Tibetan Jewelry

Tibetan Jewelry is miniature sacred art made to be worn. Most pieces are thangka pendants: a miniature thangka of 4 × 5 cm in a double-sided 18K gold-plated titanium steel case, or a smaller painting of about 2.0 cm in an 18K gold-plated copper frame with natural red agate (Nanhong) and natural turquoise. The figures include Green Tara, White Tara, Zaki Lhamo, Yamantaka and Mahakala, and the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. There is also a clay tsa-tsa of 3.1 cm in a full-grain leather frame, and a yellow bodhi root bracelet with a Dzi bead. Frames are gold-plated, never solid gold. What each figure stands for is given as Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Items marked Final sale include all earrings, all art prints and framed art, and all thangka pendants.

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Material

Thangka, tsa-tsa and Tibetan pieces

A thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist devotional painting. Here they appear in miniature: paintings of about 2.0 cm, 3.5 cm and 4 × 5 cm, set in double-sided 18K gold-plated titanium steel cases, in 18K gold-plated copper frames with natural red agate (Nanhong) and turquoise, or in titanium steel. A tsa-tsa is a small moulded clay offering tablet, hand-painted with mineral pigments, framed in leather or cedar wood. Several of the pendant paintings are described in the source as hand-painted, some with genuine gold accents or natural mineral pigments.

How to judge quality

By the precision of the line at that scale: on a painting of two centimetres, each face, hand and flame has to be placed exactly. Then by the pigment, by how well the frame is finished and sealed, and by the symmetry of a mandala. Because the surface is so small, fine detail is the whole of the craft.

Care

Keep them dry and out of direct sun, which fades pigment. Wipe the frame with a soft dry cloth and leave the painted surface alone. Do not open a sealed case. Store framed pieces upright and away from damp.

Tradition

Each figure carries a meaning in Tibetan Buddhist tradition: Green Tara and White Tara as swift and gentle protectors, Mahakala and Yamantaka as fierce protectors, Zaki Lhamo as a goddess of fortune, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum as a recitation of compassion, the mandala as a symbol of calm and clarity. GrainMoon states these as tradition and makes no claim about what a piece will do for its wearer.