The SO NOW fashion accessory - Shamballa

I met up with my friend for a girly afternoon last Tuesday. As I sat there flashing my new buy, shamballa, it suddenly became a topic of conversation. She said I'm the third person she has seen wearing them, and that the other two are guys. It is a clearly that this is a trend which has been picked equally by men and women.














Shamballa was originally a legend of hidden kingdom that is mentioned in various ancient texts. Shamballa gradually came to be seen as a pure land, a fabulous kingdom whose reality is visionary or spiritual as much as physical or geographical. Today, Shamballa is regarded as a place of “peace, tranquility, and happiness”. Some Tibetan medical texts those are believed to have come from this kingdom of Samballa describing human anatomy and physiology, sophisticated theories and methods of diagnosis, and ways to prevent and cure serious diseases. It is also said that Shamballa is the dharma chakra, located in the heart of all living beings. It is the symbol for the mind, completing the trinity of body, speech, and mind.

The shamballa/ shambhala/ sambhala bracelet is originally a religious charm inspired by ancient traditions of Buddhism and Tibetan,  with spiritual philosophy of meditation, yoga and holistic medicine. They are believed to encourage spiritual healing, peace, tranquility and happiness. Shamballa bracelets are traditionally made from hemp cord, leather or nylon straps which are then embellished with beautiful stones or beads. The typical shamballa bracelet will have 5 to 7 beads or stones set within the bracelet which woven together with symmetrical braids. Each bead or stone used in the shamballa bracelet is said to symbolize a particular belief or philosophy such as peace, harmony, enlightenment or spirituality.

Mads Kornerup is believed to be behind this movement of shamballa to become fashion pieces and now the likes of Nialaya, Tresor Paris, Jada Styles, Utopia and more are designing and stoking them - from high end shops such as Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus and Harrods to high street shops such as Essential. They come in a variety of styles (bracelets/ neclases), colours, materials and bling. Their price ranges from around



 £2 right up to £3k, well if you can afford real diamonds. 

And if you didn't know, right now they are  the newest must have accessory craze, and they have become the new height of cool. HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway,HRH Princess Kasia al Tahani of Kuwait; hip hop and R&B Moguls Jay-Z, Kanye, Lil-Wayne, Busta Rymes,Usher and Ciara; actors Ashton Kutcher and Daniel Day Lewis; actresses Helena Christensen, Joy Bryant, Lindsay Lohan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mary Kate Olsen and Demi Moore; basketball legend Michael Jordan; basketball players Lamar Odom and LeBron James; tennis Legend Boris Becker; singers Rihanna, Beyonce and Toby Keith; stand-up comedienne, television host and actress Ellen DeGeneres; football players Mesut Özil and Wender Bremen; Italian model and socialite Bianca Brandolini and  well.... ME are just some who like to wear Shamballa.

What not to like about them?
They are so eye catching and discretely CHIC!