Wearing Jewellery with a Saree [Complete Guide]

Sarees, the ethereal feminine attire, is self-complete and finished to provide you with an unmatched appearance all alone. However, a wise play of adding jewellery enhances your ethnic look further. So, the question arises how do you accessorize a saree with jewellery? Put an end to your styling worries as I’ll be sharing a complete guide to wearing jewelry with a saree like a fashionista below. 

So how to wear jewellery with a saree? Well, the choice of jewellery varies with the sarees and the occasions. For instance, the lightweight oxidized, pearl, and bohemian jewelry pieces paired with chiffon, georgette, and cotton sarees create a daytime casual and office look. Whereas heavy gold jewelry and silver choker necklaces are perfect for getting a party look with silk and net sarees respectively. 

Similarly, there are more points to remember while choosing the best jewelry for your sarees. Stay tuned, and get along with the article to find an elaborated discussion on accessorizing your saree-look like a pro.

Click here to check out the best type of jewellery available online and recommended by me to wear with a saree.

What Kind of Jewellery Should I Wear with Saree?

Choosing the right jewelry for your saree is essential to obtain a polished look. A mistake in the accessories’ choice creates confusion and imbalance in your appearance. But how do you match saree jewelry? Right from the beginning, clear out some basic notions, and find the jewelry pieces accordingly. So, before picking out jewelry pieces for your saree, ask the following questions to yourself.

• What is the occasion of wearing a saree?
• When will I attend the event?
• What is the material of my saree?
• How is the neckline of my blouse?
• What is the color tone of my saree?
• How heavy or lightweight is my saree?
• What is my body type?
• How will I drape the saree?

Walking a step further, you should think about the jewelry options for your saree-look. But there are a myriad of jewelry pieces available for the sarees in the market. Stud earrings, oxidized jewelry, Kundan sets, choker necklaces, pearl jewelry, Boho accessories, long Jhumkas, and necklaces – which of these will look flawless with a saree, remains a million-dollar question for the ladies. However, once you have the answers to all these questions, things get pretty sorted for you.

A quick checklist on the appropriate jewellery according to the type of saree, occasion, draping, and body type is given right below.

Category	Type of Situation	Jewellery
Based on Occasions	Bridal	Heavy Gold Jewelry
		Temple Jewelry
	Daytime Functions	Pure Silver
		Oxidized Silver
		Bohemian Jewelry
	Office	Pearl
		Silver oxidized
		Bohemian
	College	Afghani Jewellery
Based on Types of Sarees	Silk Sarees	Gold and Kundan Jewellery, Choker necklaces
	Cotton and Linen Sarees	Silver oxidized and Bohemian, Dhokra, Jute, Terracotta, and Beaded Jewellery
	Sheer Sarees	Whitish Gold Kundan Set;Stonework and Diamond Jewellery
	Georgette and Chiffon	Pearl and Beaded Jewellery
	Organza silk sarees	Golden Choker Necklace and Jhumka
	Net Sarees	Gold Jewellery with Golden Work and Silver Jewellery with Silver Work; Kundan Jewellery, Diamond and Stone Work Jewellery
	Chikankari Saree	Diamond Jewellery
Based on Body Type	Round Face	Small earrings and light jewelry
	Petite Body	Hoops, wide earrings, and a long-chain necklace
	Short Neck	Long necklace
	Tall Frame and Oval Face	Long earrings
	Thick Wrist	Thin and Light Bangles
	Thin Wrist	Wide Bangles
	V-Neck Blouse	Chokers and Small Necklaces
	Collar Neckline	Long Necklaces
Based on Saree Draping	Pant Style Saree	Modern earrings, choker, short necklace
	Dhoti Style Saree	Statement Jewelry, Short Necklace, Lightweight Mangalsutra
	Saree with Jacket	Large studs, Long earrings, Nath
	Neck Wrap Style Saree	Long Earrings
	Tunic Style Saree	Oxidized Necklace
	Lehenga Style Saree	Matching Jewelry with Blouse Neckline
	Belted Saree Draping	Kundan Necklace, Statement Belts
	Dupatta Style Saree	Large Earrings

Now that you have gained an overview of picking the best jewelry for your sarees, it’s time to take a deep dive into the art of jewellery with saree matching.

How to Wear Jewelry with Saree According to The Occasion?

