Catalog (113)

This collection of 3 hand carved wooden hair combs is from the Nigerian Yoruba tribe. They were brought to the US by a (then young) anthropologist who traveled extensively in Africa during the early 1960's and have been retained in his personal collection until recently.

The taller center comb is 8 inches and the shorter combs on the sides are 4.25 inches. I prefer to sell them as a collection.

This antique pair of earrings are from the Miao Chinese Ethnic minority The original "wires" are a bit thick and buyer may want to change them to accomodate contemporary pierced ears... Assumbed to be low grade silver which was typically used in old China... the cubes have the same decorative elements on all 4 sides...each cube has a series of drop dangles hanging from the bottom full length of earings 2 inches ....not including the wires

This traditional Chinese woman's headband was made and worn during the Qing Dynasty toward the end of the 19th century. It has an applique embroidered butterfly on each end and a large full kingfisher feathered medallion in the center. The lotus shaped kingfisher is 4 inches x 2 inches. The entire headband in 16 inches in length.

The groups of Yao minority live in in both China and Thailand. This necklace is of low grade silver which was typical of the Chinese jewelry around the late 1800's and early 1900's. The necklace is light weight and comfortable to wear.

This short sword and matching scabbard from Bhutan is elaborately decorated. The knife handle or sword hilt has a leather cover which is detail with silver reposse and a coral bead. The wooden scabbard is covered with leather and is decorated with an elaborate silver reposse dragon. The knife blade is has a series of added symbols. The belt loop is also decorated with a series of silver objects.

This Bhutanese knife is unusually large, measuring 18 inches from the top of the handle to t...

This pair of traditional silver ear plugs were worn in the enlarge holes of the Yao woman of China and Thailand. The same filgree pattern is on both sides of the earplugs. The plugs are 1+ inches in diameter and 1/2 inches thick.

For women of indigenous cultures, sewing needles were often hard to come by and considered valuable tools. Commonly, among such groups, cases were specifically designed to protect and safeguard the sewing. This particular antique silver needle case is from the Chinese Miao ethnic minority group and would have been worn by the women as a decorative costume ornament during festival.

Silver Japanese hinged cigarette case, made for export to the US... Excellent pierced work forms different kenji on front and rear of box.

In 1881 Kintarō Hattori opened a watch and jewelry shop called "K. Hattori" in the Ginza area of Tokyo, Japan. Eleven years later, in 1892, he began to produce clocks under the name Seikosha (精工舎), meaning roughly "House of Exquisite Workmanship" The beginnings of the Seiko watch company...

This headdress would have been worn by a young Pashtun woman. It is heavily beaded and decorated with wonderful embroidery, and various buttons and coins. The Pashtun range across Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India. This hat was sourced in India but it may not have started there.

The head dress hat is 25 inches long and is in excellent condition.

This stunning large necklace has multi stands of red/orange and black beads. The outside strands are decorated with a few small bronze bell forms and separated with cast bronze separators. This necklace is from Cameroon Africa. The natural fiber cording ends are woven together and topped on one side with a shell and on the other side with a loop...together forming a clasp...very similar construction to necklaces out of Nepal

Beautiful antique silver bracelet from Himalayan region, my best quess is Nepal. Six Lapis Lazuli stones set in convex curve with etched leaf design that covers the background of the bracelet. Hinge and pin opening gives easy on and off usage.

Nice weight, no marks, width is 1.25 inches, each stone is .5 inches by .75 inches, nice weight, excellant condition, no dings, no dents

Really nice Meiji period wooden Japanese woman's box with drawers and locking cabinet section (sorry no key). Box has parquet decoration on all exterior surfaces, and original hardware. 12.5 inches wide 10 inches high and 9 inches deep...

Toward the late Qing and early Republic periods, footbinding in urban centers became less common. But women were still concerned with fashionable footwear. This pair of beaded strips are actually shoes parts which would have been sewn with other matching beaded fabric parts to form a pair of beaded shoes

This antique hat from Afghanistan is heavily decorated with variety of old Middle Eastern coins.

This Miao silver drinking horn would have used for special occasions i.e. prospective in-laws visiting etc. The horn is small 6.5 inches from tip to far rim. The reposse design of dragon and fish is mirrored on each side of the horn.

This wide cuff Chinese bracelet has deeply repousse design composed of detailed symbols related to Miao Ethic Minority myths and legends. Such bracelets would have been worn in matched pairs, one on each wrist, by the women of the "short skirt" Miao of Dan Zhai, and the bracelets would have been handed down from mother to daughter for generations.

The cuff is almost 3 inches at the widest point in the front because of its large size and rolled edge it easily slips onto most wrists.

