This is a pair of hand-beaded Shubh Labh door hangings, one piece reading Shubh and the other Laabh in gold cut-metal lettering, built around a pink and blue nazar eye. They hang either side of a doorway, or on the two leaves of a double door.

Every bead is placed by hand. The eye alone is four concentric rings of bugle beads, and the leaf below it carries a white beaded vein pattern through solid magenta. It is the densest beadwork in the decor range.

What it is made of

Each piece starts at a small brass split ring, runs down a short cord of white pearls and gold beads, and opens into a seven petal lotus crown in pale pink lustre beads edged in orange thread, with a red stone set at its base.

Below the crown sits the nazar disc - magenta outer ring, white ring, turquoise ring and a deep navy pupil, all in bugle beads on a gold zari edge. The tapering leaf pendant underneath is worked in magenta with white veins and scattered gold sequins, and the gold Devanagari lettering sits across the join.

Key details

• Sold as a pair: one Shubh piece and one Laabh piece, not sold singly.
• Hand-beaded: bugle and seed beads sewn onto a fabric base, front face fully worked.
• Nazar eye: four ring eye in magenta, white, turquoise and navy.
• Gold lettering: cut metal Devanagari, not printed or stuck on.
• Brass ring hanger: takes a hook, a nail or an adhesive strip straight out of the box.
• Reusable: lift down after the festival and store flat, it comes out the same next year.

What the nazar means

The eye is an old and widely loved symbol, hung at an entrance as a wish that ill-will turns away at the door. Shubh and Laabh together carry the older Diwali meaning - auspiciousness on one side, gain on the other, spoken over the threshold of a home or a shop.

It is offered here as a keepsake of good intention, not as a remedy for anything.

On a UAE front door

Most Dubai and Sharjah flats have a painted steel or composite door with no rail above it, so these go up on adhesive hooks rather than nails. They are light, and the brass ring sits flush against the door face without swinging.

Pink and gold reads well against the dark wood doors common in newer UAE buildings, and it is a softer alternative to the usual red and green festive set. Shop owners across Deira and Karama hang the same pair inside the entrance on the first day of the new account book.

If you want the full entrance, run a toran across the frame above and put these on either side. See the rest of festive decor for matching bandhanwar and door sets.

Questions people ask

Is this one piece or two?
Two. One reads Shubh and the other Laabh, and they are sold only as a pair.

How do I hang them?
Each piece has a brass ring at the top. A small adhesive hook on each door leaf is enough, or a nail if your frame takes one.

Which side does Shubh go on?
Shubh on the right as you face the door from outside, Laabh on the left, following the order the two words are spoken. Plenty of homes do the reverse and nobody minds.

Is the beadwork on both faces?
No. The front face is fully beaded, the back is the plain fabric base. They are made to sit against a door or wall.

Can I clean them?
Dust with a dry soft brush. Do not wash them and do not use a damp cloth - the thread and the zari edging do not take water.

Will they last outside the door?
In a shaded corridor or lift lobby, yes. In direct sun on an open balcony the pink will fade over a few months, so bring them in between festivals.

Is this only for Diwali?
No. Shubh Labh is hung at Diwali, Grah Pravesh, a new shop opening and Dhanteras, and plenty of homes leave the pair up all year.

Do you deliver across the UAE?
Yes, to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman, with free delivery on orders above AED 30.