This earring represents a fraction of the wide repertoire of silver jewellery made, worn and exchanged by highland communities in northern Thailand. Silver was valued more highly than gold by many highland communities. Silver jewellery was a way of investing a family’s wealth to be passed down as heirlooms. Hmong girls were given silver jewellery by their parents as bride wealth ('phij cuab') which ensured them of some independence and status in their new home. Silver was also believed to have protective properties. Today, where security maybe a problem, silver is kept locked away while aluminium is used as a substitute.