This antique Tibetan neckace bronze pendent has a cast bronze pendent with coral and turquoise beads. The pendent is suspended from a hand made chain.

Old hand made tribal turkomen moon shaped silver necklace with carnelians with original chain...easy to wear...

Many pieces of turkmen "jewelry" were sewn to clothing as amulets. This rare teke turkomen pendant was originally worn as a necklace and still has the original leather neckstrap. This piece has 5 flat carnelians and gold wash or "fireguilded" detail. The pendant is 6 inches across and 10 inches long.

Large by Western standards, this is actually the "childs" size version of this foo dog necklace worn by the Chinese Miao minority 70-90 years ago. Made of low grade silver, typical of Chinese jewelry of the time period, the intricate pendant is 5.5 inches across, 6.5 inches long and suspended from a long hand-made chain. The heads of the foo dogs are in a pin which allows them to turn freely and the central "flower" is also suspended on a wire which allows it to spin.

This piece is a c...

The shape of this antique pendant is a Dharmachakra or "wheel with 8 spokes", which is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. Eight oval shaped turquoise surround a ninth turquoise stone, with each stone set in a silver bezel on a silver backing. When mined, turquoise is a soft stone, and all old stones were set into a bezel for protection. Later stablization processes were used so that bezels were no longer required.

pendent measures approximately 4 inches tall and 3.75 ...

This traditional small leather purse would have been used as an ornament and hung from a belt by a Tibetan woman during festival. It is heavily decorated with silver metal, turquoise and coral beads. This is an old one and is in excellent condition.

Wonderful satin stitch embroidery of flowers and butterflies decorate this charming antique Chinese Miao baby hat. The front has 4 silver Buddha ornaments and the back sports the traditional Miao ornament of a butterfly with dangling bells to protect the child from evil spirits. The hat is softly padded to keep baby's head warm.

This Indo-Persian antique silver repousse lidded container box was probably intended for cosmetics. The elaborate design work is flawless and the attention to detail were hallmarks of luxury items made during the late 19th century in both India and Persia. There are 2 makers marks and some scratches on the bottom of the box. See picture

The box is 3.5 inches in diameter and is 1.5 inches high

This small elaborate Buddhist monk's medicine bottle is sewn into a larger pouch of burgundy homespun wool fabric with yellow/gold silk lining. When worn, the stopper would be securely held in the bottle by a system of handmade cords and bands. The medicine bottle would be worn outside the robes and suspended on the Monk's belt. These were used for both travel and ceremonies.

This Tibetan shrine shaped gau (aka prayer box) is actually a religious shrine. When not being worn as an ornament during festivals, it would be kept in the prayer niche of the family home. The back of the box slides open. Frequently, a special prayer i.e. sutra pages would be placed inside. The small glass window at the front displays a Tsa tsa, which is a clay statue of a Buddhist Diety. These statues were made only by the monks and considered to be a holy relic. This antique gau has a f...

very nice old beaded choker/armband in good condition. measures 2.25 x 13.5 inches

The Manus Island is one of the Admiralty Islands. This traditional hair comb which the islanders would make from the mid ribs of coconut palm fronds. It is covered with a hard patinarium paste made from the crushed fruit of the Nilit tree, sometimes called Puttynut.

This large traditional Suriname Maroon wood comb has identical carvings on both sides and would have been worn for ceremonies. The Suriname Maroons were originally sub Saharan African slaves that were brought to and escaped from the Caribbean plantations. They fled to the hills where they established their own villages far beyond the the Spanish "authorities"who then ruled the Caribbean Islands at the time. The comb is 14.5 inches tall and 3.5 inches at the widest. It dates from the ...

This cradleboard was made by Cecilia Cuthair of the Mountain Ute Indians in the 70's probably as a child's toy. There is no papoose or doll inside...but it is stuffed with cloth covered newspaper to keep its shape. The front is soft cream colored deer or elk skin (brain tanned) with beaded trim. The rear is covered with animal skin.

The cradle board is 20 inches long and 8 inches at the widest point. Condition is pristine.

this is a large antique hand-made pair of earrings of low grade silver, lots of filigree work...Though obviously not wearable for most Westerners, the make a wonderful ethnographic, tribal arts display.

Tibetan snuff bottle with wood body, with decorative silver base and shoulders. The silver work shows a bird with elaborate wing feathers and thin handles on either side of the bottle. The stopper lid is capped with coral and the spoon is also silver. The condition is very good. Bottle measures 3" x 2"

This emerald green glass bangle started life during the late Qing Dynasty as one of 2 handles on a ladies rank badge embroidered purse... The other handle was broken which rendered the purse unusable...and the embroidery was sold separately... Bangle measures interior diameter 2.75 inches so...it will fit a large hand/wrist...

