necklaces
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July 04, 2026
It starts with your grandmother's jewelry box
Almost every Telugu bride has a memory like this. Sitting on the floor next to her grandmother, watching her open an old steel box wrapped in a cotton cloth. Inside, there's a kasulaperu with coins worn smooth from years of wear. A vaddanam that's been to four weddings. A mangalsutram that's older than your mom.
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June 03, 2026
Two necklaces, one grandmother's trunk
Ask any South Indian family about their heirloom jewelry and two names come up again and again. The mango mala. And the kasulaperu.
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March 04, 2026
A necklace that came from the sea
Picture the coast of Andhra Pradesh a few hundred years ago. Boats pulling in at sunrise. Divers bringing up oysters from the warm water. Somewhere in a workshop nearby, a goldsmith sitting cross-legged, stringing tiny pearls one by one onto fine gold wire.
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February 14, 2026
Standing at the counter, totally confused
You're on a video call with your mom and the jewelry shop. The salesperson says, "This one is Nakshi, this one is antique, this one is Kundan." Your mom nods like it's obvious. You nod too. You have no idea what the difference is.
