Khor Mandal (Mong. Хор Мандал) is located in the Olympic Galleria Mall (2nd floor) on Olympic Street next to the Shangrila Mall in downtown Ulaanbaatar. My dear friend Dugarjav Munkhtsetseg, otherwise know as Mono, opened her speciality shop in this location four years ago, although her business was first established 8 years ago, in 2017. She is the owner. As long as I’ve know her, now going back twenty years and more, she has been preoccupied with designing and making her own jewellery, not just for customers but also for family and friends. Khor Mandal (Mong. Хор Мандал) in Ulaanbaatar. 24 September 2025. Photograph: C.Pleteshner
Munkhtsetseg’s daughter, the talented Otgonbaatar Udiyana, recently joined her mother’s business after returning from studying in China. She too has now begun creating her own jewellery designs using a wide range of natural stones, crystals and additional adornments just like her mother. Now, how wonderful is that? I rejoice in their collaboration! Khor Mandal (Mong. Хор Мандал) in Ulaanbaatar. 24 September 2025. Photograph: C.Pleteshner
Simple and elegant (custom-made) Erhi (Mong. Эрхи: Sanskrit & English. Mala) either of modern or traditional design, are Munkhtsetseg’s and Udiyana’s speciality. It’s so interesting to stay and watch the delicate precision with which they each work. Khor Mandal (Mong. Хор Мандал) in Ulaanbaatar. 24 September 2025. Photograph: C.Pleteshner
From this one location, you can also buy exquisite mulberry silk brocades imported by Munkhtsetseg from India (Mong. Энэтхэг гар нэхмэл торго). The wide and constantly changing range of quality fabrics vary in price from the expensive (per metre) to those less so. Discounts are available for ‘by the bolt’ purchases. Khor Mandal (Mong. Хор Мандал) in Ulaanbaatar. 24 September 2025. Photograph: C.Pleteshner
In Mongolia, mulberry silk brocade, a rich and durable fabric, is still being used for high-status clothing like robes and formal wear, particularly for important festivals and diplomatic occasions, as well as for home decor such as curtains and upholstery, creating an elegant and ornate environment. The use of these luxurious materials historically signified wealth and prestige, with specific patterns and colours conveying symbolic meaning within Mongolian society and social circles.
I am also pleased to report, that even now (2025) not everyone in Mongolia has succumbed to the globalising trend of wearing ‘western’ style working apparel. Here I’m channelling (designer?) navy blue suites, white shirts and colourful ties, of which, this year here in Mongolia, there is certainly no shortage. In terms of vestments, this recent shift by Mongolian people in Ulaanbaatar, both younger and older, towards corporate-style dressing is one of the most pronounced socially-visible changes I am noticing this year.
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© 2013-2025. CP in Mongolia. This post is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Posted: 27 September 2025. Last updated: 27 September 2025.