This engraved bracelet has large floral motifs and bands of cross-hatching. It represents a fraction of the wide repertoire of silver jewellery made, worn and exchanged by highland communities in northern Thailand. Several types of bracelets with coiled, plaited and twisted forms were worn by Lahu and Akha men. The Akha and Lahu are ethnic minority groups who migrated into Northern Thailand from Burma, Laos and Vietnam during the 18th and 19th centuries.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.
