Compact Chandbali Kashmiri Earrings with Bell Chains

A compact crescent set with a coloured stone, a small jhumka beneath it, and two fine chains hung with bells falling below. Available in Baby Pink Mint, Yellow, Blue, Baby Pink, Yellow Green, Red, Green and Green Red.

Kashmiri Length at a Smaller Scale

The Kashmiri style is usually sold in its most elaborate form, which puts a lot of people off — the ear cuffs and hair hooks demand a particular hairstyle and a certain amount of commitment. This version keeps the chains and bells that define the style but shrinks the decorated top to a compact crescent, so you get the movement and the length without the production. It is the easiest entry point into the style.

Design Details

The crescent is small and set with a stone at its centre, with fine beading around the curve and a row of tiny pearls along the lower edge. A miniature jhumka hangs beneath it. From the crescent's outer points two chains descend, each carrying a cluster of small bells at the end and one or two along the way. A decorated finial sits above the crescent at the lobe. Warm gold throughout.

Eight Colourways

Three of the eight are two-tone — Baby Pink Mint, Yellow Green and Green Red — where two shades appear in different parts of the design. Red and Green are the traditional single colours. Yellow, Blue and Baby Pink are the softer options.

How to Style It

Hair up, though these are forgiving enough that a loose low bun still works. Neck bare or a thin chain. They suit silk and cotton, and the modest scale means they can be worn to a daytime function without looking overdressed.

Occasion

Weddings, festivals, pujas and daytime functions.

Comfort

Light. The crescent is small, the jhumka is hollow, and the chains and bells weigh very little, which makes this one of the easier Kashmiri designs to wear for a full day.

About the Gold-Tone Finish

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. Treated sensibly, the colour holds for a long time.

Care

Put these on after perfume, hairspray and foundation. Wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing and use a dry soft brush around the stone settings and through any fringe or chain. Store them flat and on their own in a pouch so the chains do not tangle, and never use toothpaste, bleach or an ultrasonic cleaner.

Product Details

Type: Kashmiri chain drop earrings. Metal: Brass. Finish: Gold-tone plating. Work: Stone-set beaded crescent, miniature jhumka, twin chains with bell clusters. Closure: Post and butterfly back.

- Available colours: Baby Pink Mint, Yellow, Blue, Baby Pink, Yellow Green, Red, Green, Green Red