Hand-Strung Colour-Finished Brass — Rectangle Bead Rakhi

Rectangular brass beads, each one dipped in colour and set edge to edge on cotton cord — a rakhi that trades the usual gold-on-gold for something with a little more mischief in it.

The bead here breaks from the round brass most rakhis default to — cast rectangular, then finished in colour, so the wrist gets a run of small bright blocks instead of a single continuous gleam. Strung by hand onto soft cotton cord, the beads sit close together, cool and slightly weighted, the kind of rakhi that stands out against a plain kurta sleeve. Tie it on before the aarti and it holds its colour through a full day of hugging, eating and being pulled into one more family photo than planned.