Glass, kundan or antique — what's actually different

Glass bangles

Exactly what it sounds like: coloured glass, shaped into a bangle and worn as-is or cut and stone-set for extra sparkle. This is the lightest option on the wrist, the one made for stacking six or eight at once, and — because a plain glass bangle needs no hand-set work — the most affordable. Our 6 glass ranges run from clear jelly-finish colour to fine-cut, stone-set detail:

• Intricate Glass Bangle — Fine-cut glass with a hand-set sparkle that catches every light in the room.
• Jelly Bangles - Glass Bangles — Translucent jelly-finish glass in clean, saturated colour.
• Pastel Palette Glass Bangle — Soft, powdery shades made to be stacked and layered.
• Petal Stone Glass Bangle — Petal-set stones running the full round of the bangle.
• Phool Glass Bangle — A floral motif worked into the glass, shade by shade.
• Square Edge Glass Bangles — A squared profile that sits flat and reads sharp against round bangles.

The trade-off: glass has no give. It doesn't bend to fit like a metal bracelet would, which is exactly why getting your size right matters more here than for almost anything else you'd wear.

Kundan and stone-set work

Kundan is a setting technique, not a material — small stones (or polished glass standing in for them) set by hand into a border or motif, traditionally backed in gold-toned foil so the light catches from underneath as well as on top. It's slower, more detailed work than a plain bangle, which is why it costs more and why two kundan-set pieces are never quite identical — each one is set by hand. Our Border Bangles range is built entirely around this: the body stays plain glass so the worked border — kundan, pearl-and-gold stone, or a premium non-bendable stone setting — is what carries the whole piece.

Antique-style and statement pieces

"Antique" here describes a look, not age — an oxidised or matte gold-toned finish and heavier, more worked designs styled after traditional temple jewellery. These are the pieces a stack gets built around rather than filled out with: worn one or two at a time, not six. Our Ornate group covers this ground — Statement Bangles, Kada and Designer Side Bangles — the wide, worked bangles, solid kada meant to be worn singly, and the slimmer designer sides made to flank them.

Layering pieces

Not a material at all — a role. Slim, quieter designs made to sit either side of something bigger, not to lead a stack themselves. Border Bangles and Gunghroo both fall here: pick one of these once you already have a statement piece or a kundan border bangle to build around.

Side by side

Indicative starting prices across current stock — see each range for exact pricing by colourway.