Earrings: Jewellery That Adds Beauty to your Face

Yes. I mean that. Let’s restrict ourselves to just the face. What jewellery items would we wear on in, on, or around our faces? Earrings, nose-rings and jewellery for the head – like the nethichutti. And what is it that wear 24×7? Especially as Indian girls/women? Earrings.

I’ve found myself buying earrings as gifts very often. Even now, I’m writing this after browsing through the latest designs of gold earrings online. I was looking for a gift for my niece, who has cracked the NEET medical entrance exams, and has been accepted in a medical college of her choice.

Let me be honest. For very long, I just took earrings for granted. I wore them through school and college, because I had worn them forever. I changed into earrings that my mother chose for me whenever there was a wedding or event. No questions asked, not much attention paid. Yes. I think I was that dream obedient daughter who was not at all difficult to raise!!!

But my perception of the humble earring changed, when my daughter’s ears were pierced when she was 28 days old. The wise, older people in my family believe that it’s the right age for ear piercing. First, the child goes to the priest or jeweller without protest. And second, the earlobe being tender, piercing and healing is both easier and faster.

I was nervous. I worried that my little baby would feel pain, and she was too young and tender to be subjected to this. My grandmother, who was around then, shooed me away. Melodramatically, before the piercing, I insisted on holding my daughter in my arms once and looking at her face intently the way nature intended it to be. I waited in the bedroom, while the event happened in the pooja room, with a priest and a jeweller in attendance. In about 20 minutes, my grandmother brought in my little bundle of joy. “Here,” she said, “All done.” What?! I hadn’t heard so much as a squeal!!

I carried her in my arms, and looked at that face. She was wearing little gold earrings that I now know my mother had bought earlier. And her face had transformed!! She looked so much more beautiful than she had done just half-hour ago! She seemed to have sharper features, a better- defined jaw line Ok, I know she was only 28 days old, but honestly, I felt it!!

That’s when the truth hit home. Earrings are a big deal. Something we Indian girls (well, most of us) take for granted through our childhood, can make a real difference to the way your face looks. I began to pay more attention to the earrings I wore after that day. And I have a collection that I’m proud of. Work earrings, fun earrings, traditional earrings, earrings to match my antique jewellery – it’s a thoughtfully and carefully accrued collection.

These days, it’s also fashionable to pierce and wear earring along the earlobe. Some ladies have just one additional piercing, but there are many who have several ancillary piercings. And the range, variety and choice available in earrings is so vast, that it becomes difficult to pick one pair. I’ll save more details on this for another blog. Earrings deserve that lengthy talk & time..!!

In many communities, ear piercing is done for boys too. And these days, we have grown men wearing ear studs in either one or both ears. Like our Gods, priests and kings did. Social norms have come full circle. Men wearing earrings is accepted, without raised eyebrows or hushed whispers of disapproval. Another character and personality defining piece of jewellery is the ring. The finger-ring. I’ll narrow it even more. I refer specifically to gold rings for women. Another blog, another day…

Wondering where to get earrings? Vaibhav Jewellers would be my first choice. The weight of their gold earrings ranges from 2-3 grams and goes up to 50 grams.

You don’t have a Vaibhav Jewellers store near you? No worries, you can buy their jewellery online. Here’s what they offer…