This pair of large, pyramidal gold earrings is worn by Malayali Muslim women from Kerala of the Cochin area. The earrings are made from thin sheet gold with filigree wires soldered onto the surface. It is filled with a lac, a scarlet resinous secretion of the insect kerria laccacore. The size of these earrings suggests the wealth of the owner. The shape and the decorative pattern on this earring are abstract and geometric, echoing Islamic aesthetic adapted by local craftsmen.
