DIY Payal/Jhanjar (Indian Anklets)

Have you ever met a desi girl who doesn’t like wearing payal? (Or jhanjaran, as they are called in my family). I think everyone secretly loves walking into a room making just a subtle “chun chun” sound. In fact, when I was a teenager my mom used to try to discourage me from wearing them. Her theory was, if you wear payal every guy – even the ones that weren’t going to turn and look, are going to know you are coming. Classic desi mom behaviour.

(*Pink Chai Living is almost 9 years old! So I’ve decided that each week I’ll be re-sharing one my favourite, or one of our most popular posts moving forward! Here’s a fun post originally published June 2015)

diy payal

Me, being the forever rebel, never stopped wearing them. I’ve actually amassed quite the collection of dainty anklets, but of course, that didn’t stop me from trying to DIY a pair! I love the idea of making payal as girlfriend gifts, getting together to do them as a group activity, or even making custom sized ones for the littlest ladies in your life.  These are the simplest type of payal you can make, and it took me about 15 minutes to make this set!
diy payal

 

DIY PAYAL – SUPPLIES

Supplies
Gold chain
Jump rings
Lobster clasp
Individual ghungroo*
Jewelry pliers

*For the ghungroo, ask at a local desi shop that sells costume jewelry, or you can order online. Another idea, is to look for ‘gold jingle bells’ on Amazon. There are some that look pretty decent!

Also, if you are new to jewelry making projects you can always check out the dollar store before investing in a lot of supplies. I’ve seen a lot of tools there recently, and it’s a great way to test out a hobby before committing.

INSTRUCTIONS:

diy payal

Start by cutting your gold chain to the length you want your payal to be. I used a pair I already had to measure, If you don’t have a pair, just wrap the chain around your ankle and size it. 

Next, decide how much space you want between each of your ghungroo. I went this 1.25″. I decided to eyeball the spacing all the way around. If you want a more precise look, use a Sharpie to mark the exact spacing.

Adding the ghungroo:

Start by opening the jump ring with your plier and slip it through the ghungroo.

diy payal

Insert the jump ring through the chain at your pre-determined intervals and squeeze the ring closed. Don’t apply too much pressure when closing or the jump ring will loose it’s shape or break.  Continue adding ghungroo until you get to the end of the chain, then add a lobster clasp.

diy payal

diy payal

The lobster clasp finishes the payal on the ends. I would suggest buying a better quality lobster clasp from your local bead store or Michael’s. The dollar store version doesn’t cut it. 

Just like that you are ready to hit the road and rock your new payal with a pair of cute mojris {Punjabi shoes}

PS: I also pair my payal with high heels which I think is a perfect evening look!

diy payal

 

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DIY Payal // Indian Anklets | Pink Chai

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11 Comments

  1. May 25, 2015 / 9:51 am

    Such a great DIY! Never thought to make my own payals before. I have a heavy dancer style ones from India that I’m obsessed with and always wear whenever I can. Love your khussas as well.

  2. salmadinani
    May 25, 2015 / 9:42 pm

    I actually love anklets or payal. I don’t know why I stopped wearing them. Love the simple DIY.

    • May 28, 2015 / 6:27 am

      Such a great alternative to ghungroo! Thanks for sharing your find & taking the time to comment 🙂

  3. July 14, 2015 / 3:00 am

    Hey Raj…, Its beautiful payal having small piece of ghungroo, its stylish and i would also like to wear it.

  4. vinaya
    May 4, 2018 / 10:54 am

    Good post

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