The Tibetan landscape is rugged and treacherous. The Tibetan people employ any number of methods for protection from the elements and the twists of fate we all confront from time to time.
One means of protection used here is the wearing of traditional Tibetan jewelry. To keep in touch with the Buddhist deities, Tibetans wear jewelry on a daily basis, believing that the jewels and the deities will protect them from the many hazards presented by the unforgiving terrain of their homeland.
Often oversized and heavy, Tibetan jewelry is typically ornamented with intricate surface designs and an abundance of color. In their unique gauge of value, Tibetan jewelry is most often evaluated on the size of the pieces and the intensity of color, not the price of the elements used.
The Gau is an important piece of Tibetan jewelry that is held sacred and lovingly decorated. A Gau is a box designed to hold a prayer handwritten or block printed by a priest and it is always blessed before given to the wearer. These prayer boxes serve much the same purpose as charms, amulets, mojo, and conjure bags used in other parts of the world.
Because the Gau is such an important piece of Tibetan jewelry, they are usually elaborately decorated with amethyst, lapis lazuli, coral, turquoise, jade, and other colorful gemstones mined in the region and worn around the neck using rope, leather, and silver cords.
Jade has long been associated with the Orient and Tibetan jewelry lavishly features this beautiful stone. The colors of jade found in this part of the world runs the gamut from red and pink, to green and blue, and yellow. Beads, fetishes, and figurines carved from jade have been used in rituals and to decorate jewelry for as far back as 9,000 years.
Copper, silver, and gold are common elements used in making Tibetan jewelry. Opals, tiger eye, and onyx are also used in traditional jewelry of the region.
Even the yak, workhorse of the Himalayas, has a part in the making of Tibetan jewelry. Its bones and horns are carved into decorative pieces used to ornament Tibetan jewelry.