Before wearing a saree, you should give a thought to the type of occasion you will be attending. Also, the time of the event influences your decision of carrying specific jewelry with sarees. During the daytime, you can prefer a simple and light saree look. Whereas you can carry a heavy and glamorous avatar at the evening events. To provide you with a much clearer picture, here are the most-appropriate jewelry and saree pairs based on some common occasions.

Jewelry for Bridal Sarees

Brides need to look the most dazzling from head to toe on their D-day. A gorgeous saree like Kanjivaram or Banarasi silk saree, along with heavy and intricately detailed jewelry is all that you require to create the perfect bridal look. 

Although the shades of red are most-preferred for Indian brides, you can also carry pastel-shaded, and champagne-colored sarees. Regardless of the color and material of the sarees, one entity must remain constant for all the bridal looks – heavy jewelry pieces.

Traditional gold and slightly oxidized necklaces, bangles, earrings, and Maangtika jewelry look the most graceful with warm-toned wedding sarees. While accessorizing the bridal outfits, I suggest you follow a layering approach for the necklaces. If your budget allows, go for multiple gold necklaces, a choker, and a slightly longer necklace.

Precaution:

Avoid wearing a choker necklace if you have a shorter neck and a broader face.

Tip 1:

The neckline of your blouse should be visible, and should not overlap with the choker necklace. If you have a higher blouse-neckline, you can skip adding a choker necklace to the outfit.

Tip 2:

Your earrings should not hang too low and have some distance from the shoulders.

Tip 3:

If you are a south Indian bride, the traditional Temple gold jewelry for saree is perfect with Kanjivaram silk sarees. Carry temple necklaces, earrings, tiara, and waist girdles for completing your south Indian bridal look.

Jewellery for Sarees at Daytime Functions

During the day, I aim at creating a simple, street style, and casual saree look. Glittery and shiny sarees and jewelry are a complete no-no at daylight functions. Cotton and linen sarees are basic yet graceful attires for wearing in the morning. Accessorizing such simple sarees with pure silver, silver oxidized, and Bohemian jewelry is perfect for the morning events.

Tip 1:

Avoid wearing shiny pearls and glittery metal jewelry pieces during the daytime.

Tip 2:

Don’t layer your necklaces with simple sarees at the morning functions. Choose either a long necklace or a choker along with sober sarees for attending the daytime events.

Tip 3:

Wear long silver or Boho necklaces with plain body and minimal printed sarees. If you are carrying a printed or patterned saree, go for short length and choker necklaces.

Jewellery and Sarees for Wearing at Offices

A minimal approach is ideal for accessorizing sarees in the offices. I suggest keeping your saree-look as simple as possible. Also, too many ornaments, bangles, and heavy earrings do not blend well in the office environment. You should maintain a difference between the office and festive wears, after all. Choose cotton, linen, and chiffon sarees for wearing in the offices. Add non-glittery and simple jewelry to finish your corporate outfit.

Tip 1:

Pearl, silver oxidized, and Bohemian jewelry pieces are most suitable for office wear sarees.

Tip 2:

Never leave your arms accessorized. Always wear a simple Kada or a watch with basic sarees in the offices.

Tip 3:

You can even skip the necklaces if you choose to wear a high neckline blouse. Carry long earrings or slightly large studs with such blouses for official purposes.

Jewelry and Sarees for Wearing in Colleges

Most probably, you will be wearing a saree at a college function or a festive occasion with ethnic attires as the dress code. I suggest you go for a minimalistic saree styling approach for wearing in the colleges. Subtle accessories and simple sarees look ravishing on any traditional day in the college.

Tip 1:

Afghani silver jewelry and simple sarees make a great outfit for wearing at a college function.

Tip 2:

Don’t carry too many jewelry pieces in the college. Also, refrain from wearing long earrings and necklaces.

How to Wear Jewellery with Each Type of Saree?

Different sarees have different shows. So, a single piece of jewelry cannot go well with all types of sarees. It would be helpful for you to learn about jewelry matching with some common saree styles. Moreover, you can follow a basic rule of choosing jewelry in sync with the saree border and blouse. Here is a breakdown of matching jewelry with some popular styles of sarees.

Silk Sarees

Ladies often ask me ‘what kind of jewellery to wear with a silk saree?’ With heavy silk sarees, like the Banarsi and Kanjivaram sarees, heavy gold jewelry looks ravishing. You can pick out pure gold jewelry for wearing with the silk sarees. Layering the gold necklaces in different lengths is the best way of accessorizing a silk saree. Also, I suggest you try Temple gold jewelry with Kanjivaram sarees to bring out the traditional south Indian look perfectly.

