Head Jewelry for South India Brides: Nethichuti

South Indian weddings are all about long dark tresses, jasmine flowers and lovely traditional jewelry. The hairdo for the wedding day is set using heavy temple jewelry head sets and pieces like rakodi, jada billai and kunjalam (decorative addition for the hair).

In this blog, we will take a look at the latest trends available in nethichutti for the brides this year.

This is a traditional temple jewelry set complete with surya and chandra bimbam. 

Now let us look at a few modern variations of the same set. For those affluent ones, here is a beautiful set of nethichutti set in diamonds and gem stones.

Note how the width of the nethichuti has paved way for a more elegant design with intricate patterns studded with sparkling diamonds. If you intend to sparkle, then a single nethichuti designed with elegant swirls and stars (like the one above) is just enough.

This bride has avoided the normal chandra and surya bimbams quite wisely as it would have been a definite overkill with that heavy choker on her neck.

Coordinating the nethichutti with the rest of the jewelry would look great especially if you are wearing gem studded ones.

If you wish to keep things simple, a single strand of pearl headpiece would look elegant, classic and beautiful. And if your face is oval in shape, loosely hanging head piece would give it more character.

Yet I wouldn't give up on these, as retro and vintage are back in town again...

La Peregrina Pearl

I am starting this blog with the most famous salt water natural pearl ever in existence; The La Peregrina Pearl. Beautifully adorned with rubies, this lovely salt water pearl has graced the exquisite neck of many queens, noblewomen and a hollywood celebrity.

The History

The La Peregrina literally means 'the pilgrim' or the 'the wanderer'. And true to its name, it has travelled through centuries adorning many beautiful women in the process.

La Peregrina - 'The Pilgrim'

Discovered on the isle of Santa Margarita at the Gulf of Panama in 1513, by a slave who dutifully gave it to his master, Don Pedro de Temez, the administrator of the Spanish colony in Panama. Apparently the slave got his freedom for this, which seems to be a fair bargain on the hindsight!

Temez takes the largest pearl in the world, to Spain and gives it to Philip II of Spain who presents it to his new bride Mary I of England.

A part of the Spanish crown jewel, the La Peregrina became the all-time favorite jewel of Spanish Queens. 

In 1808, Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon's elder brother) was crowned as the King of Spain but within five years he had to abdicate due to the revolt. And when he fled Spain, he took La Peregrina and few other crown jewels too. He had it in his possession until his death and then left it to his nephew Napoleon III. Exiled in England, Napoleon sold it to an English nobleman, James Hamilton, who later became the Duke of Abercorn. He bought it for his Duchess Louise. 

So from Spain to France and France to England, the 'pilgrim' stayed on with Hamilton's family until they put it up for auction in Southeby in 1969. And it was bought by Richard Burton for his wife Elizabeth Taylor (during their first marriage).

One of the prized possessions of Elizabeth's, the La Peregrina was put up for auction after her death in 2011. Fetching a record amount of $10 Million dollars, the Jewellers Symbolic & Chase are the proud owners of this prized jewel now. 

Did you know?
Did you know that once Elizabeth lost the 'pilgrim' and after some frantic searching, found it inside her puppy's mouth who was chewing on it?