Capings were worn by little girls of Southeast Asia, a tradition derived from India dated back centuries ago. They were believed to possess the power to protect the children from evil spirits. Gold capings were for the royalties, silver for high officials, wood, brass, copper and shells were for the commoners. They were worn suspended from a silver chain or a cotton cord around the hips.

Tibetan amulet boxes and jewelry are essential protective ornaments especially for the nomadic people of Tibet since their journeys are often perilous and inhospitable because of the vast terrain and the extreme cold weather in high altitude. These amulets are worn cross-shoulder on a cord, resting at the hip.

Finely chased lotus silver box probably crafted by Nepal's Newar artisans. Copper lid and walls, silver top.

Silver amulet box with filigree top, turquoise and two corals. Its side and detachable base is made of copper.

Top blooms with floral silver scrolls, chased and pierced with two corals and a turquoise. The copper inner rim is set with two more corals, another turquoise. Detachable copper base.

The Hmong minority people of Laos migrated to the hills of Luang Prabang from Yunnan province of Southern China in the early 19th century. By the end of the19th century several Hmong villages had been established in the golden triangle of Thailand. Silver is symbolic to this hill tribe people as wealth and good life. As such a lot of wealth is kept in the form of silver jewellery. Neck rings are worn either singly or up to six tiers. Lock-shaped pendants suspended from heavy chains are attached to them. At a naming ceremony a Hmong baby is given a silver neck ring to keep the soul in to signify that the baby belongs to the human world. These lock ornaments were also used in healing ceremonies to recall the wandering souls of the sick to be called back and secured to the body.

Silver geometric pendant of incised floral patterns, sharply chased, tiny dots punched true. Top forms twin elephants, trunks raised in joy.

Plain silver pendant; rectangular grid of twenty-five squares, dotted with punched circles and patina.

This enamelled silver amulet (Herz) are worn by women in the Anti-Atlas mountains. It contains sacred substances believed to protect the wearer. Jewish smiths who fled from the Spanish inquisition in the late fifteen century has settled in North Africa. They introduced colourful enamel and niello work which spread across the region.

The Touaregs are decendants of the ancient race of Berbers who migrated from the Anti-Atlas mountains in Morocco about a thousand years ago to eacape the Arab invasion in North Africa. They tracked southwards across northern Algeria into the Sahara desert, finally settle down along the borders of Mali and Niger. They are known as the blue people from the indigo pigmentation of their robes that rubs off and permeates the skin. This is also a status symbol because indigo is costly and that represents wealth. Camel breeding provided them with transportation in the Saharan desert. They later use them in their great trans-Saharan caravans, carrying slaves, gold and ivory to the Mediterranean and returning with salt and other commodities from Europe and the Middle East.

Tcherot, talismanic silver boxes can be embellished with copper or brass but never in gold because silver is the metal of the Prophet. Gold is believed to bring bad luck. These boxes contain verses of the koran.

The Buginese and the Makassan who ruled many tiny kingdoms of south Sulawesi did not convert to Islam until the 17th century. Makassar, the kingdom of Gowa was a busy and important port at the time of the spice trade in the Moluccus islands.

Their jewellery are mostly embellised with delicate and meandering scrolls depicting plants, flowers or stylized Arabic script executed in the filigree and granulation workmanship. The picture of this little girl in traditional costume of Kawari, chest ornament and Jempang, modesty plate is reminiscent of the ornaments worn by Buddhist deities found in Ayutthaya, Thailand between the 14th or 15th century.

Matching pairs clockwise from top left. Diameter: 7.5cm ; Weight: 49g,  Dia: 4.5cm ; Wt: 18g,   Dia: 4.5cm ;  Wt: 20g,  Dia: 6cm; Wt: 35g,  Dia: 6cm; Wt: 27g, Dia: 5.5cm; Wt: 27g, Dia: 6cm; Wt: 41g

Tuareg crosses (Croix du sud) come in different shapes and motifs and they are named after oasis towns in Niger. They are passed down from father to son when the boy reached puberty. He says to his son that he has given him the four corners of the world where one would not know where one would end up. This powerful amulets can also be converted as a form of currency in times of need to buy cattle, clothing or food. The Agadez cross is best known of all crosses. The engraving of a round circle in the centre represents the eye of a chameleon which is symbolic of power and the jackal tracks along the four sides is symbolic of craftiness.

 Capings were worn by little girls of Southeast Asia, a tradition derived from India dated back centuries ago. They were believed to possess the power to protect the children from evil spirits. Gold capings were for the royalties, silver for high officials, wood, brass, copper and shells were for the commoners. They were worn suspended from a silver chain or a cotton cord around the hips.

Punched and incised geometric silver pendant. Twin elephants, trunks raised in joy.

Three silver geometric pendants, chased and punched with floral motifs, twin elephants, trumpeting at the top..

The Buginese and the Makassan who ruled many tiny kingdoms of south Sulawesi did not convert to Islam until the 17th century. Makassar, the kingdom of Gowa was a busy and important port at the time of the spice trade in the Moluccus islands.

Their jewellery are mostly embellised with delicate and meandering scrolls depicting plants, flowers or stylized Arabic script executed in the filigree and granulation workmanship. The picture of this little girl in traditional costume of Kawari, chest ornament and Jempang, modesty plate is reminiscent of the ornaments worn by Buddhist deities found in Ayutthaya, Thailand between the 14th or 15th century.

The Turkomans were nomadic farmers and herders that lived around the Karakum desert in Central Asia. Every Turkoman woman had a large amount of silver jewellery acquired through marriage. A bride from a wealthy family was usually covered with jewellery from head to toe. This was part of the dowry besides carpets and textiles on her wedding. The large amount of silver created for the Turkomans were bought with the carpets knotted by females. They were made of the purest silver by craftmen moving from nomad camps to nomad camps. Silver jewellery was the best form of security to be carted on their bodies in this hostile area of sandy plains as they can be simply exchanged for money and goods. On top of that they also functioned as protective amulets. Blue colour were supposed to deflect the evil eye and the orange carnelian stones embedded in these bracelets were symbolic of fertility, blood and life.

Neck ring with chains dangling with eight immortals from a flat lock pendant depicting a flower. And on the second tier, tiny pomegranates and bells, dangle, little symbols of endless abundance.

Ching dynasty 1644-1912

A mantra pendant: chased and repoussé silver scroll-and-flower box, keeps your blessings close.