The Indian region known as Nagaland is situated amidst the hills and mountains of northeast India. It is the homeland to 16 prominent tribes and various other sub-tribes. For the people of Nagaland, jewelry is not a mere accessory for adornment but is quintessential to their cultural heritage and fullfils and important function in distinguishing tribal identity, social class and status.
Between all these distinguishing differences, also some common features can be seen among all Naga jewelry; they are often quite large and bold in appearance, with rich and vibrant colors and the most intricate designs. A large variety of materials is used, such as beads from colorful glass, precious stone, shell and bone, bronze and brass ornaments and animal materials such as teeth, claws, horn and ivory. Every part of the jewelry has a specific meaning for the wearer; from the color of the beads, to the specific design of the beaded strands or the number of ornaments used in a necklace.
This Naga tribal necklace has been made with transparent blue glass beads handpainted to resemble the well-known Tibetan dzi beads, in the style of 5-eye dzi beads (associated with wealth, prosperity and good fortune. Read all about the symbolism of dzi beads in general and the 5 eye pattern in specific in our Dzi Bead collection elsewhere in our webshop).
The blue glass beads have been strung on brown cotton cord, together with smaller-sized red and black & white glass beads. The centerpiece of the necklace is a beautiful piece of fossilized conch shell.
Sizes; total length of the necklace is approximately 60 centimeters. The conch shell piece is approximately 5 x 5 centimeters and the blue glass dzi beads each have a length of approximately 3 centimeters).
This necklace is from vintage origin and therefore of course shows some signs of its age and previous usage, but overall it is still in good (and wearable) condition.
