Four Himalayan Indian Cone Shell Hair Beads

This collection of four good-sized hair beads is from the Tibetan peoples of Lahaul (Lahul) and Spiti Districts in the north of India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state in the Himalayas.

Each has been made from the upper end of the cone or conus shell (probably Conus bengalensis) which would have been traded into the region from the Bay of Bengal, as luxury, imported goods.

Each has the most splendid patina, with the contours being softened from years of handling. A dating of 19th century has been assigned but it could be earlier.

Ornaments made from shells were prestige pieces – there were no local supplies and the shell components were brought to the mountainous region by traders. Their imported status meant that they were expensive and so were considered luxury goods by the wearers. The marine origins of shell components and the association with fish meant that items made from such components were associated with fertility and so were ideal items for women to wear.

The size and form of these hair beads follows that worn usually by men in Tibet itself and which were more typically fashioned from ivory.

Lahaul (Lahul) and Spiti Districts are small in terms of  population an even today have a combined population of slightly more than 30,000. The population is generally of Tibetan or related ancestry and the  majority ethnic group is the Sino-Tibetan Kinnaur people. Generally, the locals follow a combination of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism of the Drukpa Kagyu order, or Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa order.

The hair beads here are in excellent condition. Each is large and has a superb patina.

The four have come from an old collection in Scotland, likely to have been put together by a colonial administrator serving in the region. (Scots were commonly involved in the colonial administration of India.)