Antique Tibetan Coral Heirloom Necklace 03

• Made of hand-picked antique chunks of coral that were cut into beads and inlaid with turquoise and sterling silver. The beads taper off forming a modern yet balanced design.

• Aside from being increasingly rare and a valuable collectible, Coral is a stone of protection, good luck, wisdom, and understanding.  In ancient Egypt, coral was used to protect against evil spirits, and in the Roman Empire was gifted to children as a protection from harm.
  

This past winter, Sander, founder and owner of DharmaShop, met with a Nepalese trader and collector friend he has known for nearly 20 years.  He was in the states visiting and brought a few strands of incredible antique coral in his luggage.  Once we saw it, we just fell in love with the story it's details and characteristics tell.  Each chunk of coral has it's own markings and shape.  This strand was the only one which a Nepalese jewelry formed into a necklace using inlaid turquoise, sterling spacers, and a sterling clamp.

This is an heirloom belonging to the traditions and regions of Tibet, Nepal, and the Himalayas. The Himalayas have a long history of trading coral with the Indian Ocean region.  This coral was then used to make decorative items and jewelry which was then passed down through generations.