Conch Bangles Research Paper

Conch shell carving
Adorning human body was not just a way of beautification in India it was a portrayal of the skills that the craftsmen possessed by using natural materials like stone, bone and shell. Seashell was one such abundantly used resource. The long coastline of India provided seashell which became an important handicraft of the area. Carving, engraving and painting on the conch shell is difficult so it is done by very few and highly skilled craftsmen with the help of specially made saws, files, chisels and hammers. Conch ornaments have a glorious tradition in India especially the conch bangles which were once regarded as a proud possession by Indian married women but the lifelong wearing of the conch bangles is diminishing gradually

They have started to follow ideas, values and norms which express the manner of their living and thinking. Inheriting and wearing of conch shell bangles have been decreasing as women’s have stopped following the age old custom of life long wearing of these bangles. Culture is imbibed through direct instruction or thought observation imitation and adoption. It is not stagnant it is changing with time space and need of the people. So the designs of the bangles have evolved with the changing fashion and trends. Now the conch shell bangles have gold inlayed in them which complements the red and white color. Many women wear them as parts of accessories when they match with their dresses or in occasions when they have to dress in traditional attire. The loha or the iron bangle may be coated with gold and is used as an everyday accessory. Many Hindu Bengali women may give up wearing shakha and pola bangles. But, usually, they do wear the iron bangle. The sankhari have started to make bangles which incorporated both the red and the white bangles i.e. the pola and sakha into a single bangle as bangles make a lot of noise which is not preferred by some women while they are working in the