If you want to create a different look, you can even style golden Kundan jewelry with your silk sarees. Kundan and other golden chokers go on-beat with your heavy silk sarees.

Tip:

Avoid wearing stonework and silver jewelry with your silk sarees. The golden Zari in silk sarees will match with the yellowish-tinted gold jewelry pieces.

Cotton and Linen Sarees

Cotton sarees are daily wearing attires mostly. So, carrying heavy jewelry with these casual sarees is a bit too much, and creates a tacky look. Try keeping it simple when you are styling cotton sarees. Wearing stud earrings and long statement jewelry is ideal for cotton sarees. 

The silver oxidized jewelry pieces look equally good with all types of printed, patterned, simple, and mull cotton sarees. The slightly deafened silver polish in the oxidized jewellery with saree creates an undeniable casual look. However, if you are heading on a special daytime occasion, you can even pair pure silver jewelry with the basic cotton sarees.

When it comes to following the trends, carrying Boho jewelry with cotton sarees makes you look like a fashionista. Choose your stud earrings in tandem with the Boho necklace work. If the necklace boasts a golden appeal, wear studs in golden. Whereas, with a silver boho necklace, pair silver stud earrings with the cotton and linen sarees. I prefer carrying a statement Boho necklace for appearing distinct and out-of-the crowd.

Tip 1:

While picking jewelry for your sarees, try aligning them with the border work of your sarees.

Tip 2:

If the saree work is yellowish and golden, match golden and oxidized gold jewelry with such sarees. Whereas, with silver and white saree work, oxidized silver and pure silver jewellery look great.

Tip 3:

For special festive occasions during the daytime, you can even pair pure gold jewelry with a gold-work cotton saree.

Sheer Sarees

Sheer sarees are modern and versatile fabrics, supporting a wide variety of jewelry pieces. There are multiple ways of styling net and organza sarees according to bodywork and occasions. The usually white-based sheer sarees are best paired with stonework and diamond jewelry. Wisely styling silver oxidized jewelry with the net sarees is another sensational trend. 

If your sheer saree is without any silver or goldwork, then you can play with slightly golden Kundan sets even. Kundan choker necklaces and stud earrings enhance the beauty of organza and lightweight sarees.

Tip 1:

Don’t wear silver jewelry with golden saree work. Also, matching gold jewelry with silverwork and white-based sheer sarees are against the rules of fashion.

Tip 2: 

Choker and short-length necklaces look better than long necklaces with net and organza sarees.

Tip 3:

If your sheer sarees have some stone working on the basal area, try out statement earrings in silver oxidized for a distinct appearance. Refrain from carrying gold jewelry and any necklace with such sarees.

Georgette and Chiffon Sarees

The sarees in summer fabrics, chiffon, and georgette belong to the class of regular and casual wear outfits. Styling these versatile sarees is easy, and doesn’t require much brainstorming. Lightweight pearl and beaded jewelry are the outshining matches for georgette and chiffon sarees.

Sometimes the dazzling white pearls look a bit too sparkling and tend to ruin your saree-look. If your regular wear sarees do not have white elements, you can carry slightly tinted pearl jewelry with such sarees. Pinkish and bluish pearl jewelry make the right pair with non-white georgette and chiffon sarees.

Warm and Cool Toned Sarees

Jewelry matching with saree is all about colors, and Karigari. Before accessorizing a saree, consider the color palette of the fabric and work. Now, you have two options – either go conventional or create a contrasting color-play. 

Let me clear out the conventional styling first. I suggest you stick with the rule of warm-toned sarees and gold jewelry and silver jewelry with the cool-toned sarees. Whenever you get confused about the jewelry, you have the perfect answer to “What Jewellery goes with red saree?” – the golden accessories. Similarly, for the bluish and purplish tinted sarees, nothing looks as gorgeous as the pure silver and oxidized silver jewelry pieces.

Apart from conventional color styling, you can also go with a contrasting palette. Here are some times on carrying contrasting jewelry with the sarees.

Tip 1:

Wear brightly colored jewelry in the same tone as the saree. For instance, if your saree is slightly on the peachy pink shade, you can carry dark maroonish pink jewelry along with it.

Tip 2:

You can go out-of-the-box with different-colored jewelry and saree. Emerald green jewelry with purple sarees is trending nowadays.

