Taruja Wooden Earrings – Hand-Painted Red & Black Dangle Earrings

Taruja Wooden Earrings – Hand-Painted Red & Black Dangle Earrings

Taruja begins as a geometric form cut from Maple and Ebony, then goes to a painter. The red and black motif is drawn by hand, one pair at a time, over the wood's own grain — so the brushwork sits on a surface that is already alive rather than on a flat blank. The geometry takes a loose cue from Indian folk wall painting, though it reproduces no single tradition. Red and black is the oldest pairing in Indian decorative craft, and it is doing here what it has always done: carrying weight without needing size.

The pair weighs 10 g. It reads as a substantial festive earring and wears like nothing at all, which is the trade wood makes possible and metal does not.

What Taruja is made from

• Wood: Maple and Ebony, responsibly repurposed exotic hardwoods
• Finish: hand-painted motif in red and black
• Shape: geometric
• Findings: metal alloy hooks
• Weight: 10 g per pair
• Sold as: one pair
• Made in: India, handcrafted and hand-painted by skilled artisans

Painted by hand, so painted differently every time

No two pairs of Taruja carry identical brushwork. Line weights shift, curves fall slightly differently, and the wood beneath — Maple pale, Ebony dark — takes the paint in its own way. A machine-printed pattern would be uniform. This one is not, and that is what tells you a person made it.

How to style Taruja

Red and black is a festive palette, but it is also more versatile than it first appears:

• Festive dressing: Durga Puja, Navratri, Diwali, Poila Boishakh — red carries celebration in a way no other colour does
• Sarees: exceptional against black, white, cream, mustard and off-white drapes; particularly good with red-bordered handloom and Bengali cottons
• Kurtas and ethnic sets: lets a plain black or white kurta do considerably more work
• Western wear: a black dress or white shirt gives the motif room to be seen

The one thing to avoid is a heavily embroidered or printed outfit in the same red family. The motif needs a quiet background — that is when people come close to look at it.

Caring for hand-painted wood

Painted pieces need slightly more care than bare wood, because the finish sits on the surface:

• Put your earrings on last, after perfume, hairspray, makeup and skincare
• Keep them away from alcohol-based products, sanitiser and nail-polish remover — solvents lift paint
• Remove before bathing, swimming or exercising
• Wipe only with a soft, dry cloth; never rub at the painted area
• Store in the box or pouch provided, on their own, away from moisture, heat and direct sunlight
• Handle by the metal findings rather than the painted surface

Another hand-painted design

If you like the red-and-black palette but want a different form, see Aarushi — hand-painted in the same colours, on a Boxwood and Ebony body rather than Maple, and a distinctly different design.

Shipping

Dispatched within 2–3 working days. Free shipping on prepaid orders within India; delivery is typically 2–3 days to metro cities and 5–7 days elsewhere in India. Cash on Delivery is available at selected locations with a ₹50 cash-handling charge. Taruja ships worldwide, arriving within 5–10 days of your order — import duties and local taxes are payable by the recipient.

Frequently asked questions

Is Taruja hand-painted or printed?
Hand-painted. The red and black motif is applied with a brush by an artisan, pair by pair, onto wood that has already been cut, shaped and finished. Nothing is transferred, stamped or printed.

What wood is underneath the paint?
Maple and Ebony — Maple pale, Ebony dark. Both are exotic hardwoods repurposed from offcuts of fine wood craftsmanship rather than cut new for jewellery.

Will the paint chip or wear off?
Not with ordinary wear. What damages hand-painted wood is solvent and abrasion: perfume sprayed directly onto the piece, sanitiser, nail-polish remover, or scrubbing at the surface. Keep those away and wipe only with a dry cloth.

How heavy are they?
10 g the pair. Light enough for a full day of festive wear, which matters more than it sounds — most earrings this size are worth taking off by the evening.

Can Taruja get wet?
Please avoid it. Water is harder on painted wood than on bare wood. Take them off before bathing or swimming, and if they do get damp, pat dry immediately with a soft cloth and let them air-dry fully.

Will my pair look exactly like the photograph?
The design will be the same; the brushwork will not be identical. Hand-painting varies pair to pair, and the Maple and Ebony beneath varies too. If two pairs looked identical, they would not be hand-painted.

What are the hooks made of?
Metal alloy. If your ears react easily to metal, please write to us before ordering and we will help you decide.

What occasions suit red and black earrings?
Festive dressing above all — Durga Puja, Navratri, Diwali, Poila Boishakh — along with weddings, sangeet and evening events. Red and black is also easier with everyday black, white and cream than most people expect.

Do these work with sarees?
Very well. Black, white, cream, mustard and off-white drapes give the motif the contrast it needs, and red-bordered handloom cottons are a natural pairing. Avoid busy prints in the same red family.

How should I store them?
In their own box or pouch, separate from other jewellery so nothing presses or rubs against the painted surface. Cool, dry, out of direct sunlight.

What if my order arrives damaged?
Write to us within 48 hours with photographs and your unboxing video. The video is required for damage, missing and wrong-item claims, so please film yourself opening the parcel.

Do you ship internationally?
Yes, worldwide, generally arriving within 5–10 days. Import duties, customs and local taxes are payable by the recipient.