Large, Central Tibetan Silver Head Ornament inset with Turquoise

This silver head ornament, fashioned as a hair bead, is large to the point that it fits across one’s palm. It was meant to be worn on the back of a married woman’s head, perhaps over a hair bun.

Of domed form, it is set with a large turquoise stone along with four other turquoise cabochons and four coral cabochons. The reverse is of copper and is concave to allow the ornament to sit comfortably over the contours of the head. A copper pipe runs through the piece with apertures at each end ostensibly to mimic a bead. But the pipe itself might also have been useful for twisting the hair over it to secure the piece in the hair.

A very similar example is illustrated in van Cutsem (2005, p. 124).

The ornament here has a wonderful patina, and clear signs of age and use.