259 Old Heirloom Perak Headdress Ladakh Jewelry

Heirloom Perak Headdress with Turquoise - Himalayan Jewelry from Ladakh

This fine Perak headdress from the Zanskaar valley has large old turquoise stones, lambskin ears, silver embellishments, lapis accents, a central ghau meant for the protection of the wearer and two side panels adorned with the most highly valued gem locally i.e. coral.

Peraks are passed down from mother to daughter and it is only in the rare circumstance of there being no daughter to inherit the Perak, that the Perak leaves the ancestral family. It is then donated to a monastery after pujas and ceremonies. The monastery subsequently auctions the Perak. The turquoise stones in new and young peraks do not have the color character seen in old Peraks such as this one.

This ancestral heirloom piece is heavy and of unknown age

Known to be several generations old

Length 130cm

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This item has spent a lifetime being used for the purpose of its creation with the original artist/user. Signs of this life lived heartily may be present on the piece in the form of stains, thread loss, loose threads, holes, tears, color run and other imperfections. Therefore the condition must be assumed to be “not” perfect. More photos of such imperfections will be provided on request.

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