This engraved bracelet represents a fraction of the wide repertoire of silver jewellery made, worn and exchanged by highland communities in northern Thailand that include the Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Lisu and Yao. Several types of bracelets with coiled, plaited and twisted forms were worn. This bracelet with the flattened ends is mainly worn by the Hmong and Yao groups.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. 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.The Yao like the Hmong are highland communities who live in nothern Thailand. They migrated from China and Laos to Thailand during the 18th to 19th centuries.
