Bangles are ornaments worn mainly by women, but men may also choose to wear, on their arms and wrists. They are usually circular in shape, and, unlike bracelets, are not flexible. The word is derived from Hindi bungri (glass).

Bangles are part of traditional Indian jewelry. In India, bangles are usually worn in pairs, one or more on each arm, and a single bangle is rarely sold. They are made of numerous precious as well as non-precious materials such as gold, silver, platinum, glass, wood, ferrous metals, plastic, etc. Most Indian women prefer wearing either gold or glass bangles or both in combination. Bangles made from plastic are slowly replacing those made by glass, but the ones made of glass are still preferred at traditional functions such as marriages and at festivals.

Gold bangles are most popular with Indian women. They range from plain and simple to extremely artistic and intricate. They are often studded with precious and semi-precious stones such as diamonds, gems and pearls.

Bangles in Laad Bazaar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The fixed price signs indicate that there is no bargaining allowed, in, from left, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic and English.

Bangles in Laad Bazaar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The fixed price signs indicate that there is no bargaining allowed, in, from left, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic and English.

Sets of more expensive bangles that are made from higher quality contents of gold and silver make a substantial jingling sound. In the case of cheap, imitation jewelry, these tend to make a tinny sound (in contrast with a more substantial sound) when jingled.

Normally, a bangle as worn by people around the world is simply an inflexible piece of jewelry worn around the wrist. However, in many cultures, especially in the Arabian Peninsula and in South Asia, bangles have evolved into various types in which different ones are used at different occasions.