For generations, the wedding ring has been one of the world’s most recognized symbols of marriage.
Yet long before the wedding ring became universal, other cultures carried their own symbols of love, commitment, and protection.
Among them is the mangalsutra.
A sacred necklace traditionally given during the wedding ceremony, the mangalsutra has symbolized marriage, love, protection, and the union of two souls within South Asian culture for centuries.
Much like the wedding ring in Western traditions, it remains one of the most meaningful pieces of jewellery a woman may ever receive.
Yet outside the communities that cherish it, its story remains largely unknown.
That may be beginning to change.
“Meaningful symbols have a way of transcending borders.”
As women move across cultures, cities, and identities, the symbols they wear are evolving with them. What was once inherited is now chosen. What once belonged to tradition is now shaped by personal expression.
Today’s woman carries heritage, but expresses it globally. She values meaning, but she also values individuality. Her jewellery reflects both.
WITHIN THIS SHIFT, THE MANGALSUTRA IS BEING REIMAGINED.
While its significance remains unchanged, its expression continues to evolve alongside the women who wear it. The black beads traditionally found within the mangalsutra were believed to offer protection and guard against negative energy—symbolism that remains just as relevant today as it was generations ago.
Modern interpretations favour refinement, versatility, and designs that move effortlessly between ceremony, celebration, and everyday life. Materials such as black onyx—often associated with strength, grounding, and protection—offer a contemporary expression of symbolism that has long been central to the mangalsutra itself.
For many women, the challenge has never been the meaning of the mangalsutra. It has been finding a version that moves effortlessly between tradition and modern life.
What was once prescribed is now personal.
What was once traditional is now timeless.
Perhaps, much like the wedding ring before it, the meaning behind the mangalsutra may one day resonate far beyond the communities in which it began.
Not because tradition is being replaced. But because meaningful symbols have a way of transcending borders.
As a South Asian woman, descendant of jewellers, and daughter of a gemologist, I have spent much of my life surrounded by jewellery and the stories it carries.
The most enduring pieces are rarely the most extravagant. They are the pieces that mean something. The pieces we reach for repeatedly. The pieces that become part of our identity.
As women move between cultures, careers, occasions, and personal styles, many are looking for ways to carry meaningful traditions into their everyday lives.
The significance of the mangalsutra has endured for generations. Its expression, however, continues to evolve alongside the women who wear it.
That belief inspired Lily & Kahani—a vision shaped by South Asian symbolism, European refinement, and the belief that meaningful jewellery should move effortlessly through a woman’s life.
The future of symbolic jewellery may not lie in choosing between tradition and modernity. It may lie in bringing them together.
And perhaps the next great symbol of love will not replace the wedding ring at all.
It will simply coexist beyond it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Breena Raniga is the Founder & Creative Director of Lily & Kahani, a luxury jewellery brand inspired by the intersection of South Asian symbolism and European design influence. As a descendant of jewellers and daughter of a Vancouver gemologist and private jeweller, her work explores the evolution of meaningful jewellery for the modern woman.
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