The Journal
Choosing a pendant for a mangalsutra
A mangalsutra is worn more than any other piece of jewellery a woman owns: every day, through work, cooking, sleep and travel. The pendant on it therefore has to meet a standard almost nothing else in a jewellery box has to meet. Style comes second to that, and the good news is you don't have to give up much of it.
In short
Check your chain first: the pendant’s loop must pass over its strands, so send us a photo of the chain against a ruler. Choose a design that looks large but sits light, in a bezel, channel or low-prong setting. A laboratory-grown diamond and moissanite are both hard enough for daily wear; moissanite costs less for the same size. Our pendants are priced without a chain.
Start with the chain you already have
Most people are choosing a pendant for a chain they already own, often one with family meaning. Before you fall for a design, check three things about the chain:
- How thick are the strands? The bail — the loop at the top of the pendant — has to pass over them.
- How many strands? Two strands need a wider bail than one.
- How does it fasten? Some chains can't be opened to thread a fixed bail, which means the pendant needs an openable bail instead.
Measure the strand thickness with a ruler if you can, or photograph the chain against a ruler and send it to us. We will tell you whether a given pendant will pass over it before you order.
We sell pendants on their own, priced without a chain, precisely because most people already have one.
Weight matters more than you think
A pendant worn all day pulls on the chain and on the neck. Heavy designs are beautiful for an evening and tiring by Thursday. For a mangalsutra, favour a design that reads large but sits light: a well-spread setting, an open gallery, a larger-looking shape rather than a heavier stone.
This is also where moissanite earns its place. For the same size on the chest it costs considerably less than a laboratory-grown diamond, so a daily piece can be generous without being an heirloom-sized decision.
Settings that survive daily wear
Everyday wear means knocks, clothing, sleep and hair. The settings that cope best:
- Bezel — metal around the whole stone. The most protective, and nothing to snag.
- Channel or flush — stones sunk into the metal with nothing protruding.
- Low-profile prongs — fine, but keep them short.
- Avoid tall prongs and exposed points. A pear or marquise pendant should have a prong over each point.
Settings explained sets out what each one does.
Stone and metal
Both a laboratory-grown diamond and moissanite are hard enough for daily wear; neither will be scratched by ordinary life. The metal is the part that shows wear.
Solid gold keeps its colour all the way through. Plated silver is the affordable route, and on a pendant a plating lasts far longer than it would on a ring, because so little rubs it — the detail is in how silver finishes wear. Re-plating is free on gold for as long as you own the piece; on silver we charge the cost of the plating.
If the chain is gold, matching the pendant's metal and colour to it keeps the two from looking like separate purchases. Bring us a photograph and we will advise.
Styles differ from family to family
What a mangalsutra pendant should look like is a family and regional matter, not a jeweller's decision, and we don't presume to tell anyone what theirs should be. What we can do is make a design in the shape and size you want, in the metal and stone you choose, to fit the chain you already wear.
If you have a design in mind
Send it to us — a photograph, a sketch, a piece you have seen. We will tell you what is possible, what it would cost and how long it would take. Making takes about 15 days.
Quick answers
- Do your pendants come with a chain?
- No. They are priced without one, so you can use the chain you have.
- Will the pendant fit my mangalsutra?
- Send us a photograph of the chain against a ruler and we will check the bail before you order.
- Which stone is best for daily wear?
- Both a laboratory-grown diamond and moissanite are hard enough. Moissanite costs less for the same size.
- Which setting is safest for everyday?
- A bezel, then channel or flush settings.
- Can you make a pendant to match my existing chain?
- Send a photograph and we will tell you what is possible.