A gold choker necklace sits close round the base of the throat: the broad aad of a Rajputi bride, the three-stone timaniya, a kundan choker fringed with pearls. Ours are set by hand in kundan meena and polki, and many tie on a silk dori so the fit can be eased.
Fit
How should a gold choker fit?
A gold choker should sit on the base of the throat without pressing on it: you should be able to slip a finger between the necklace and your neck, and swallow without feeling it. Rigid chokers are made to a measurement; chokers on a dori — a twisted silk cord — tie at the back and can be loosened for a long evening.
Most chokers fall between 12 and 16 inches end to end, the choker and collar lengths of the standard scale — on a choker, more than on any other necklace, one inch changes how it looks.
Send my neck size
Measuring
How to measure your neck for a choker
Two minutes with a tailor's tape, and the choker is drawn to you rather than to an average.
Measure the base of the neck
Put the tape where the neck meets the shoulders — where a choker actually rests, not higher up the throat — and read it snug, without pulling.
Add for comfort
Add about one inch for a choker that sits close, two for one that rests lower. The finger-space test above should still pass.
Check it against the blouse
Hold a ribbon cut to that length against the blouse you will wear. If the neckline is high, the choker may need to sit closer; if it is wide, a little lower.
Send us both numbers
The neck measurement and the length you liked. For a rigid aad we draw the curve from them; for a dori choker we set the length of the gold and leave the cord to do the rest.
Pairings
Four ways to wear a gold choker
On its own
With a high or boat neckline, let the choker be the only necklace. A pair of chandbalis or jhumkas is all it needs beside it.
Over a rani haar
The bridal pairing: the choker at the throat, the long rani haar falling below it. Choose the two in the same stones so they read as one.
With a single pendant
For a lighter evening, a slim chain with one pendant under the choker fills a deep neckline without the weight of a full haar.
With a matching tikka
A choker sits close to the face, so it is seen together with the earrings and the maang tikka. Matching the stones across all three is what makes jewellery look made as a set rather than gathered.
Before you choose a choker
The side against your skin
Turn it over. On a kundan meena choker the back is enamelled, and it should be smooth all the way round, with no edge to catch the skin.
The dori's colour
The silk cord shows at the back of the neck. Ask for it in a colour that disappears against your blouse — maroon, red, black or gold are the usual ones.
The hallmark
Look for the BIS hallmark on the gold, often on the back plate near where the dori is tied.
Who should wear a choker necklace?
Almost anyone, by choosing its width. A slim choker suits a short neck because it leaves skin showing above it; a broad aad suits a longer neck, which it fills. With a ghagra choli or lehenga, a choker works best with a high, round or boat neckline; with a deep one, add a long necklace below it.
What is the difference between a choker and a necklace?
Where it sits. A choker is short — 12 to 16 inches — and stays on the throat whatever you do; a necklace of 18 inches or more hangs and moves. A choker frames the face, so it is seen with the earrings; a longer necklace draws the eye down the outfit.
Can I get a lightweight gold choker?
Yes. An open design, a narrower band or fewer stones all bring the gold down, and a timaniya — three elements on a cord — is among the lightest chokers there is. Tell us the net gold you have in mind at the start, and we draw to that figure rather than reducing a heavy design afterwards.
Which earrings go with a gold choker?
Earrings that drop clear of it. A choker fills the space at the throat, so chandbalis or jhumkas hanging below the lobe balance it, while very broad earrings can crowd a wide aad. The earrings and choker should share their stones.
Can a choker be adjusted after it is made?
One on a dori adjusts every time you tie it. A rigid choker can be eased only a little without stressing the setting, so give us the measurement before it is made rather than after.