This bracelet 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. This type was worn by Lahu and Akha men.For many highland communities, silver was valued more highly than gold. 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.Originally, highlanders from China, the Akha and Lahu, due to economic, political and environmental factors, have been forced to move southwards into mainland Southeast Asia.
