A mention of the matha patti may, for the less fashionable, bring to mind memories of when you had fever and your mother placed cold compresses on your forehead to bring the temperature down. But matha patti is something very different.

It is a trendy piece to jewellery or hair accessory for women worn above the forehead. The parting or maang tikka, a chain with a pretty pendant at the end that one wore over a middle parting in the hair and the jhoomar, worn on one side, are now making way for the matha patti, which is more like embellished side chain supports for the pendant or tikka. It won’t be wrong to see the matha patti as a combination of both the tikka and the jhoomar. It is ideally made from gold and the pendant can be kundan but silver and bronze also look amazing.

The matha patti may be worn over neatly tied up hair or even long or shoulder-length hair left open, making one look like an elegant princess or maharani. And even better if you are not into wearing heavy necklaces, this chain across the forehead completes the look while accentuating the face.

A new trend in jewellery is making waves these days

The accessory is more popular among Pakistani and Indian brides though it is also becoming popular in the Arab world. There it may even have more than one chain on either side.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, February 21st, 2016