Tiaras to Toerings, Asian Ornaments

Throughout human history, the human body remains a primary canvas onto which each individual and every society strives to distinguish beauty, wealth, social status and personal tastes. Despite sharing the same basic physical space, there is an astounding variety in what each society emphasizes for personal adornment—in the types of materials they value and the manner in which those materials decorate the body.

Tibet

In Tibet, precious materials include gold, silver, pearls, turquoise, coral, amber, copper, iron and distinct types of banded light and dark chalcedony stone called gZhi in Tibetan. Although many of the metals, freshwater pearls and some types of turquoise can be found naturally in certain Tibetan regions, others are luxury imports. The distant Mediterranean provides coral—one of the most prized stones among Tibetans. Amber comes from the Baltic coast in northern Europe, as well as Siberia and Myanmar (Burma). Saltwater pearls are imported from Russia and the Indian Ocean—both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

 

From these raw materials Tibetans work the metals, then string, sew or inset pearls and stone beads to create elaborate tiaras, hair ornaments, necklaces, bracelets, rings, waist ornaments and amulets. Each form of these individual pieces reflects striking regional distinctions while sharing similar decorative motifs often lifted from Buddhist imagery.

 

 

One of the primary rationales for people everywhere to wear some forms of jewelry is to serve a protective function—as an amulet. Tibetans employ a wide range of amulets including this selection of gau. The gau silhouette consciously invokes the shape of a single lotus petal—a symbol of purity. It is formed as a box so that the contents may be individually created and re-created. Common gau contents include small statues or paintings of deities or teachers, handwritten or printed paper prayers, scraps of sacred cloth, incense or souvenirs from sacred spaces, including soil samples. The flat, wide base of many Tibetan gau also provides a portable altar functioning as the central item to be worshipped or to further enhance an existing altar’s potency.