Haldi Earrings: Styles, Hairstyles and How to Match Them to Your Set

Haldi earrings are usually light floral or shell pieces: drops, jhumkas, chandbalis, hoops, studs or earrings with ear chains. Choose the style for your hairstyle first. Long earrings need your hair up or back, and ear chains need it open on one side or half up. Then match the earrings to the rest of your set.

This guide is for brides, sisters and guests choosing earrings for a haldi. Every one of the 90 sets in our shop includes earrings, measured from their product descriptions, so the choice is usually which set's earrings suit you. For choosing the other pieces, read our guide on how to choose haldi jewellery.

Earring styles for a haldi

Our sets carry several earring styles. Drop earrings are the most common, followed by earrings with ear or hair chains, then jhumkas.

Drop earrings

Drops hang below the earlobe and move as you do, which suits a lively ceremony. Long drops need space, so wear them with your hair up. The Pearl and Seashell Ensemble, pictured in this section, has long drop earrings of sage green cowrie-style shells on cream bead clusters. Its page says: "With long earrings, wear your hair up so they hang freely."

Jhumkas

A jhumka is a bell-shaped earring, often with drops or beads below. The Pearl-Shell set in white and gold, pictured at the top, has jhumka earrings made of cowrie shapes in clusters of small champagne beads. Its page says to wear your hair up so the jhumkas show.

Chandbalis and hoops

Chandbalis are crescent-shaped and hoops are round, and both frame the face more than a drop does. The Pearl Paradise beaded set has chandbali earrings in hot pink, yellow and sky blue beadwork. The Vivid Bloom acrylic set has hoop earrings, and its page says a sleek low bun keeps the hoops clear.

Earrings with ear or hair chains

Some earrings carry a chain that is pinned or hooked into the hair above the ear, framing the side of the face. The Blossoming Blush beaded set has earrings with ear chains in hot pink, baby pink and white, and its page says to hook the chains into your hair above the ear.

Matching earrings to your hairstyle

Our product pages give hairstyle advice set by set, and it follows a clear pattern.

• Long drops, jhumkas and chandbalis: wear your hair up, in a bun or a braided updo, so the earrings hang freely and show in photographs.
• Hoops and large cluster earrings: a sleek bun or low ponytail keeps them clear of your hair.
• Earrings with ear or hair chains: wear your hair open on one side, half up, or in a low bun, and pin the chains in so they sit evenly.
• Long earrings with open hair: this can work if you sweep your hair to one side. The Pink Blossom Bridal Fiesta set says to wear your hair open or swept to one side so its long drop earrings show.
• Studs: these suit any hairstyle, but keep the hair back from the ears so they stay visible.

Decide your hairstyle with whoever is doing your hair, then choose the earrings, keeping the rest of your haldi jewellery for bride in mind. Changing the hairstyle on the day can hide earrings that looked right in the shop.

Earrings with the rest of your set

Earrings sit between the maang tikka and the necklace, so they need to work with both.

• Balance the size. Large earrings or ear chains go with a slimmer necklace and a small maang tikka. A wide choker or long layered necklace goes with smaller drops or studs.
• Repeat one element. A shell, a flower or a pearl drop on both the earrings and the necklace ties the set together.
• Let one piece lead. If the earrings are the statement, keep the necklace quiet, and the other way round.

Because every set includes earrings, buying the set is the simplest way to get a match. If you want smaller earrings, look at sets with studs. The Bridal Blossom pearl set has flower stud earrings with a maang tikka, a choker with pearl drops and a bracelet for each wrist. Its page says to wear your hair back so the studs stay visible.

Comfort through a long haldi

A haldi can run for hours, and earrings are the piece you notice most by the end.

• Try them on for an hour before the day. That shows you whether a long or heavy pair is comfortable.
• Choose studs or short drops if you do not like weight on your ears.
• Pin ear chains into your hair. The product pages advise it, and it stops the chains swinging loose.
• Wipe them after the ceremony. Turmeric paste is applied to the face, so earrings can pick some up. Wipe them gently with a soft cloth, and follow the care steps on the product page.

If the mehndi follows on the same day, choose earrings whose colour suits both outfits. You can then keep them on and change only the heavier pieces.

What to check before you order

1. The photographs. Look for a photo of the earrings being worn, so you can see their length against the face.
2. The title and description. The description names the earring style, such as drops, jhumkas or earrings with ear chains.
3. Your own outfit. Hold the outfit up in daylight and check the earrings' colour stands apart from it.
4. The pieces included. Check what comes with the earrings, such as a maang tikka or haathphool.

Where to look in our collections

The haldi ceremony collection and the sea shell jewellery collection both carry sets with drop earrings, jhumkas and earrings with ear chains.

Final thoughts

Choose your hairstyle first, then the earring style that suits it: long earrings with hair up, ear chains with hair open on one side or half up, studs with anything. Match the earrings to the necklace and maang tikka, and try them on for an hour before the day.

Quick checklist

• Decide your hairstyle before choosing earrings.
• Wear long earrings with your hair up.
• Pin ear chains into your hair.
• Balance earring size with the necklace.
• Try the earrings on for an hour first.
• Wipe them gently after the haldi.