You have seen it on a Marathi bride or high on a friend's ear at a family wedding, and now you want to know what it is called and whether you can wear one without a new piercing. Bugadi earrings are ear ornaments worn on the upper ear, along the curved rim called the helix, rather than on the lobe. Traditionally they were gold set with tiny pearls; today you can wear one through a helix piercing, as a clip-on, or as a bugadi-style stud in an ordinary lobe hole.
I am Nandita, and we make silver jewellery in Jaipur, so I come to the bugadi as a maker and an admirer rather than a Maharashtrian. This guide covers what a bugadi is, the museum pieces that show what the old ones looked like, how it fastens, how to wear one with or without piercing, and what to check before you buy a silver one.
In short
- A bugadi sits on the upper ear (the helix), not the lobe. Museums also catalogue it as bugdi or koppu.
- Surviving old pieces are gold with clusters of pearls and screw-in fasteners. A koppu at the V&A, made in Madras around 1885, is just 1.1 cm across the metal.
- No helix piercing? A clip-on bugadi grips the rim of the ear instead. You can also wear a bugadi-style stud in the lobe.
- A silver bugadi should be stamped 925, meaning 92.5% silver. "Oxidised silver finish" on a listing describes colour, not metal.
- Our Gumbad Bugadi is sold as a single piece or a pair, which suits the one-ear look.
What is a bugadi?
A bugadi is a traditional Maharashtrian ear ornament worn high on the upper ear, along the helix, rather than on the lobe, classically made in gold set with clusters of small pearls and fixed through a piercing with a screw-in back. In Marathi it is written बुगडी, and you will see it spelled bugadi, bugdi and bugudi.
The idea is not confined to Maharashtra. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a koppu from Madras, made around 1885, which its catalogue describes as "worn at the top of the ear", with simulated pearls hanging from its lower edge. The metal part is 1.1 cm across and the whole piece is 5 cm long with its drops. The V&A's other koppu pieces come from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, so the upper-ear ornament clearly travelled well beyond one state, even if the word bugadi belongs to Marathi.
What the old ones looked like
Singapore's Indian Heritage Centre has a pair it catalogues as gold and pearl bugdi or koppu ear studs, dated to the 18th or 19th century and attributed to Western India. Each head is built from dozens of pearls held in gold wire around a single ruby, and the screw-in fasteners have pyramid-shaped tips. The record notes that such studs were usually worn in the upper part of the ear.
That is the classic form: a small, domed cluster of pearls on the front, a screw post through the cartilage and a decorative back so the piece looks finished from both sides. Notice what it is not. It is not a dangling earring and it is not heavy. It hugs the ear.
The bugadi in Maharashtrian culture
In Maharashtra the bugadi belongs to the dressed-up traditional look, alongside the nath (nose ring), worn with a nauvari or Paithani saree for weddings and festivals such as Gudi Padwa. Families differ on when and how it is worn, so ask the women in your own family before you take any rule from the internet, including mine.
It even has its own song. The 1959 Marathi film Sangtye Aika gave us the lavani "Bugadi Majhi Sandli Ga", sung by Asha Bhosle, written by G. D. Madgulkar, set to music by Vasant Pawar and picturised on Jayshree Gadkar. The title has a woman telling everyone that her bugadi has fallen. Nearly seven decades later, losing a bugadi is still the most relatable thing about it.
Traditional vs modern bugadi: what has changed
| Traditional bugadi | Modern silver bugadi | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Upper ear, through a helix piercing | Helix piercing, clipped onto the rim, or as a stud in the lobe |
| Metal | Gold | 925 sterling silver, often oxidised for contrast |
| Decoration | Clusters of small pearls, sometimes one red stone at the centre | Domes, silver beading, filigree, pearl drops |
| Fastening | Screw-in post with a decorative back | Screw or push back, open clip, or a cuff |
| Piercing needed | Yes | Not for clip-ons and cuffs |
| When worn | Weddings, festivals, with nauvari or Paithani | Festive and everyday, with sarees, kurtas or a shirt |
| Worn by | Women | Anyone; many designs are unisex |
Modern bugadi earrings in silver: three ways to wear them
1. Through a helix piercing
This is the traditional route. A helix piercing goes through cartilage, not the soft lobe, so have it done by a professional piercer and ask them how long to wait before you change the jewellery. Once it has settled, a bugadi stud with a secure back sits exactly where the old ones did.
2. As a clip-on, with no piercing at all
Our Unisex Gumbad Ear Clip is a dome of silver with small silver beads around it, set on an open wire that grips the upper rim of the ear. The listing puts it at about 2 g. If you want something flatter and more lacy, the Filigree Band Earclip is an open band of fine silver filigree, about 1 g, that sits on the rim or lower down near the conch. We photograph both on the upper ear, where a bugadi lives.
