Stunning Tibetan Made Turquoise, Sterling, Coral, Shell, Natural Stone Crossbody For Sale

Background:

First and foremost, before I get into discussing the details of this listing - it is pivotal to point out what makes this bag entirely different from the cheaply composed, factory assembly line pieces of a similar aesthetic. The VAST majority of Tibetan beaded shell bags on the market are almost ALWAYS cheap gimmicks - with a innate material value of next to nothing. The materials used are low grade in quality… everything is died glass - or plastic - and the actual fabric material of most of these bags is not meant to last.. they rip, tear, the seams come undone - etc. My wife has always been captivated by the look of the Tibetan beaded handbag. I think she likely had close to a dozen throughout our many, many years together. However, the reason she went through so many has to do with the fact that they were cheaply composed - inexpensive - “knock offs.” Well, for a rather important wedding anniversary of ours - an idea had been planted in my head. I wanted the real deal… I wanted to buy her the real thing - something that would last decade after decade, something that wasn’t “based” on - but rather that Tibetan beaded handbag of Tibetan origin. This search was done in the mid ‘80s. Back then you couldn’t just hop on and start browsing. I had some rather resourceful friends in the fashion world, and after many inquiries - I was lead to a “Tibetan Antiquity and Cultural Arts” shop on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Say what you want about L.A, but one of the benefits of living in a place as such is you can truly find anything, and everything. Suffice to say I visited this shop - and was FLOORED by the inventory in front of me. Absolutely stunning… we’re talking full traditional Tibetan gowns of genuine gemstones - coral, turquoise, amethyst, etc. Some of what was in store was of ancient origin - of course, at the time most of all of this was well beyond my price rage. To be honest, so was the bag I ended up picking up (; my wife about died when I told her what I’d picked it up for years later. That said, you get what you pay for… everything about this bag is stand alone - stunning - impossible to replicate on the “assembly line.” This is the work of human hands, skilled human hands, Tibetan hands… which is why, I believe, the bag still looks the way it does today.

The Bag Itself:

Materials:

While the design on this bag is immediately what you first want to talk about, I believe the place to start is a discussion about the innate value of the materials used to make this bag. This is where this bag differs from the vast majority of others claiming to belong in the same category. This bag makes use of the following: White Yak Bone, Solid Warm Hued Brass, Red Coral *(Low Grade), High Grade Blue Turquoise Chips, Cowshells, Sea Glass, Sterling Silver, and marbled stone variety beads. For some, I know what you are thinking “do I need legitimate blue turquoise, sterling silver, brass, etc? Imitations are pretty good these days.” To this I would say - okay - maybe there are some that will be fooled into thinking your knockoff bag is the real deal, but - YOU will know its true nature. Part of the beauty in owning something valuable, is to be able to say you’ve done something with your life… that you are in a position where you can indeed have nice things - even if you don’t need them. Additionally, I guarantee than knockoff’s life span won’t equate to 1/100th of this bag’s life span. While you make a financial commitment up front, it will pay off in the long run…

Design:

Now that we’ve talked about this bag’s origin, and the materials used, we can FINALLY talk about what is the most extraordinary aspect of the piece — the design! For myself, when I first laid eyes on this bag - I saw a physical representation of time…. patience… look for a moment at the insanely complex intricacies in the pattering.. keep in mind that every element of this bag, was inlaid by hand. There have to be at least a thousand individually inlaid beads present throughout the composition. The overall theme is very Tibetan traditional - this is quite obviously someone who has a great deal of experience in creating this Tibetan bags - someone who likely grew up learning the tools of the trade. Going from center of the bag out, you have a multi-tiered spiracle (3-Dimensional) ensemble of chipped genuine blue turquoise. Each “tier” is separated with the use of “roped” sterling silver. This central focal point is LARGE and beautifully vibrant. Again, when you go with legitimate stones - the color stays there as opposed to “wearing away” over time when you purchased died imitation works. This central focal point acts as the center of a “flower” of sorts which encompasses almost entirely the front facing top flap of this bag. The flower is composed of vintage brass - with warm yellow patina, white yak bone, sea glass inserts, and a variety of marbled - shaped natural stones. Surrounding the entirety of the flower design? Tiny red coral chips. Now this is low grade red coral, but it is indeed red coral - and it does EXACTLY as the artist envisioned.. the contrast achieved between that of the brightly colored flower, and the deep blood red hue of the low grade red coral chips? Absolutely mesmerizing. Lining the outside border of the front flap, perfectly conditioned half-cut genuine natural cowshells - to the left and right of those shells, brass and natural marbled/smoothed beaded rows.

If you need a testament to this bag’s quality aside from the materials used, and the complex array of inlay work - note the bag’s condition considering its age. Purchased in the ‘80s (and happily worn throughout that time by my wife) all of the beads are still there.. all of the seam work is still flush. Made to last, and last it has.

Aside from the front flap, this bag bears some beautiful adornments throughout the rest of its build. Take the sides - the sides are COVERED in full with beaded inlay. Low grade red coral clustered together in thick folds of natural, blood red stone. Parting the “red sea” so to speak, half cut cowshells - adding a lovely element of contrast and depth even to this bag’s sides!

Yet another element of beauty on this Tibetan handbag, large stars of white composed once again of naturally collected split white cowshells. The fabric on this bag is deep black, and so the white stars truly pop forth from their muted canvas. And lastly, the back of the bag. At the centermost (though slightly off center - a beautiful perfect imperfection identifying the human nature of this piece) a star of cowshells - with each shell outlined in black natural stone that has been marbled, smooth, rounded. At the very center of this “star,” brass beads surrounding a beautiful sphere of red sea glass.

Of course, I would be remiss not to mention the lovely fabric used to make this bag. It is quilted in nature, quite plush and soft. It is THICK in build, not thin or lightweight. This is indeed a HEAVY bag when it comes down to it - the combination of thousands of beaded inlays, as well as thickly composed midnight black quilted fabric.

Inside of the Bag:

The inside of this bag is very simple. The main storage compartment of this bag is quite large, allowing for ample storage of every day necessities. There is one zipper pocket at the interior, in case you wish to store a pair of keys or something of the like. When my wife used this bag, she elected to use the main storage compartment to house her fragile, easily scratched items - and the zipper pocket to store those things that would do the scratching. This seemed to work out quite well for her!

The inside of the bag is, like the rest of this piece, in beautiful condition. There are no loose seams, tears, cuts, stains etc.

Overall, through reading my description alone you can likely tell how much I admire this piece. Obviously we have a sentimental attachment to this bag - however - we are an elderly couple now. There was a time when my wife swore she would never part with the piece - however - recently she feels as though keeping the bag just to say she owns it (despite not using it) just isn’t right. It is now too heavy for her - and she really doesn’t carry much aside from her wallet these days. At any rate, our hope is that it goes to someone who will love, and appreciate it as much as we have. Truly a stunning piece - and I say this without an ounce of bias.

~If you have any further questions, or would like to see any additional photos, please do not hesitate to reach out in the form of an email. I will get back to you promptly. Will ship overseas, but not responsible for any customs fees that might be incurred.

Dimensions:

Handle Drop: 17 Inches

10.5 Inches Across

8.5 Inches Height

3 Inches Thick (front to back) when empty! Thick and heavy… like I said (:

Storage Compartment: 7 Inches Deep