Long gold earrings fall from the lobe to the jaw and beyond — the karanphool jhumka first among them, a flower at the ear with a bell below. Ours are set in kundan with meena inside the dome, and made to be worn with a sahara chain.
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Inside a karanphool jhumka
Four parts make the long earring a Rajasthani bride wears — our Karanphool Jhumka among them.
Karanphoolकर्णफूल
The 'ear flower': a round plate, usually set with kundan, that covers the lobe and carries everything below it.
Jhumkaझुमका
The bell or dome hung from the flower. It swings as you move, and its inside is often enamelled.
Latkanलटकन
Pearls or small drops round the bell's rim, which add sound and movement.
Saharaसहारा
A fine chain from the earring up into the hair. It takes the weight off the lobe, so a heavy pair can be worn for hours.
Wearing
How to wear heavy long earrings
Put them on before the hair is done
The sahara pins into the hair, so wear the earrings first and style round them.
Turn the screw back firmly
It holds the flower flat against the lobe under the bell's weight.
Pin the sahara behind the ear
Take the chain up and back and pin it just behind the ear, where it is hidden and pulls straight up.
Check from the side
In a mirror, the flower should sit flat on the lobe. If it tilts forward, shorten the sahara a link.
What is a long earring called?
It depends on its shape. A jhumka is a bell; a karanphool jhumka adds a flower above the bell; a chandbali is a crescent; a latkan or drop is any long hanging piece; and the chain that carries a heavy one into the hair is a sahara — in South India, the mattal. In English they are all drop or dangle earrings.
What is the difference between a jhumka and a karanphool jhumka?
A jhumka is the bell alone, hung from a stud. A karanphool jhumka adds a broad flower at the lobe above the bell — larger, heavier and usually bridal.
Which hairstyle suits long earrings?
Hair up — a bun or a braid — lets them be seen and leaves room to pin the sahara. With open hair, a lighter pair that needs no sahara is easier.
Are the inside of a jhumka and its back enamelled too?
Often, yes. On a meenakari jhumka the colour is fired inside the bell and on the back of the flower, so it shows as the earring swings. Enamel is fired before the stones are set, so it is part of the design from the first drawing.