These earrings represent a fraction of the wide repertoire of silver jewellery made, worn and exchanged by highland communities in northern Thailand. This type is worn by the Hmong and Lahu women.The Lahu and Hmong are ethnic minority groups who migrated into Northern Thailand from Burma and Laos during the 18th and 19th centuries. For many highland communities, silver was valued more highly than gold. Silver jewellery was a way of investing a family’s wealth to be passed down as heirlooms. It 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.
