Tibetan Ornaments - Ancient Tibetan Arts

It is well known that the altitude of Tibet is highest in the world. Meantime, the Tibet ornaments and jewelry has its high reputation in the world which are made out elaborately by the civilian craftsman though handcraft. Especially, the selection of the material and the handcrafts are distinguished from the other nation's jewelry. The ornaments and jewelry with their decoration function focuses on their meanings of art and culture.

Turquoise Bracelet

Without a doubt, bracelets are one of the oldest forms of turquoise jewelry, adorning the wrists of both the wealthy and royalty since ancient Egyptian times. Worn to beautify the wrists and arms of their wearer, turquoise bracelets are both simple and versatile, making them a popular jewelry accessory in all eras.

Cuff Bracelet Style

The turquoise cuff bracelet is one of the easiest styles to wear, due to its simple “C” shape. The cuff bracelet – most often a wide bracelet made of a stiff material such as metal, leather, or wood – is a flexible style that allows plenty of space along the cuff to feature stones such as turquoise, as well as personalization such as monograms. This style of bracelet is created throughout many cultures, with the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes producing some of the most recognizable and unique pieces

The Navajo style was originally built upon Moorish and Mexican design traditions, and over time became noted for its pairing of turquoise and silver, as well as its intricately stamped silver designs. The Zuni, who learned the art of silver from the Navajo, eventually created a style where silver was used as the base for precious stones. These designs are famous for their large size and fantastic use of colorful gemstones, including turquoise, coral, and lapis. The Zuni then taught the Hopi the art of silver, and the Hopi went on to create a beautiful silver overlay technique that is elegant and distinctive. Designs from all three tribes are beautiful additions to any jewelry collection.

Dzi bead bracelets

Dzi bead (pronounced Zee) is a bead stone of mysterious origin worn with a necklace and sometimes bracelet. Collectively in almost all Asian cultures, the bead is expected to provide positive spiritual benefit. They are generally prized as protective amulets and sometimes used in traditional Tibetan medicine. Beads subject to this will have small "dig marks" where a portion of the bead has been scraped or shaved away to be ground into the medicine. Beads that are broken are believed to have diluted benefit because they have taken the brunt of the force that would have otherwise impacted the wearer.

The meaning of the word "dZi" translates to "shine, brightness, clearness, splendor". In Traditional Chinese, the bead is called "heaven's bead" or "heaven's pearl" (天珠).

Tibetan Arts: Woodcarving

There are three kinds of woodcarvings: decorative carvings on buildings, scripture-edition carvings and mould carvings. Various exquisite woodcarvings decorate Tibetan beams, pillars and temple niches. Woodcarvings also appear on beams, pillars and windows in many homes. For example, the high and flat cabinets in many homes are decorated with continuous wood-carved designs. On top of the cabinet are lotus flowers and eight-treasure designs, which are painted in various bright colors.

Nowadays, Tibetan woodcarvers also make traditional and ceremonial carved furniture, such as altars of all sizes, elaborate thrones, folding tables, incense burners, etc. Once completed, the carved pieces are polished in an old-fashioned way or painted in rich colors in accordance with Tibetan tradition. Some are further embellished with gold rims.

Some of the earliest examples of Tibetan woodcarving date back to the seventh century. The existing buildings of Tubo Times provide good insight into the perfect expressive art.

Tibetan Arts: Clay Sculpture

Clay sculptures, also known as "Caca" in Tibetan, are often found in the various statue styles in temples. The larger works can be as tall as five or six meters, while the smallest can fit into a human hand. In addition to various kinds of Buddhist statues, subjects also include well-known historical figures, such as Songtsan Gambo and Princess Wencheng, as well as pavilions, flowers, insects, fish, birds in flight and animals in motion, wind, clouds, the sun and the moon.

Tibetan Arts: Stone Carving

Among the various kinds of Tibetan folk carvings, the most popular is Manistone carving due to its vast subject matter and rich contents which have a unique Tibetan hue.

In Tibet, stone carvings are almost entirely related to religion; "ManiPile," also known as "lection stone" plays an important part in forming this strong religious atmosphere. The "Manipile" is a ubiquitous sight near villages or on Tibetan roadsides. Tibetan Buddhists place small rocks into piles, where each rock is inscribed with the six-word mystic teaching of truth (Om-ma-ni, pad-me-Hum) -- literally "Om! The jewel is in the lotus". A Tibetan will pause at aManipile to pray by walking around it clockwise. The subjects of Manistone carvings are usually lections, Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. According to a carver, the lections or Buddhas on the stone are carved at the request of the relatives of the dead people to release souls from purgatory. Usually, the contents are decided by a Shaman.

Manistone carving differs significantly from place to place in Tibet according to the demand, interest and materials.Manistone carvings in western Tibet take on an elegant flavor, while those in eastern Tibet have an air of antiquity.