Group of pendants with bird motifs

This is a set of gold Javanese pendants, with granulation, embossed with bird motifs and foliage patterns. These pendants were worn by women of status as decorative pieces. Jewellery has many different functions in island Southeast Asia, for example it was used to indicate social positions, to symbolise the importance of the social relationship between the giver and the receiver during gift exchanges, and to serve as miniature religious objects.