Silver Tibetan? bracelet ... sanskrit characters

Discussion in 'Jewelry' started by aaroncab, Jan 3, 2018.

  1. aaroncab

    aaroncab in veritate victoria

    Hello all - picked this up yesterday - it's a bit beat up - and unmarked other than the sanskrit writing - assuming it's some kind of mantra? Don't know if the first character might be the om character...perhaps. Pretty sure it's silver - looks/feels and acts like it (I really need to get a test kit). Tibetan? Thank you for any input and/or assistance - much appreciated as always. Weighs just over 1 ounce - about 33 grams - just about 3 inches wide the long way. 1/2 inch from top to bottom.

    ~
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  2. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    It is lovely, aaron. It looks like silver to me too, probably sterling or close to it. And yes, Himalayas, could be Tibetan, but I think Nepali.
    The text is Sanskrit, 'Om mani padme hum', which roughly translates to Om, jewel in the lotus flower.
    The decorations are Vajras, Dorje in Tibetan, also called diamond sceptre or thunderbolt. They are a representation of the male principle and the way to achieve enlightenment.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2018
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  3. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    nice find....!

    "
    They are a representation of the male principle and the way to achieve enlightenment."

    One of my new years resolutions is to not jump all over a statement like this with funny double entendres ........so I won't !
     
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  4. aaroncab

    aaroncab in veritate victoria

    Thank you so much for commenting - Now that i'm searching Nepali silver om bracelet - i'm seeing various similar examples - I think you're spot on, as usual!
     
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  5. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Ah yes, but the suggestion......:D:hilarious:
     
  6. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    you got that, didn't you !! :happy:

    I'm trying to be a good boy.......:rolleyes:
     
  7. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    I have the occasional bright moment.:playful:
    That's all you can do, komo, I appreciate the effort.:pompous:
     
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  8. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Just in case not clear all round, AJ confirmed your surmise: widely chanted for prayer/meditation.
     
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  9. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    And this is the stylized convention for representing the thunderbolts of Zeus, in engraved gems often seen as the device on the shield of Ares/Mars:

    thunderbolt Syracuse coin adj.JPG
     
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  10. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    That is a very beautiful coin, Bronwen. Yes, it is one of those Eurasian symbols with slight regional differences. I come across that a lot during research for my keris book.
    Those open-ended ones are also used by Hindus. Vajrayana Buddhism, named after the Vajra/Dorje, has the closed-ended ones. It is a school of Buddhism mainly practiced in the Himalayas.

    I was looking for a photo of my Tibetan Dorje yesterday, could only find my double one (vishvavajra). Looked again today and it is right next to the other one in the same file.:rolleyes:
    Anyway here it is, so you get an idea what your little symbols represent, aaron. It is big and heavy, ca 30 cm/11.80", antique, from a Tibetan monastery with strong monks:

    upload_2018-1-4_10-0-31.jpeg
     
  11. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    While I'm at it, and since I mentioned it, I might as well post the photo of my Vishvavajra.
    It is one of the most powerful symbols of Vajrayana Buddhism, and stands for the four winds and the powers that created the physical unverse. Like the guardians of the four winds in many cultures, it also maintains balance in the universe:
    upload_2018-1-4_10-14-32.jpeg
     
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  12. aaroncab

    aaroncab in veritate victoria

    How beautiful... thank you for sharing. It is large - and weighs quite a bit I presume. Enlightenment was never mean to be so heavy - I don't think :)
     
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  13. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    AAAAWWWWWWWWW!!!!!:hilarious::hilarious::hilarious::hilarious: Boys Behaving???? Whatever is Happening!!!!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes::smuggrin::smuggrin::smuggrin: But in the spirit of change...good for you!
     
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  14. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Ah, but the thunderbolt that strikes just before you reach enlightenment, wow.;)
     
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  15. aaroncab

    aaroncab in veritate victoria

    Maybe this deserves it's own thread but I stumbled upon a similar bangle/bracelet today - which of course I snatched up. The general form is the same. Slightly smaller - and the script is different, and the decoration is similar with some differences. On the inside of this one there is an engraved....snake? Not sure.

    ~

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    Here it is next to the first one:

    42395628572_43ae395890_zdev.jpg
     
  16. Hollyblue

    Hollyblue Well-Known Member

    The script is upside down,the inside is a chased dragon and not engraved.It also has strange construction with the wire work in the center section and sloppy solder flow in areas.Someone also removed the stones at the ends of the script.

    Looks like they are called Tibetan,but made in Nepal.Many appear to other than silver. link to similar https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bnp1009-Et...ade-cuff-BRACELET-Nepal-Jewelry-/132206276085
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2018
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  17. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Wonderful, Aaron, they make a nice pair.
    It is defintely Nepal, just like the first one. This one is made by the Newari, Kathmandu valley. The stones were probably one turquoise and one coral, for the masculine and feminine principle, and the balance between the two.
    Holly is right about the script. My father used to say that in Sanskrit and other Indian scripts the letters were hung on the clothesline.;) An easy way of remembering that the straight line of the script should be up.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2018
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  18. aaroncab

    aaroncab in veritate victoria

    Thanks Holly - I'm not 100% sure the new one is silver...yet. The first one definitely is.
     
  19. aaroncab

    aaroncab in veritate victoria

    Thanks AJ - hung from a clothesline is the perfect way to remember :) I could probably replace the turquoise and coral stones without too much trouble than. Is there a correct orientation for them?
     
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  20. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Frankly, I don't know. Maybe you can find an example?
     
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