#ersari

Headdress of Green Beryls, or We Need More Hats

This fascinating beaded headdress dates to the late 19th Century and was part of an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago called, “Adornment: Jewelry of South Asia’s Nomadic Cultures.” This piece was created and worn by the Ersari people of Afghanistan and is made of green beryls (beryls include the emerald and the aquamarine), plus coral, seed pearl, plus silver and gold which are arranged upon and sewn to cloth.

These nomadic people did not carry a lot of belongings, according to the curators, but ornamental jewelry signified meaning, including one’s wealth, one’s tribe, one’s spiritual beliefs, and one’s culture. As time has changed the economy of their lands with land loss and industrialization, even adornment has changed. They now wear factory-made bangles (and probably put their wealth into other forms, I am thinking) instead of these kinds of jewels.

Americans have largely given up all but the most functional of hats since the late 1950s when women’s hair went gigantic with hairspray. Tthis headdress reminded me of what we have lost. It also made me think of those few occasions--important parties, weddings--when our dress code allows us to enjoy this form of adornment. We should have more of it, me thinks.