This necklace with grooming accessories from Mongolia is of unusual quality. Typically they are of silver only. But this one benefits from the presence of coral, turquoise, agate, and enamel.
Grooming sets such as this example were attached to the dress or worn around the neck. Among the implements here, all in silver, are an ear pick, a nail cleaner, tongue scraper and a tooth pick.
The set features silver beads with enamelled ends, beads made from solid coral and turquoise, and two carved agate ornaments.
The centrepiece of the necklace is a central series of pendants that include, all in silver, double gourd motif, a large, elaborate double dragon pendant, and a Mongolian or Mongol horse.
The inclusion of a horse is particularly suggestive of the set’s Mongolian origins. The horses were essential to the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongolian steppe.
The set is in excellent condition.
References
Boyer, M., Mongol Jewelry, Thames & Hudson, 1995.
Duda, M., Four Centuries of Silver: Personal Adornment in the Qing Dynasty and After, Times Editions, 2002.
Tsultem, N., Mongolian Arts and Crafts, State Publishing House, Ulan-Bator, 1987.