This box contains silver and gold purl as well as sequins. Purl threads are fine, coiling metal wires without a thread in the middle. They were known as gim kasar and giem kembang, where ‘gim’ meant gold. Different types of purl thread were often used together in nyonya embroidery to achieve a range of effects. Examples in this group demonstrate the variety of colours, thread and bead types available to embroiderers in Penang and Singapore.
