Traveling all the way from the hills of Tibet, this ethnic breastplate has had quite a history. I do not know much about it yet except that is old, possibly a lot older than myself. Ethnic jewelry has a way of making me feel linked to another place and to the distant women who handmade and wore the jewelry before me. So far I have never seen any Tibetan breastplates like this one. It was crafted by people from the Naga tribes in East India. It is made out of shells, colored glass beads, and leather. Last week I discovered it when I was on a buying trip for my jewelry company Armor Bijoux.

For the last 10 years, I have been collecting ethnic jewelry. In the last few years, I have noticed modern jewelry designs based on antique ethnic jewelry. As much as I like what I see, I prefer jewelry with heritage.

Vintage Tibetan breastplate: handmade by the Naga tribes of East India, Armor Bijoux

Some women might be too timid or disinterested in wearing vintage ethnic jewelry because they don’t know how to incorporate it with their wardrobe. Ethnic jewelry is bold either in color, size, and intricate design. It is easiest to wear solid colors and make the jewelry the focal point rather than just an accessory. The advantage of bold ethnic jewelry is that you can wear something as simple as jeans and a t-shirt and still look intriguing.

Gray boots: Report
Gray slacks: Sinequanone, purchased these 11 years ago from Russia
(Notice the pintuck pleats in knees)

The backside of these slacks are pretty awesome too.

Antique Afghanistan silver cuff: Armor Bijoux

If you are interested in getting this breastplate, I’ll soon be adding it and other jewelry finds to Armor Bijoux in the next few weeks.

Photographer: Kelly Lynae Robinson

For more advanced styling of ethnic jewelry, stay tuned for this outfit that Kelly is wearing up above. She is glorious with her layering aesthetics.

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