A belly chain or waist chain is a type of body
jewelry worn around the waist. Some belly chains
attach to a navel piercing; these are also called
"pierced belly chains". They are often made of
silver or gold. Sometimes a thread is used around
waist instead of a chain.
A multi-panelled skirt acquires its graceful fall
with the waist band worn on it. Known as tagadi,
kankati or paiti, a multi-chain waist band has
many variations in design. From ancient times a
waistband, then known as mekhla, resting on the
hip was supposed to add a sensual appeal to a
lady. Quite clearly that fact inspired the
sculpture of that period to depict the waist band
elaborately. For sure, the waistband continues to
be considered the best way to maintain a small
waistline. Because of its implied aesthetics, the
waistband, too, found its place in the bride's
jewellery box.
The English word 'cummerbund' and the German '
Kummerband' for waist-band are derived from the
Persian kamar, waist, and bandi, a band. The word
is prevalent in most northern Indian languages.
The immense popularity of waist ornaments is
evidenced by a large number of temple sculptures,
frescoes and miniature paintings ranging from the
Indus Valley civilization till the nineteenth
century.
To gain the
requisite flexibility, most silver waist
ornaments are made by chaining or threading
together a large number of fine links. Often fine
wire work is employed to gain elasticity. Buckles
are apparently of late Mughal
or British origin. The most popular system for
fastening used earlier comprised of dove-tailed
hinges locked by piercing a pin through the two
ends of the band in position. Often the locking
device was covered with a decorative element.
"Excellent
service, item was delivered in record time,
My wife loved the Belly Chain,
Beautiful!!!!!!!!"
"beautifully
crafted jewelry!"
"Exceptionally fast service. The
handcrafted jewelry is beautiful."
"great
service jewelry was great"
"I'm so
impressed. Beautiful jewelry, timely
service, and delivered in less time than
the average US domestic Media Mail -- all
the way from India, no less! You made our
10th wedding anniversary so special. . ."
"Lovely
jewelry, fast delivery"
"Lovely piece
of jewelry. Simple but beautiful. "
"My shopping
experience with ShalinCraft was excellent.
The ankle bracelets are absolutely
beautiful! They are exactly what I wanted.
My order arrived just two days after I
placed it. The anklets arrived in a pretty
little cloth pouch, inside a beautiful
wooden box. Shipping was super fast and
there was even a personalized note card
with my anklets. Thank you ShalinCraft! "
"Nice one.
They are very careful in shipping and keep
good communication. I will probably go back
to them in the near future."
The jewelry box is beautiful
and the service excellent but i expected
the box to arrive faster than it did but
its the holdiday season and what can you
expect. thank you so much for the friendly
customer service and beautiful box i
definatly will be shopping with you again
thanks for everything
Got box for a 5-year
anniversary present and my wife loves it.
Extremely well-wrapped. I would not
hesitate to purchase from ShalinIndia
again.
This is a beautiful piece of
jewelry and your service is impeccable
THIS IS MY SECOND PIECE OF
HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY FROM ShalinIndia!! I
LOVE MY BEAUTIFUL MULTI GEMSTONE PENDANT
NECKLACE!! IT'S AN ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS
PIECE AND I GOT NUMEROUS COMPLIMENTS ON IT!
KEEP MAKING BEAUTIFUL JEWELRY. THANKS,
CECELIA P.
This is my second purchase
from ShalinIndia. The jewelry is simply
beautiful and the service was excellent. My
experence with them has been a pleasure and
I intend to do business with them in the
future.
This is my third purchase
due to superlative service and very lovely
jewelry products, thanks. The shipping
timeliness is exceptional as well.
