Silver Temple Jewellery

Temple jewellery began as ornament for the deities themselves — the gold that dressed bronze figures in the temples of the south, and later the dancers who performed before them. The vocabulary has barely shifted in three centuries: Lakshmi seated in her cusped arch, the kasu coin repeated along a chain, the mango turning like a paisley, the twin-headed gandaberunda. We work all of it in 92.5 sterling silver with 22K gold plating, which keeps the weight closer to something you will actually reach for.

Much of what sits here comes from our Sangam line, drawn from old Chettinad pieces — deep coral against pearl, an antique finish that looks as though it has been in a family longer than it has. Around it are the classic South Indian forms: kasu mala strung with Lakshmi coins, guttapusalu with its clustered pearl drops, mango mala and long haarams, matilu ear chains, and jhumkas weighted so that they swing properly.

Brides usually want a set seen together rather than a piece at a time — necklace, jhumka, maang tikka and matilu laid out at once. That is far easier across a counter, so if you are in Hyderabad the Experience Centre in Jubilee Hills is worth the trip. Everything here is handcrafted in India, carries a one-year plating warranty and ships free nationwide. For the kundan and polki side of the same tradition, see Maithili.