Shakha, Pola and Loha: What Bengali Bangles Are Made Of and How to Care for Them

The shakha is carved from sankha, the conch shell. The pola is dyed coral, historically Corallium rubrum or its Indian Ocean cousins, though most bangles sold today use treated coral or coral-coloured resin over a coral base. The loha is iron, sometimes plated in silver or gold, sometimes left plain. A Bengali married woman wears all three on each wrist, and the materials are not interchangeable. Each one has a different hardness, a different reaction to water and heat, and a different way of failing.

Conch shell sits at roughly 3.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, softer than glass, softer than most metal. It is calcium carbonate in a layered crystalline structure, which means it can absorb acids, including the mild acid in sweat and in most soaps. Prolonged contact with water softens the surface layer over time; chlorinated pool water and harsh detergents accelerate this. The shakha does not snap from a single blow as often as people expect, it cracks from repeated low-level stress: a bangle twisted while pulling on a tight sleeve, or knocked against a stone kitchen counter at the same spot every morning. Store shakha bangles wrapped in soft cotton, away from other hard jewellery. Clean them with a cotton cloth barely dampened with plain water, then dry immediately. No ultrasonic cleaners, no silver polish, no lemon.

Natural coral is also calcium carbonate, close in composition to the shakha but denser and more brittle in cross-section. The red colour in genuine pola comes from carotenoid pigments in the organic matrix; harsh chemicals bleach it. Resin-based pola, which is most of what is sold at mid-range and lower price points, is more forgiving of water but sensitive to heat and to acetone. Nail polish remover dissolves the surface of resin coral. Direct sunlight for extended periods fades the red. The pola is the bangle most likely to chip at the edge when it meets a hard surface at an angle, because the strike lands on a thin cross-section rather than the rounded back. Keep pola away from perfume spray, apply perfume first, let it dry, then wear the bangles.

Iron rusts. This is the single most important fact about the loha, and it is the one most often ignored because the bangle looks sturdy. Plain iron loha will begin to show rust within days of sustained contact with water if it is not dried properly. Silver-plated loha is more forgiving until the plating wears through at the inner edge, which it will, because that is the surface in constant contact with skin. Once the base metal is exposed, rust follows. Dry the loha first after washing hands, iron dries slower than skin. If rust spots appear on unplated iron, a paste of baking soda and water applied with a soft toothbrush and rinsed immediately will lift surface rust without scratching. Do not use steel wool or abrasive pads.

The three bangles sit against each other all day. The loha, being the hardest, will gradually score the shakha if they knock together repeatedly, which they will, because bangles move. Some women separate them with a thin thread or a small rubber ring between the iron and the conch. Others simply rotate the loha to the outer position so it takes the impact from the outside world rather than transferring it inward. Neither solution is traditional; both are practical. When removing all three together, slide them off as a set rather than pulling the loha away first, the iron edge catching against the shakha is one of the most common causes of a crack that looks like it came from nowhere. The three bangles are made to be worn together. They are not made to be stored together.