Men's necklace with big shell pendant - India, Naga

cornelian beads, glass beads, bone, fibre,
When the necklace is worn, the big shell rests on the back just below the neck, while the eight strands hung down to the front of the chest.
Due to their value and their rarity these necklaces are worn only on the occasion of festivities and harvests, when the best dresses and ornaments are displayed to obtain the favour of the spirits of the crop.
L: 54 cm; H: 16 cm (shell), L: 21,3 inch; H: 6,3 inch
Provenance:
Holger Hofmann, Hamburg, Germany
Lit.: Somaré Grata, Vigorelli, Leonardo, The Nagas, Bergamo 1992, p. 100 f.
Continent: Asia
Condition Report: See description