the bell, where a cloth cannot reach. Hang or lay them flat in a pouch so the fringe is not crushed, and never use toothpaste, bleach or an ultrasonic cleaner.
Type: Long jhumka earrings. Metal: Brass. Finish: Gold-tone plating with pink enamel. Work: Crescent top with pink cabochon, open arch frame with enamelled butterfly, and a fluted bell with pearl fringe. Closure: Post and butterfly back.
| Metal | Brass |
| Stone Type | Meenakari |
| Weight (grams) | 35.00 |
| Colour/Finish | Gold |
| Occasion | Festival |
| Gender | women |
| SKU/Product Code | KEYU9-04A6BDDFC9 |