Tip 3:

Neutral and white-colored sarees slay with bright and contrasting tinted jewelry in the shades of Prussian blue, magenta, and emerald green.

How to Wear Jewellery According to The Style of Saree Draping?

Creating traditional and regional saree-look attracts more eyeballs than regular saree draping. While draping a saree in the conventional look, you should carry regional jewelry as well. During the early days, gold was cheaper, and golden jewelry was common in every household. So, for replicating such a primitive look, I prefer carrying golden imitation jewelry pieces along with. Let’s discuss wearing jewellery with different styles of saree draping.

Bengali Style Saree

A lady draped in a white base and red-bordered Garad saree in the Bengali way looks even more stunning with her Bong accessories. Traditional Bengali jewelry and a bunch of keys hanging from the pallu are essential for creating a primitive look. 

Before draping a Bengali saree, gather all the traditional jewelry pieces with you. Tikli, Nath, Jhumkas, Chur, Bala, and Kaanbala will enhance the look of your Bengali saree. A Paati Haar and a Chik (a choker) will redefine the glamorous Bong avatar effortlessly. Moreover, if you are the bride, flaunting a traditional tiara will integrate into your charm in the wedding.

Marathi Style

Maharashtrian jewelry is the integral component to a Marathi style saree. During any traditional occasion, you will find Marathi women carrying Nauvari sarees with typical jewelry pieces. Nose rings, necklaces, and Gajras are the defining entities in a Maharashtrian outfit. Choose any jewelry among the traditional Marathi collections – Thushi ornaments, Kolhapuri saaj, half-moon necklaces, Chinchpeti jewelry, and Bakul necklaces.

Kerala Sarees

Kerala sarees are the traditional outfits for south Indian women. However, these charming attires have become sensational costumes nationwide. The whitish and golden bordered sarees look even beautiful with traditional gold jewelry. 

You can style the Kerala sarees with any pure gold and oxidized gold jewelry. For achieving a typical Keralan look, accessorize your gorgeous Kerala sarees with Temple gold jewelry. If you are draping the Kerala sarees in the regular style, I suggest adding a waist girdle to define your waist more prominently.

Precaution: Don’t add a waist girdle if you are draping the Kerala saree in lehenga style.

Gujarati Sarees

The elegance of Gujarati sarees is not hidden from anyone. The popular Gujarati style of wearing sarees is a trend among the brides even. Much like any other regional style of saree draping, the Gujarati sarees look gorgeous with traditional Gujarati jewelry collections. The ‘Rani Haar’ or the queen’s necklace, Kundan earrings, and Bajuband are all that you require for ornamenting a traditional Gujarati style saree.

How to Wear Jewellery with Saree Based on the Body Type?

I find most ladies wearing the right type of sarees according to body type. But choosing misfitting jewelry ruins the overall look drastically. So, much like you do while choosing the sarees, considering your body type before selecting the jewelry is a wise habit. Let me ease out the entire process of choosing the best jewellery for sarees based on your body type through the following tips.

What is the Saree Material? 

Tip 1:

Women with round faces must stay away from carrying heavy jewelry with silk sarees. The small earrings provide an oval frame to your face, whereas the long danglers make your face look rounder.

Tip 2:

Avoid wearing large jewelry with sarees if you have a round face. Styling the simple cotton and linen sarees with somewhat heavy jewellery is a much wiser option.

Petite Body Frame

If you have a small petite body, wearing large necklaces will further diminish your frame. Avoid wearing statement necklaces, and carry long chains with medium-sized pendants instead.

The petite ladies must select such jewelry that provides an elongating illusion to their body frames. Hoops and wide earrings are the best type of earrings for such small-figurine ladies.

Shape of The Neck

Women with short necks should not carry small and choker necklaces with sarees. Such necklaces further trim their body frames and give off an unpleasing appeal. Such ladies should wear long chain necklaces that stay separated from the neck region. Also, with heavy-bordered sarees, choosing a long necklace becomes even more necessary.

Long Body Frame

When choosing earrings for the saree-look, ladies with a tall frame and oval face-cut can wear danglers and long earrings. However, they must ensure some distance of the earrings from the shoulders. For ladies with blunt jawline, round face, and short stature, danglers are highly unfavorable.

The Arm Accessories

Saree styling is not restricted to earrings and necklaces. The bangles and Kadas have an equally important place to hold. Women with thick and broad wrists should carry thin and less-detailed bangles with the sarees. Whereas the ladies with thin wrists can say yes to wide and medium-detailed bangles.

