This bracelet comes from the Toraja people of Sulawesi. It is made with sheet gold pressed over a clay or resin core. The flat surface is ornamented with spiral designs, while the curved side is decorated with protrusions each mounted with a red gem. 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.