In China for centuries various civil officials showed their rank by the finial worn on their hat. The color of the central stone at the top of the metal finial indicated the rank of the wearer... Brass/gold was the lowest rank... The hats were further decorated with a long ring of red silk tassels attached between the finial and the hat... This antique court hat finial along with the circle of tassels is from the Qing dynasty the finial and the ring of tassels are displayed on top of ...

This rare ceremonial Chinese "lock" necklace is Hmong ethnic minority. Made from pure bouillon silver, it over weighs 4.5 lbs. The Hmong Ethnic Minority group range from southern China into Northern Thailand. This piece was sourced out of China to a dealer sometime between 1920-1930. In both Chinese and ethnic minority cultures, the lock necklace acts as a talisman and symbolically "protects" the wearer from ill fortune, much as a lock on a piece of furniture will protect the contents inside...

Hanging from the belt on a leather strap, the stylized milking hook was the essential item of ornamentation for any Tibetan woman properly dressed for a festival. Surrounding the hook surface is a heavy etched silver band. The bronze/brass hook has is etched with markings and is inset with 5 large beads, set in silver bezels. The original leather strap shows lots of wear.

These ceremonial hooks have become hard to obtain. The hook alone measures 5.5 inches long and the strap adds anothe...

This antique Chinese silver bracelet is hinged at the back and opens in the front. The silver work displays plant leaves and a bird. The bead work is both coral and turquoise. Bracelet is stamped "China" which according to trade laws makes it late Qing, about 1890. Its in very good condition

Needles were a valued woman's sewing tool and were carefully secured in a special case hanging from the belt. This Chinese silver needle case has 6 sides, each with a delicate repousse floral design. The bottom is weighted with a small turquoise and larger amber bead.

This elaborate beaded breastplate would have been worn for festivals by a wealthy Tibetan woman. The main section has 3 ornate silver and turquoise ornaments surrounded by a raised beaded coil which is bordered with cowrie shells. The neckline rolled and padded.

It is 13 inches across at the widest point and can be tied around the neck using the attached fabric ties. As is obvious in the pictures, there are a couple areas of lose on the turquoise ornaments.

This hat was brought back by a nurse who was in Tibet as part of a medical relief team sometime in the 80's. Hat appears to have not been worn and is in excellant condition.

The Chinese ethnic minority Miao are very fond of silver and would use any festival to display their ornate silver jewelry. This dragon necklace was used by a young girl child from one of the many Miao villages around the hills of Kali. The pendent is 6.5 inches wide, childs' size, but the decorative chain is long enough for an adult to wear. Because the pendent is hollow, it is comfortable to wear. As one moves, the necklace makes a soft tinkling sound.

During the Qing Dynasty, the feathers of the kingfisher bird were used to create ornaments for woman to attach to clothing and/or wear in their hair... Through the 1800's These ornaments were made and formed with heavy paper (light weight cardboard...) They had large areas of feathers and the edges of the paper form were bordered with gold paint...and the ornaments were often domed By the early 1900's the bird were becoming rare almost extinct ...so intricate and smaller sections of fea...

This old Chinese necklace is from either the Dong or Miao minority group. The central medallion is domed on the front and flat on the back. The weight of the medallion indicates that it is hollow. It depicts a minority style dragon from minority legend. With the assortment of items dangling, the necklace is reminiscent of a chatelaine.

the central medallion diameter is just over 4 inches and from the top of the medallion to the bottom of the longest drop is approx 7 inches. It can eas...

This is a wonderfully detailed silver needle case which was worn hanging from the belt. It has it's original long leather thong and silk tassel. Each side of the silver case has a central stone bead...one coral, one turquoise. The sides of the case (not pictured) have incised cloud/wave pattern. When opened, the case has copper with fabric arm to hold the needles. For indigenous and nomadic people, needles were an essential and valuable tool for survival of daily life. Because they were no...

Such figures (twins beaded) were reserved for high status "royal" tribal leaders for protection. Heavily decorated with beads, bone and cowrie shells, this pair is 80 years old and have some kind of marking on the bottom. sourced out of Fumbane (foumban), approximately 12 inches high

This large Yi Minority Hair Comb would have been worn for most probably a wedding or other important festival. the comb was hand carved wood and covered with silver decoration...so only the wood tines are visible. 8 inches wide, 2.5 inches deep and 6+ inches high not including the chain and end pins...

