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Beautiful Chinese Miao silver jewelry art

Who are the Miao?

Is it amazing to have 30 pounds of silver jewelry from head to foot? Well, the Miao are a nation who proudly show off the beauty with their handmade, elaborately designed silver jewelry in a way that almost covers their entire body! Being a minority group in the mountainous areas of south and southwestern China, the Miao think the glistening silver is a symbol of light that can bring hope and prosperous future. There are so many different kinds of Miao silver ornaments, here are just a few:

Silver headdresses

Miao silver headdresses are quite a sight and are worn only on very special occasions, like weddings or important holidays. They consist of three parts: the horns, the hat, and the hood.

Silver horns: The silver horns are the most important part of a Miao silver headdress, and they are crafted to mimic the horns of an ox. The headpiece spans about three feet from one horn to another, and reaches almost the same height. So they reach nearly half the height of the wearer!

The pictures on the horn are colorful and showy. They usually feature a pattern of two dragons playing with a ball. Women put some silver flowers, butterflies, or a pair of white feathers onto the horn to make it higher and more attractive.

Silver hat: A silver hat is the base of the headdress and can be a foot tall. It’s completely covered with silver flowers, birds, animals, bells, and tassels. Behind the hat hang twelve pieces of silver feathers that can hang all the way down to their waist.

Silver hood: The silver hood hangs down from the hat and covers parts of the face and neck. In some Miao areas, the silver hood has five ornaments placed on it, with the biggest one in the middle dropping from the forehead and the others hanging around ears.

While in other areas, a silver hood has three layers. The highest layer has 29 beautiful, round silver flowers. The middle layer sports a bright, round glass at the center, and 14 warriors riding horses standing at each side. The lowest layer is fringes.

Silver hairpins

Miao silver hairpins always feature flowers, birds, and butterflies. The most impressive designs feature about 10 silver flowers placed like a Chinese fan. Beautiful beads sparkle in the flowers, with five silver phoenixes fluttering around.

Some hairpins look like chopsticks decorated with silver bells or long tassels.

Silver combs

Miao women use a silver comb to decorate their hair. It's in fact a wooden comb covered with thin sliver slices. The image of a Bodhisattva, or designs of birds, flowers are often engraved on the surface. There are some combs which feature big and long silver chains dropping down.

Silver earrings

Intricate Miao unique silver jewelry is often shaped like flowers, birds, butterflies, dragons, or plants. Miao women usually wear 3 or 4 pieces of silver earrings at one time. A single silver earring can weigh 200 grams, and reach all the way down to their shoulders. But many earrings are quite small, and the fine threads used to make them are almost invisible.

Silver neckbands

Wide silver neckbands are similar to necklaces in the West, but they are rigid and have many pendants hanging down from them. In different Miao areas, the neckbands vary a lot.  A dragon silver neckband features two dragons playing with a ball and has 11 different ornaments hanging from it. Another kind of neckband has about 14 connected silver rings, with some silver flowers or birds falling from each ring.

Silver bracelets

The Miao silver bracelets are engraved with the images of flowers, fish, or dragons. Some bracelets feature wide bands which is like the cuffs worn by warriors in ancient times. Miao women often wear 4 or 5 pairs of silver bracelets at the same time.

Silver rings

A Miao silver ring is usually quite small and has fine pieces of silver bent and shaped into flowers, birds, or plants. In some areas, Miao women wear rings on all eight of their fingers, keeping only their thumbs free. Some rings are big enough to cover half the length of their fingers.

Silver garments

Tiny silver slices or threads are commonly woven into the fabric of Miao clothing. There are about 40 square or round silver pieces that can be used.  When put on the front and back of a silver garment, the clothing gleams bright and catches the light when the Miao walk.

Each piece features lovely designs like flowers, phoenix, butterflies, and tigers.

Also, sometimes as many as 60 silver bells can hang from the garments, which make beautiful sounds and add to the overall look.

Silver waistbands

A silver waistband features hundreds of silver images of Bodhisattvas sewn on a piece of cloth. The images sparkle beautifully when the Miao dance with the waistband around their waist.

Silver anklet

Last but not least are small but sturdy silver anklets that clasp above the foot. Silver anklets are usually worn by Miao children to drive away evil spirits.

 

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