Waist Definition

If you do not have a sharp waist, then carrying a waist girdle with the sarees becomes crucial for you. Adding a waist girdle will define your waist and aid the sarees in accentuating your figure.

Based on Skin Tone

The ladies with warmer skin tone slay carrying pure gold, oxidized gold, and ruby jewelry. For lighter skin tones, diamond sets, pure silver, and oxidized silver jewelry are complimenting.

How is The Blouse’s Neckline?

When matching jewelry with different blouses, ladies should consider the neckline primarily. With high neckline blouses, you do not always need to carry a necklace. However, if you wish, you can wear a neckline-aligned necklace or a long one with solid-colored blouses. For off-the-shoulder, deep neck and V-neck blouses, chokers and short necklaces are the best fit. The trending collar-neck blouses make a perfect match with long statement necklaces.

Different Modern Styles of Saree Vs. Jewellery

Modern styles of saree draping are the outcomes of creativity and a remarkable sense of fashion. Styling these sarees is way more difficult than accessorizing traditional sarees. While wearing jewelry with these sarees, you should remain careful of overdoing your accessories as it will deviate the mind from creative draping. So, your overall focus should be on enhancing the outfit with moderate and not-so-heavy accessories. Below I’m sharing the different ways of wearing jewellery with modern sarees.

Pant Style Saree

The Shilpa Shetty famous pant style sarees are a trending ensemble these days. The creative way of draping needs to be the center of focus, and too many ornaments should not mask its beauty. I prefer wearing modern earrings and skipping necklaces with a pant style saree. But if you are wearing a statement blouse with the modern saree, choker and short necklaces are the right jewelry. With collared blouses, you can even wear long statement necklaces. Defining the waistline with a matching belt can level up the fashion game phenomenally.

Dhoti Style Saree

Dhoti style sarees are another trending and modern way of draping. Statement jewelry like a Nath, anklet, and earrings are worth carrying with a dhoti style saree. Based on the choice of the blouse, you can wear short necklaces along with these saree styles. If you are married, you can try out wearing a lightweight and small pendant Mangalsutra along with as well. Refrain from carrying heavy and large jewellery with dhoti style sarees if you aren’t the bride.

Saree with a Jacket

A fashionable twist to the modern style of saree draping is pairing a jacket with sarees. To create this modern look, you require a statement jacket so that the layering remains the center of attraction at any event. Necklaces might ruin the impact of statement jackets in this modern attire. Wearing simple entities like Nath, long earrings, and large studs will enhance the beauty of sarees with jackets.

Neck Wrap Style Saree

The neck-wrap style sarees do not need much accessorizing. Wearing necklaces with a neck-wrap saree is not a great idea. The fabric around your neck does not leave much space for you to display a necklace properly. Long earrings and subtle statement entities are enough accessories for these modern style sarees.

Tunic Style Saree

Tunics are the best modern replacements for saree blouses. With tunic blouses, I prefer a pleated pallu over an open one. If your tunic is solid colored, then you can add a statement oxidized necklace to your outfit. Whereas, if the tunic is slightly heavy, lighter necklaces balance the attire precisely. Also if you are carrying a heavy necklace and a light tunic blouse, I suggest you avoid earrings mostly.

Lehenga Style Saree

Lehenga style saree is fit for wearing at a party or festive occasion. The lehenga style sarees provide you with the opportunity of wearing various types of blouses along with. Based on the neckline of the blouses, and your body type, you can wear any suitable jewelry that matches with the Karigari on your saree.

Belted Saree Draping

Belted sarees create bold attire altogether. With such saree styles, you can carry heavy jewellery even. Since the style is all about belts, adding a designer belt is a must for bringing the best out of the style. When your blouse is comparatively lighter, heavy Kundan necklaces make up the right pair with these sarees.

Dupatta Style Saree

Made popular by fashionista Sonam Kapoor, the dupatta style saree is a trending draping style for almost every occasion. Much like the neck-wrap saree style, the dupatta style saree does not leave much space in the neck region for wearing a necklace. Wearing a designer high neckline blouse and slightly large earrings are an ideal pair with dupatta style saree draping.

Alright, so this was a complete guide on matching jewellery with sarees based on occasions, body type, and draping styles. Remember that jewelry completes a saree look hence wise-playing with these entities enhances your ensemble further. Keep in mind all these tips, put up lots of confidence, and rock your saree-look on all occasions effortlessly.