The Lambani tribe is among India’s oldest surviving nomadic communities. Hailing from Maharashtra and north Karnataka, they have preserved their traditions for centuries. Their jewellery has its own unique character. Women craft and wear vibrant necklaces, earrings,and elaborate body jewellery. These are usually made with copper and silver, and combined with handmade cloth beads, thread and coins.

The nomadic Lambanis or Banjaras originally migrated from the Gor region of Afghanistan. Stories say they moved with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to Rajasthan, and have since spread across various Indian states, including Karnataka.

Women complement their heavily embroidered traditional attire full of mirrors and shiny metals with chunky Lambani jewellery. Many of these pieces are crafted from materials like animal bones, silver or brass and are cherished as part of a wedding trousseau. The collection includes chotla (for braiding), topli (caps), bhuria (nosepin), and kniya (earrings). As gifts, they receive rapyar, chhed, hansli and wankya haar for the neck. Their arms are adorned with Baju bandh, or armlets called kasotiya and bachhela. Matli kangan and baliya (bangles) adorn their wrists. Their fingers showcase rings named iti, phula and sharbari, and their anklets include ghode, khaus, jhanjariya, wankdi and kasse.

Since Lambani metal jewellery is heavy and visually distinct, the most interesting contemporary versions are where coins and other trinkets are changeable based on personal style. So, a belt with coins, a small clutch with Lambani metalwork on it, or the Lambani hansli (metallic neckband) as part of a fusion wardrobe.

Any information on this page is anecdotal and based on publicly available details. If you're interested in learning more, click here.