Himalayan Golden Sudarshan Chakra Shaligram in Solid Silver Pendant

Description

Himalayan Golden Sudarshan Chakra Shaligram in Solid Silver Pendant
This striking fossilized ammonite with gold-color pyrite comes from Muktinath in Nepal, high in Himalaya Range near the Tibetan border.
Known as a "Shaligram" in Nepal & India, it is a sacred symbol of the Hindu God Vishnu and his "Sudarshan Chakra". (Detailed additional information on "Shaligram" is available on Wikipedia.)
Ammonites are extinct marine animals of the Devonian-Cretaceous eras, 400 - 200 million years ago, when what are now the Himalayas were then the bottom of the ancient ocean.
A few shaligrams have the original organic skeleton of the ammonite replaced naturally by gold-colored pyrite, creating this strikingly beautiful object.
I acquired the shaligram at Pashupatinath Mandir in Kathmandu in 1982 and had it cut and polished at the famous Triple Gem workshop near Bodhanath and set in silver by a Newari silversmith near Asan Tole.  It has never been worn.
The oval pendant is approximately 1¾" by 1½" (4.5 cm. x 4.0 cm.) and weighs 25 grams, or slightly less than one ounce.
It is set in a silver bezel with a continuous solid silver back. It has an attachment for a chain, but could also be worn as a brooch.
The silver is what is termed "fine" silver in Nepal, equivalent to sterling or higher purity. It has no hallmark, which Newari silversmiths rarely employ.
Shipping and handling includes insurance for the purchase amount.