Antique Rare Pair of Silver Nepal Anklets or Foot Bracelets
Antique Rare Pair of Silver Nepal Anklets or Foot Bracelets
These beautiful pieces are from Nepal and I believe are called Kalli, anklets worn by married women. Not many remain today so to find one is rare, but to find a matching pair is even rarer. You can see a similar example of these anklets in Hannelore Gabriel's book "Jewelry of Nepal*.
The anklets are in the shape of a double makara or dragon and end in opposing large mango-shaped bulbs. The anklets are decorated on the top and bottom as well as the face with exquisite scrollwork and repoussé work to depict the detailed scales of the protective creatures. The anklets do test for silver on a scratch test, but it is likely low grade.
The inner circumference is 26 cm (10 1/4"). Inner diameter is 9 cm (3 1/2"). The width at the bulbs is 3 cm (1 1/4"). Weight is 335 g.