Qing Dynasty
Length of tassel: 22.5cm
Length of shaft: 20.5cm

The shaft is made of silver and the gilt top is decorated with cloud and bat patterns covered with kingfisher feathers. The back of the bat is inlaid with a jadeite bead, with a ruby on both ends. There's a hole at the cloud-and-bat top stringed with the tassel, which is made up of three strings of pearls. Each string is attached with gilt-silver knotting plates decorated with kingfisher feathers as well as cloud and bat patterns. The back of the plate is inlaid with a jadeite bead, with a ruby at both ends. Each string contains 34 pearls, and there are 102 pearls in all. In addition, there are two coral knots stringed on each ruby-ended string of pearls.

A tassel is a headdress for the Qing-dynasty empress and concubines. For imperial weddings or grand festival celebrations in the court, they would wear a tassel on the head.