The Gau of Elsewhere

Inspired by the highlands of Tibet, this bracelet brings together yak bone, green agate, Tara, and a traditional gau — a small Tibetan amulet box made to hold something precious close to the body.

The gau is the heart of the piece.

Traditionally worn as a personal container for a sacred image, text, or treasured object, the gau transforms what is held within into something carried through everyday life. Here, it holds Zaki Lhamo, a powerful figure of Tibetan tradition associated with worldly fortune, protection, and the strength to face obstacles. Hidden within the gau, her presence becomes something intimate — not displayed openly, but kept close.

Around it, the other materials create a landscape of the Tibetan highlands.

Yak bone recalls the animals that have long shared life with the people of the plateau — enduring harsh seasons, crossing high passes, and moving through a land shaped by wind, cold, and distance. Its earthy tones bring the bracelet back to the land itself.

Green agate offers a different note: the grasslands and valleys that appear across the highlands, where green gathers among vast stretches of earth and stone.

Tara brings another dimension, traditionally associated with compassion and the wish to help others.

And at the center of it all is the gau — a small vessel carrying something larger than itself.

We cannot carry a mountain, a landscape, or an entire tradition with us. But we can carry something that reminds us of them.