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곱은玉 ''or'' 曲玉
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gobeunok ''or'' gogok
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kobǔnok ''or'' kogok <!-- I can't find any source to state that the middle ㄱ should be tensed, so am changing this from kokok to kogok -->
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or '''Gogok''' is the
Korean word for comma-shaped or curved beads and jewels. Gogok is also sometimes romanized as "kogok" and "kokkok" or "kokok." They are also found in
China and other parts of
Asia , but are most numerous in
Japan , where they are known as
Magatama .
Although usually made from
Jadeite , they have been discovered made from many different materials such as
Nephrite ,
Stone , clay, bone and
Glass . They range in size range from 1 to 10 cm, have a small hole in the middle of the round part for threading. Used as earrings and necklaces, and as decoration on crowns, belts, and bracelets. Some are further decorated with gold or silver attachments.
The curved nature of the gogok beads and their similiarities to bear claws has led to a theory of Scytho-Siberian influence and origin created by bear totem tribes.
{Link without Title} .
In , nephrite gogok are found in
Neolithic and
Bronze Age sites in stone burial chambers (stone cists and
Dolmen s). This probably indicates that gogok were symbols of prestige and power buried with the elites of society.
The most famous examples of gogok in
Steppes and
Afghanistan suggests vast networks of trade and also reinforces a Scytho-Siberian origin for gogok. [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/05/eak/ht05eak.htm]. They declined in use from about the middle of the 6th century. [http://kr.dic.yahoo.com/search/enc/result.html?pk=10815300&p=%B0%EE%BF%C1%20&field=id&type=enc]
The origin of gogok is highly contested. Because these jewels are common in colonists or if it was transmitted from Siberia to Korea to Japan is still an open question.
