Women's Perak headdress.

Ladakh region / India, Himalayas.

Turquoise, coral, agate, shell fragments, sheep’s and yak’s wool, fabric.

All pieces are pierced and attached to the fabric with thread. The yak hair cords are braided. Signs of age and wear.

These headdresses belonged to the women and were passed down to daughters of marriageable age. The mother would then begin saving up to make another headdress, which was expanded over time. Depending on the family’s financial situation, items were added or removed. At the beginning of the 20th century, when turquoise was still rare, the number of rows in a headdress also signaled the wearer’s status. https://www.bowers.org/index.php/collection/collections-blog/snakes-and-stones-perak-headdresses-from-ladakh.