THAI HILL TRIBE SILVER
97% PURE SILVER
A PAIR OF GRACEFUL LEAF PENDANTS/CHARMS
- 97% pure silver, crafted by hand. Detailed on front and back.
- Measurements: Approximately 23mm in length, not including 5mm soldered ring at the top, 1.2mm thick.
- Quantity: 2 Hill Tribe Silver Graceful Leaf Pendants.
ABOUT THE HILL TRIBES OF THAILAND:
There are many semi-nomadic Hill Tribes that live in the highlands of northen Thailand, some of them roaming freely back and forth across the borders of Burma and Laos. Their way of life has changed little in almost 2,000 years. There are seven major tribes: KAREN, HMONG (MEO), YAO, LISU, LAHU, LAWA and AKHA. Each ethnic group of tribes has its own distinctive culture, extending to tribal dress and crafts. High status in the communities is reserved for silversmiths, for with these tribes' frequent wanderings from place to place came the need to transport worldly wealth easily, and silver jewelry fulfills both this need and the desire for adornment. The hill tribe people regard silver as currency and an indication of wealth and status of the family of the wearer. Jewelry is normally made from silver, most melted down from Indian and Burmese silver coins. Hill tribe members, especially women, wear every item of silver they possess, all the time. Their profusion of ornaments may include heavy silver belts and bracelets, headdresses composed of silver coins, huge earrings, and necklaces hung with such useful implements as toothpicks, scissors, and tweezers, also made of silver. Silver also has a religious significance and is thought to protect the wearer against evil spirits. Great time and imagination is invested in the production of these articles within each family, as they represent status and express pride.