To put on a clip-on bugadi:
- Slide it onto the thinnest part of the upper rim, near the top of the ear, where it passes most easily.
- Move it down or up the rim to the spot where you want it to sit.
- If it feels loose, press the opening closed very slightly with your fingers; if it pinches, open it very slightly.
- Adjust as little as you can. Bending any metal back and forth repeatedly weakens it, so find the fit once and leave it there.
3. As a bugadi-style stud in the lobe
The Silver Unisex Gumbad Bugadi takes the classic two-sided form, a domed front with silver beading and a decorative back, and we photograph it in the lobe. It is sold as a single piece or a pair, and the listing puts a single at about 1 g. If you want to wear it in a helix piercing, message us before you order so we can tell you whether the post suits your piercing.
For the pearl look without a cartilage piercing, the Pearl Raag Ear Cuffs run a curved silver bar from a lobe stud up to a cuff on the upper ear, with pearl drops hanging along the way. It is a modern answer to the old pearl bugadi, and the price is for a pair.
Before you buy a silver bugadi
Here is the truth bomb. "Oxidised silver finish", "German silver" and "silver-toned" all appear on ear pieces sold as bugadi, and none of them promises silver. German silver contains no silver at all; it is an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel. A real sterling silver bugadi is 92.5% silver and should carry a 925 stamp. Every Smith Jewels piece is stamped 925, and every order comes with an authenticity certificate confirming the silver is 925. Our guide on how to tell if silver is real before you buy online covers the other checks.
Expect real silver to tarnish. On an oxidised bugadi the darker recesses are deliberate, and they are what make the beading stand out. Wipe it with a soft silver cloth, keep it away from water and perfume, and store it in the pouch it came in. Avoid chemical silver dips on oxidised pieces, because they strip the darkening you paid for. Our guide to oxidised silver jewellery explains the rest.
Why I love the bugadi as a silversmith
I think the bugadi is one of the cleverest ornaments India ever made. Most earrings hang from the lobe and pull it down. A bugadi hugs the curve of the ear, so a piece weighing a gram or two can change your whole profile. You feel it more than you see it: the cool of the metal on cartilage, the faint ridge of the beading when you tuck your hair back.
In our Jaipur workshop, where my family has worked with silver since 1985, our gumbad pieces are handcrafted and finished by hand by our karigars, and on a dome this small every bead and every edge shows. That is fiddly work, and it is why I would rather you wear one bugadi you love than six you bought for the photograph. I also like that our gumbad pieces are unisex. We photograph them on a man because a dome on the ear simply suits everyone.
If you are planning a nauvari look for a wedding this season, pair a bugadi with a nath and keep the rest quiet. Our post on wearing silver with sarees and ethnic wear has more on balancing it, and if you are still deciding about piercing, read our guide to silver ear clips and ear cuffs that need no piercing.
Frequently asked questions
Which part of the ear is a bugadi worn on?
A bugadi is worn on the upper ear, along the outer curved rim called the helix, not on the lobe. Traditional pieces screw through a helix piercing. Modern clip-on versions grip the same rim without a piercing, and some bugadi-style studs are designed for the lobe, so you can choose the placement that suits your ears.
Do you need a piercing to wear bugadi earrings?
No. A traditional bugadi needs a helix piercing, but clip-on bugadis and ear cuffs simply grip the rim of the ear. If you do want a piercing, it goes through cartilage, so have it done by a professional piercer and follow their advice on how long to wait before changing jewellery.
What is the difference between a bugadi and an ear cuff?
A bugadi is a specific traditional ornament from Maharashtra, usually a small domed or clustered piece worn high on the ear. An ear cuff is any piece that wraps around part of the ear without a piercing. A clip-on bugadi is both: the traditional bugadi form, fastened like a cuff.
Can men wear bugadi earrings?
Yes. Many modern bugadi designs are unisex, and a small silver dome on the upper ear suits any face. Our Gumbad Bugadi and Gumbad Ear Clip are both unisex, and we photograph them on a man. If you are new to it, start with a single clip-on and see how it feels.
Bugadi earrings, worn your way
Bugadi earrings are one of the oldest upper-ear ornaments in India, gold and pearl in their classic form, and they translate beautifully into silver. Wear one through a helix piercing, clip it on, or start with a stud in the lobe. Check for the 925 stamp, let it tarnish a little, and wipe it when it does. Real Silver. Made to be worn every day.
