(From top) Actress Rimjhim Mitra poses in ornaments from Chandrani Pearls; model Ishika decks up in jewellery from Saakshi; items on display at Artisana. Pictures by Pabitra Das and Rashbehari Das

What: The Bridal Festival of jewellery at Diagold.

Where: City Centre. Ground floor, Block DC, Shop no C-002.

The festival: The collection provides exquisite choices for the occasions of sangeet, mehndi, wedding and the reception. On offer is a variety of cascading pendants, broad necklaces, cocktail rings, chandelier earrings and broad cuffs in precious and semi-precious stones.

Light jadau sets with gold and foil work are apt for the mehndi ceremony. The majority of the jadau collection that is sourced from Jaipur and Bikaner draws inspiration from jewellery worn by the north-west royalty.

For the sangeet it could be the Navratan sets believed to be auspicious. The wedding collection though smart and trendy has a very traditional apppeal.

Diamonds, big ruby drops, south sea pearls and emeralds are ornately set in beautiful patterns. From cognac browns to peachy pinks, ruby reds to aqua blues, the palette is a riot of hues.

Pocket pinch: Starts at Rs 15,000 and can go into lakhs.

Voiceover: “The wedding trousseau today comes adorned with lots of stones. The collection in jadau and studded stones is custom-made to match bridal drapes,” stresses Meenakshi Modi, proprietor of Diagold, City Centre.

Wedding buys

What: Wedding Collection at Saakshi.

Where: City Centre. Ground floor, Block DC, Shop no D-002.

When: Launched on January 12, the collection is here stay.

The festival: The collection includes jewellery for all occasions before and after D-Day. Those attending a wedding have a wide variety to choose from, too.

The bridal range with traditional and flowery designs offers heavy necklaces, long sitahars, maang tikas, payels, hathfuls, baajubandhs, toe-rings and key rings.

While one can opt for the kundan and polki sets, those with an eye for linear designs can go for broad but sleek American diamond pieces.

Also on offer are the antique finish studded sets that draw inspiration from the Victorian age. The showstealers are the chandelier earrings. Long and beautifully designed, they are suitable to match any ensemble.

The jewellery with a solid plating of 1.5 gm of gold will take care of the colour and finish. Electroplating makes them last.

Pocket pinch: Starts at Rs 600, goes into a few thousands.

Voiceover: “The range being affordable, customers can pick up varieties to experiment with their ensembles,” says Nikhil Kothari of Saakshi.

(From top) A glimpse from a fashion show at the closing function of the North East Exposition (NEXPO) 2005-2006 at Swabhumi on Wednesday. Organised by the Resident Representatives of eight northeastern states and the Indian Chamber of Commerce, the six-day fair saw a grand ending with music, dance sequences, fashion display and awards given away for the best stall, cultural troupe and best designer; model Tanusree shows off jewellery from the new bridal range at Diagold. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Pearl pick

Where: Coochbehar Hall, The Oberoi Grand.

When: January 13, noon.

The event: On the occasion of Chandrani Pearls 21st anniversary celebrations, actress Rimjhim unveiled the latest collection from the pearl house alongside company director Kuldip Nayar and his wife Lakshmi Nayar.

Named the jaali or the netted collection, it comprises finely crafted neckpieces, bangles, bracelets and ear-tops adorned with pearls.

Sets to look out for include the rose-coloured heart-shaped pendants, the moon-shaped complete sets surrounded by stars and the Fire and Ice done with red and white stones.

The jewellery house is also giving a special discount of 10 per cent on all pearl sets from January 14 to 23.

Voiceover: “Pearls are fast becoming the choice of today’s women. A pearl can go a long way to enhance your beauty as it has both simplicity and elegance. The new collection is heavy and is just about ideal for party wear. It has been observed that more and more women are moving away from traditional jewellery and are willing to experiment with the new stuff,” said Nayar.

“The pearl market has witnessed a significant increase over what it was when we first came into the market. We have plans to set up shop in another four cities by March this year,” added the director of Chandrani Pearls.

Pocket pinch: The jewellery is priced between Rs 3,000 and Rs 9,000.

Bengal best

What: Heddle Eye ? from the looms of Bengal.

Where: Artisana at 13, Chowringhee Terrace.

When: Till January 15.

Pocket pinch: Rs 1,350 to Rs 3,500.

The exhibition: On display is a variety of exquisite saris, scarves, quilted bags, throws and bedcovers.

The colour palette tilts towards ethnic Indian hues like rusts, creams and oranges and you can spot unique weaving techniques in this exhibition by Bappaditya Biswas and his team of traditional craftsmen from Burdwan and Phulia.

You can see an interesting range of reversible saris that employ the technique of double cloth weave. Regular weaves like the herringbone also catch the eye.

Modern sequins find a place in tiny pockets in the creations. Chanderi with a Bengali twist and jamdani techniques in a modern avatar are some of the other highlights.

Voiceover: “Our work is not just weaves, but exclusive pieces of art. We play around with various yarns like tussar and cotton to create novel textures. The basic idea is to lend a very contemporary look to the creations while keeping tradition intact. This goes a long way to reach a wider market,” says Bappaditya.