From Necklace to Wrist: How Shilpa Shetty and Sonam Kapoor Helped Rework the Mangalsutra Fashion Rule

The Celebrity Hour

The mangalsutra has repeatedly found itself at the meeting point of tradition and contemporary fashion. While the necklace remains an important marital symbol across many Indian communities, celebrity styling over the years has shown that its form and even the way it is worn -is not necessarily fixed.

One of the more striking variations has been wearing the mangalsutra around the wrist.

Shilpa Shetty was photographed sporting her mangalsutra as a wrist accessory as far back as 2011, years before the idea became a recurring talking point in celebrity fashion coverage. Sonam Kapoor later brought renewed attention to the styling choice after her 2018 wedding to Anand Ahuja.

But a closer look at the history also reveals an important distinction: not every black-beaded bracelet seen on a celebrity is necessarily a mangalsutra. That makes the story less about one new Bollywood "trend" and more about how jewellery associated with marriage has gradually been personalised, redesigned and reinterpreted.

Shilpa Shetty was wearing her mangalsutra on her wrist years ago

Shilpa Shetty married businessman Raj Kundra in 2009. By December 2011, entertainment coverage was already documenting the actress wearing her mangalsutra around her wrist rather than conventionally around her neck.

That timeline matters because wrist-worn mangalsutras are sometimes presented as a relatively recent celebrity fashion development. In Bollywood terms, however, the styling choice has been visible for well over a decade.

Shilpa's approach also demonstrated something that has since become increasingly familiar in bridal jewellery: a traditional object does not necessarily have to lose its symbolic identity when adapted to a more wearable format.

Sonam Kapoor personalised the idea after her 2018 wedding

Sonam Kapoor's interpretation was particularly personal.

After marrying Anand Ahuja on May 8, 2018, Sonam was photographed during Veere Di Wedding promotions wearing her mangalsutra around her wrist alongside other jewellery. Contemporary reports documented the unconventional styling, which also generated criticism from some social-media users at the time.

The jewellery itself carried details specific to the couple.

According to a post from jeweller Usheeta Rawtani cited in contemporary coverage, Sonam was involved in designing the mangalsutra. Its design incorporated symbols representing Sonam's Gemini and Anand's Leo zodiac signs, accompanied by a solitaire in the centre.

That makes Sonam's example notable for two reasons: she changed not only how the piece was worn, but also helped personalise what it represented visually.

Where Priyanka Chopra fits into the conversation

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is an important figure in the broader modern-mangalsutra conversation, although her association should be distinguished from the clearly documented wrist styling of Shilpa and Sonam.

Priyanka married Nick Jonas in December 2018 and has subsequently been closely associated with contemporary interpretations of the jewellery. In 2021, after becoming a global ambassador for Bvlgari, she was involved in the launch of the luxury house's India-exclusive mangalsutra design. Vogue India reported the collaboration at the time, while the Bvlgari design featured black onyx and diamonds in 18-karat yellow gold.

The connection became topical again in February 2026 when Nick Jonas appeared during promotions for Priyanka's The Bluff wearing a black-beaded bracelet that viewers widely interpreted as a mangalsutra-style piece.

There is, however, conflicting reporting about exactly what Nick was wearing. While several outlets described it as a mangalsutra or mangalsutra-inspired bracelet, NDTV subsequently identified the accessory as a nazariya bracelet, noting that viewers had confused it with a mangalsutra.

For that reason, it would be inaccurate to use Nick's appearance as definitive evidence that he was wearing Priyanka's mangalsutra.

The bigger change is personalisation, not one accessory trend

Celebrity jewellery over the past decade suggests a broader shift beyond simply moving a necklace from the neck to the wrist.

Sonam's customised zodiac elements are one example. Bvlgari's India-specific interpretation represented another: an international luxury house translating recognisable elements of the mangalsutra into its own contemporary jewellery language.

The wrist version fits within that larger evolution.

For some wearers, a smaller or adaptable design can work more naturally with Western clothing and everyday wardrobes. For others, the conventional necklace remains inseparable from the meaning of the jewellery. Neither approach needs to be treated as universal; mangalsutra customs themselves vary across Indian communities.

What Bollywood has unquestionably done is make those different approaches far more visible.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The interesting part of the wrist-mangalsutra story is its longevity. Shilpa Shetty was already being photographed wearing one this way in 2011, while Sonam Kapoor's version became a major fashion talking point seven years later. What can appear to be a new celebrity trend in 2026 therefore has a much longer pop-culture history.

It also reflects a wider change in celebrity bridal style. Rather than abandoning traditional jewellery, stars have increasingly personalised its design, scale and styling. Sonam's zodiac-inspired piece and Priyanka's later association with Bvlgari's contemporary interpretation demonstrate two different ways in which the mangalsutra has entered modern luxury and fashion conversations.

The important editorial distinction is not to label every black-beaded wrist accessory a mangalsutra. The confusion surrounding Nick Jonas's bracelet in 2026 is a useful reminder that visual similarity alone is not enough to establish what a piece of jewellery actually is.