Indian jewelry isn’t one style. It’s a set of regional traditions that have been borrowed from each other for centuries, and knowing the vocabulary makes it far easier to find what you’re looking for.

The jhumka is the bell-shaped drop earring, rooted in South Indian temple jewelry, and the single most recognisable Indian piece in the world. Filigree, or jali work, is the fine open lattice that makes a large piece feel light in the hand. Temple jewelry takes its motifs from South Indian architecture: lotus, peacock, deity forms. Meenakari is the enamel work of Rajasthan; kundan is the setting technique behind most bridal pieces, and polki uses uncut diamonds in the same tradition.

Almost all of it, as sold, is ceremonial. Bridal sets are engineered for one day and priced accordingly. That’s worth saying plainly: most of the Indian jewelry people already own is beautiful and almost entirely unwearable on a Wednesday.

The everyday version keeps the design language and changes the engineering. Lighter forms, hollow-built drops, secure clasps, and a base metal that doesn’t react with skin. Indu pieces are built on 316L stainless steel, finished in 18k gold plate or left polished silver; never brass, never alloy. They’re waterproof, tarnish-free and hypoallergenic, which means the shower, the gym and the washing-up stop being decisions.

If you’re starting out, start with earrings. Micro and mini jhumkas carry the most heritage per millimetre and sit happily with a kurta or a blazer. A pendant with meaning behind it, the Lotus or the Om, is the natural second piece. Gold reads traditional; silver reads modern and sits more quietly at work. Both are made the same way underneath.