Oval shaped pendant decorated with surface decoratrion and bits of gold detailing, all circling a large lapis lazula stone... This pendant was brought out of China sometime in th 60s/70s...along with many other vintage bits and pieces of old jewelry collected thoughout of China. It looks like it was originally from somewhere in the middle east...silk road transport... It is 2 inches wide x 1.5 inches high...and 3/16ths wide... this piece is assumed to be hollow...It may have been used as...

This belt would have been worn for festival gatherings. Decorated with beads, cowrie shells and central turquoise medallion the belt strap is narrow approx 1.25 inched wide. Hanging from the belt are beaded strands in graduated lengths with each strand ending with a cowrie shell. There is a cord tie attached so that the belt can be tied at the back of the wearer. It is a lovely piece

Clearly for a wealthy family, this small lamp was meant to be used as a personal light. The cat like figure has a filler hole between the ears, good weight (important for stability) and is silver in color, but exact metal content is not known...He/she is charming...4 inches x 3.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches deep...

This antique necklace consists of large bells alternating with (symbolic) lotus pods. The bells are roughly 1.5 inches long. Though it has a hook closure, it is long enough to slip over the head of the wearer...Really fun to wear but not to the opera. It is made of low grade silver which was commonly used by various tribal groups throughout Central Asian, and the Far East. The filigree work on the bells was most common to Northern India, Himalayas, Nepal.

This Chinese ethnic child's hat has wrapped thread embroidery technique which was used by the Miao the Miao minority. The set of silver ornaments across the from are Buddha images. the The ornament in the back is a stylized butterfly of Miao Legend...the dangle of bells at the back is to scare off evil spirits who would attack the child from the rear..This hat is old and in surprisingly good condition

This antique beaded headband is from Guang Dong province in China, and is typical of headgear worn by Chinese woman around the turn of the 19th-20th century. It would have been worn the narrow portion across the forehead, with the rounded flap portions covering the ears and fastened in the back of the head.

From Central Asia this Camel bone bracelet has elaborate silver repousse fittings...hinged and has a small lidded container. exterior dimensions roughly 2.25 length x 2 inches width ....3/4 inches high... interior dimensions 6.5 my wrist measures roughly 6 inches around and it fits me...

This antique chinese hat would have been worn for festival by a Yi ethnic minority girl (woman) from the Honghe area. Worn for festival, the "cockssome cap" is elaborately decorated with faceted silver beads. Enlargement 5 shows cock hat as it would be worn. Hat comes with its own custom made stand.

For festivals including her wedding, a Yao girl of marriageable age would wear the traditional "celestial crown" clipped to her hair on the top of her head. This traditional ornament was common among the Yao of Laos, Thailand and China's Yunnan Province. Upon reaching puberty, the Yao girl would be expected to make her own crown following traditional patterns and methods of her local region. For some, the celestial crown would be worn as daily ornament, while other Yao groups would reserve the ...

This Yao necklace and matching pair of earrings have added beads and long silk tassels. Both are light weight and easy to wear. The earrings are hollow with the same repeated design pattern on the backside. The wire loop may be a bit thick as they were made to accommodate the large ear holes which are traditional for the Chinese minority groups. These loops could easily be changed out for posts or a thinner wire hoop.

This lovely antique Indo Persian box is covered with silver and bronze elaborate damascene work on the top and 4 sides. The box lid is slightly domed and the inside is lined with wood. Made in what was Persia, now Bidar India, this box dates to the early part of the 19th century, and is an fine example of Damascene metal work. In excellent condition, the box is 6.5 inches x 3.5 inches x 2 inches high.

Known in India as "Bidri", damascene metalwork was developed by the Persian court silversm...

This antique pair of earrings are from the Miao Chinese Ethnic minority. For me the shape and thick "wires" add to the design of the earring...some groups of the Miao purposely expanded the size of the ear lobe holes to accomadate... I prefer to keep things in their original condition. I have used these in my "favorites" display case... the earring spann 2 inches x 2 inches x .5 inches. Assumbed to be low grade silver which was typically used in old China...

This man's beaded hat aka skullcap is typical of the Pashtun people in the region of Southern Afganistan. Because of the extensive beading pattern, it is rather stiff and heavy.

Presumably, the interior layer of fabric was from pieced of fabric from other garments.

The front of this Tibetan Flint Pouch is decorated with silver and bronze ornamentation and an inset coral bead. The back is decorated with bronze buttons to protect the leather from excessive wear. The pouch still has its original leather strap which would have been used to secure the pouch to the wearers belt.

Flint was an essential and valuable item for nomadic and indigenous cultures and as such was frequently carries in pouch specifically designed for its use.