Evil Eye Payal with Four Nazar Beads

Where the single-bead version of this anklet is a quiet charm, this one is a statement of the same idea. Four nazar beads sit in a row at the centre of the chain, each separated from the next by a coiled silver-tone spacer, so the group occupies a good two inches across the front of the ankle and is impossible to miss.

The design

The nazar — the blue glass eye — is worn across Turkey, Greece, West Asia and most of India as a guard against the evil eye, on the old understanding that envy carries weight and that a blue eye returns the look. Four of them in a row is the folk-logic answer to wanting more protection, and it has the incidental effect of making the anklet far more visible.

The chain either side is a snake chain: close-coiled, round in section, with no visible links, lying flat and smooth against the skin. The beads are deep cobalt glass with a white and pale-blue eye, strung so they sit level rather than rolling.

How to wear it

Wear this one when you want the anklet seen — with a saree, a short kurta, cropped trousers or bare ankles in summer. Under a full-length trouser hem the whole point of it is lost, and the single-bead version in this range is the better choice for that.

How it fits

No sizing required: the band is open at the back and flexes to fit. Set it gently the first time you wear it rather than adjusting it on every outing.

Materials, and looking after it

The metal is brass with a gold-tone finish over it, not gold, and nothing on this page describes it as gold.

If you are building a set, the pieces in this collection share a finish and a gold tone, so a necklace and a pair of earrings bought separately will match on the body. That is not something you can rely on across different brands, where one plating can be visibly cooler than another.

Delivery runs two to five working days within India from the day the order is dispatched, and five to twelve working days for international orders; Sundays are not counted. Returns follow the policy published on this site. Returns follow the policy published on this site; tell us on arrival if anything is wrong and we will sort it out.

Nothing here is hallmarked and nothing here holds resale value. What it holds is design: shapes drawn from a jewellery tradition several centuries old, made at a weight and a price that let you match a piece to one outfit without thinking twice about it. That is a perfectly good reason to buy jewellery, and it is the only claim this page makes.

Take it off before washing, swimming or sleeping, wipe it with a dry cloth, and keep it in a pouch rather than loose where other pieces can scuff it. Payment is prepaid in every case. We do not run cash on delivery.