Silver Crown with Phoenix Tree Flower, Phoenix and Bird Designs Silver Crown with Pheonix Tree Flower, Phoenix and Bird Designs (front)

This is a silver headdress for teenage Miao girls as part of a costume worn during important festivals. It is made by first casting, then beating, and finally carving thin sheets of silver, as well as weaving together strands of silver wire. The semicircular front of the tiara consists of over 300 pheonix tree flowers (Paulownia tomentosa), decorated with silver fans and pheonixes. There are engraved designs of flying dragons, pheonixes, fish, dragonflies, swans, and butterflies around the headband of the tiara. There are tassels in front, and pheonix-tail-like ribbons in back. The entire design memorializes the Miao's ancestors while anticipating a future of happiness and prosperity.