Blue Silk Tassel with Celebratory Charm

Chinese knotted tassels are used to add elegance to everyday items like hairpins or lanterns. They often hold sentimental value, and are passed down through families for generations. In ancient times lovers sometimes gave knots as tokens of their love. This beautiful blue and grey tassel is formed of hand-knotted silk cord and decorated with intricate knot formations. Strung at the center is a faux-turquoise resin charm carved in the form of two boys with instruments, one with a gong and the other with a stone chime, a visual idiom for “celebration.”

From the collection of Frances and Gary Comer.