Men's Ethnic Jewellery

Jewellery was never just for women. Odara's men's collection brings the same craft and curation to two things a man actually wears: the kada, in gold-plated and rhodium finishes with jaguar motifs and self-line designs, and the layered wedding mala — seven-strand onyx and green bead necklaces with moissanite tukdies. From ₹2,500 to ₹6,000.

The kada

The kada is the oldest and most widely worn piece of men's jewellery in the subcontinent, and the least fussy. Odara's are broad, solid and finished on both faces — one side often carrying a wavy or jaguar motif, the other a dotted rhodium or plain gold-plated treatment, so the same piece reads differently depending on how it sits.

Rhodium is worth understanding: it is a hard, bright white-metal plating, and it wears considerably better than gold plating on a piece that takes daily contact. The two-tone designs here use rhodium and gold together, which is both a design choice and a practical one.

A kada is worn on one wrist, alone. It does not stack and does not want a watch on the same arm.

The wedding mala

The seven-layer malas are the dress pieces — 17 inches, built from onyx or green beads in multiple strands, with moissanite tukdies at the centre and sides. These are worn by the groom and by close family at weddings and sangeets, over a sherwani or bandhgala, and they are scaled to be seen in photographs.

Moissanite is a hard, high-brilliance stone that throws more light than cubic zirconia, which is why it holds up under the heavy lighting of a wedding stage.

Buying for a wedding

Match the mala's metal tone to the groom's other jewellery — the kada, any rings, and the brooch or kalgi if one is being worn. Mixing gold and rhodium across a single look rarely reads as intentional.

Order three to four weeks ahead so the pieces can be seen together in daylight against the actual outfit. Screen colour is a poor guide to how a green bead mala will sit against a particular sherwani.

The bride's side is covered in the Wedding Collection, which also carries maangtika, nath and kamarbandh.

Care

A kada worn daily will collect marks — that is expected on a piece this size, and rhodium hides it better than gold plating. Remove it before the gym and before anything involving water or chemicals. Wipe with a dry cloth.

Store beaded malas flat, never hanging: the weight of seven strands stresses the stringing over time.

Common questions

Is the kada adjustable? No — kadas are fixed. Check the dimensions on the product page against your wrist before ordering.

What is moissanite? A hard, brilliant stone used in place of diamond. It throws noticeably more light than cubic zirconia and holds up under stage lighting.

Do you stock men's rings? The deity-motif rings in Rings are worn by men and women alike, particularly the Ganpatiji designs.