Help me find my outer Buddha

May 25, 2008 4:46 PM

Can you help me track down a replacement for a Buddha pendant that a coworker brought back to Australia from Cambodia approximately 10 years ago?

I misplaced a pendant a coworker brought back from a trip to Cambodia, and try as I might I can't find a replacement anywhere on the net. A picture of the pendant (along with pen cap for size comparison) can be found here: Cambodian Buddha Pendant.

My coworker told me it cost about $10 Australian (this would have been approx 10 years ago. Note: price isn't an issue, just thought this might be helpful for context), and that these pendants were very common in marketplaces 'in Cambodia'.

I've tried searching for a replacement over the years without any luck, and since it's unlikely that I'll be traveling to Cambodia anytime soon, I'm turning to the hivemind for help!

Can you help me find a replacement? (It probably goes without saying, but I'd need to purchase from or through someone who is able to ship to Australia) I'd honestly be just as happy to find a similar pendant, as long as the similarity is strong...

Thanks to anyone and everyone who gives it some thought!

posted by planetthoughtful to shopping (6 comments total)

I'm scouring the internets for some. If you find any that are similar, but that only ship to the US, I'd be glad to ship it to you.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 7:46 PM on May 25, 2008

Some possibilities:
"Sterling Silver Buddha Pendant"
Brass Buddha Pendant
"Brass Buddha Pendant" (This one bears some good resemblance, and is pretty cheap)

Those are the best I found out of some 200 froogle results.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 8:01 PM on May 25, 2008

Have you tried to find it at any SE Asian jewelry stores? Australia has a Vietnamese community and you maybe able to find your piece or have them get the piece for you at a Vietnamese jeweler. To be honest they maybe a bit surprised that you want a common piece and not a more glossy jade pendant Buddha.
posted by jadepearl at 8:16 PM on May 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

@gauchodaspampas: thanks for the offer, I'll gladly take you up on it if that happens! And thank you for the suggestions, I agree that the Brass Buddha Pendant is closer rather than further away.

@jadepearl: I lost this pendant five or six years ago, and I've kept an eye out in every market / trinket store I've been into ever since. In a way, one of the things I liked about the piece so much was that it felt less 'processed' or 'artificial' than other pendants I found.

I've tried buying a variety of other Buddha pendants over the years, and I've always stopped wearing them because they didn't evoke the same feeling of simplicity and sincerity that the Cambodian one did (if that makes any sense).

In a way, I'd hoped someone on AskMeFi might have gone, "Why yes, I travel to Cambodia all the time, and I know exactly where they sell these!"

Still, you are both awesomely awesome for trying!
posted by planetthoughtful at 8:44 PM on May 25, 2008

This looks pretty close. And there are a number of similar ones on eBay.
posted by essexjan at 3:28 AM on May 26, 2008

@essexjan: it does look very similar, but from what I can tell, it's perhaps twice the size or a little more of the pendant I'm trying to replace. I did have a look through the eBay list you posted, just prior to asking my AskMeFi question, but still a very useful suggestion.

Many thanks again!
posted by planetthoughtful at 5:03 AM on May 26, 2008