Turquoise Stone Necklace
Tibetan Jewelry
Chinese turquoise, sterling silver findings
14” long, Largest bead: 1” high x 7/8” wide
Much like the Indigenous cultures of the Southwest, coral and turquoise are products of nature that have long been prized by Mongolian and Tibetan peoples. They used these precious materials as inlay in gold and silver wares or hand rolled into beads for colorful and magnificent forms of personal ornamentation.
For important ceremonial occasions, such jewelry was adorned in layers, creating a unique aesthetic trait in the culture of these nomadic peoples. Their coral was sourced from the Mediterranean Sea and the turquoise mined in Iran. Of significant value, these materials came to signify the status and economic clout of the person wearing them.
Rare and semi-precious gems of coral, crystal, and clamshell not only were concrete symbols of Buddhism most excellent, the native Tibetan religion of Bon, with its reverence for nature, came to imbue them with protective powers as well. Thus, personal ornaments decorated with these gems served as symbols of auspiciousness, good fortune, and social status, becoming a unique image of beauty of the Mongolian and Tibetan peoples.
