:: All prices listed are wholesale to shops :: Retail prices to individuals are twice those listed ::
Old ethnic jewelry has not been cleaned nor polished to preserve patinas and the overall appearance of the pieces at the time of collection. All jewelry is shipped non-sterile and ethnic jewelry should be assumed to have been previously used. Jewelry shown has traditionally been worn in stretched earlobe piercings. While some hilltribe jewelry may be made out of very high content silver, including anywhere from sterling silver up to fine silver in terms of purity, most of these old pieces should be assumed to be made from "tribal silver" or "coin silver," not sterling silver, which means there can be a greater content of nickel in them. They should be utilized in well-healed tissue when no nickel allergy is present or for collection, education, and display purposes only. Pieces have been selected to be both affordable and functional, but may also appeal to those beginning an ethnographic or tribal jewelry collection as well.
The bulk of the jewelry on this page consist of various old ethnic hilltribe silver plugs, weights, hoops, and earrings from the golden triangle region of northern Thailand, Burma, and China. We have also featured Laos, Malaysia, and Indonesia in the past, and will be soon be adding various pieces from Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines now shown on our Newly Acquired page, plus we are in the process of integrating this region with parts of mainland Asia, such as China (and thus are renaming it!). Several pieces do not have a specific tribe or point of origin attached to them as they were sold as a whole collection. Names mentioned below such as Hmong, Karen, and Kayah, are some of the tribal groups from this region.
Please see p. 60-61 in
Peoples of the Golden Triangle and
The Art of Silver Jewellery
for excellent photo reference sources.
Hmong bent arrows
Several different pairs of Thai hilltribe jewelry! This first image shows:
The last pair of old Hmong bent arrows that we have is shown ($50/pair).
Most bent arrows measure around 6ga to 5ga at the widest point (generally on the bottoms).
Please see p. 232 in
A World of Earrings, p. 60 in
Peoples of the Golden Triangle,
and p. 205 in
Ethnic Jewellery for excellent reference sources.
Karen tribe cups
Karen tribe big hollow cup shapes with big flares. $80/pair.
The women of the Karen hilltribe (from North Thailand and the surrounding region)
traditionally wear these plugs. These have nice, unusually large almost Mayan style, front flares.
The Karen are renowned for their excellent craftsmanship in silver jewelry.
For more examples of Karen 'cup' shaped plugs, please see:
p. 236-237 in
A World of Earrings and p. 205 in
Ethnic Jewellery.
Thin omega style shapes
All are in the 18ga to 16ga range, and are $10/each or $20/pair. Same price for retail customers!!!
Of course one would need to have a larger sized hole for insertion due to the curls at the bottoms.
These are the first examples of this style of jewelry that we have seen-pretty neat!
For an example of these types of earrings, see pages 232-233 in
A World of Earrings.
Tighter and thicker omega shapes
While these are made traditionally to be worn in the ears, some people over here have worn them in their septums.
They are $15 each and are definitely singles. Same price for retail customers!!!
Only the ones in the 1st position (>7ga but <6ga) and 4th position (> or =6ga) are still available.
Examples of these types of earrings are shown on:
pages 232-233 in
A World of Earrings, and p. 205 in
Ethnic Jewellery.
Various old tribal silver pieces
The top left pair are short lengthed plugs similar to ones we had before from the Black Tai tribe, and are $20/pair. Same price for retail customers!!!
The top right question mark/hook style pieces have conical/triangular fronts and have SOLD.
The second row shows a pair of really nice earrings with triangular sides. Though the top wire is around a 5ga, the triangular parts are around 5/8" at the big parts, but flat in cross section; thus, you might have to be around 00ga on average to get them in. They are $60/pair - same price for retail customers!!!
The bottom row is a pair of equally as bizarre earrings. The half balls would go in front of the ear, and the triangular parts would dangle behind. They are $85/pair - same price for retail customers!!!
Taking the average of the measurements of that triangle would mean a minimum size of 7/16" is required for insertion. The bottom dip of the "U" shape is around a 4ga and the size of the wire at the wearing surface behind the half balls is 9-8ga.
See p.224, 232-233 in, yes,
A World of Earrings for documentation on these styles.
Vietnamese hilltribe earrings
Some are silver, some are made from base metal (such as tin, zinc, or aluminum), and
all have some sype of variation between the left and right-hand pieces (which add character, of course!).
The first pair with fluttering wedge-shapes are $40/pair;
the second pair with a neat wandering design are $40/pair as well.
Click on the right-hand sided thumbnail above to view an image
of the engravings that has been blown up to show detail.
We have had pairs in this same form harkening from China. $40/pair.
These are aluminum and resemble tiger's teeth or chili peppers.
They are engraved on only one side each as shown. Merely $20.
Highly ornate wire work! $100/pair.
Though found in Vietnam, these are in the same style
as pairs we have had from South China.
Chinese hilltribe jewelry
A good variety of exciting South Chinese hoops and plugs...
Miao (Hmong) tribe earrings with coiled bottoms
that add some weight, and thin gauge ear wires. $75/pair.
Two pairs Dong Tribe (China) big flared earplugs. $100/pair.
Two pairs heavy Miao (Hmong) tribe spirals. $75/pair.
Medium-sized South Chinese hilltribe knobby earrings.
Pleasantly lightweight. $125/pair.
An image of a hilltribe woman wearing this type of earrings appears on the back of a yuan note
(paper Chinese currency; we heard they recently stopped printing this design).
Refer to p. 200 of
Ethnic Jewellery, and p.189 in
A World of Earrings
to see pairs of various sizes like the ones we have on offer here.
Huge Chinese hilltribe knobby wrapped spiral silver earrings. $200/pair. SOLD
Two pairs of Dong tribe (China) hoops, with subtle engravings.
$100/pair (smaller pair on top-still available) to $120/pair (larger pair on bottom-SOLD).
Please refer to p.181 in
A World of Earrings and p. 204 in
Ethnic Jewellery to view similar pairs.
Chinese (maybe Naxi?) dragon hoops: $50/pair (sold?), and $60/pair (SOLD).
Note each piece is slightly different, even within pairs.
See p.170 in
A World of Earrings for a similar pair.
Dong tribe oddly angled hoops with metal keepers - $80/pair.
We now a few more pairs of these, newly made in base metals over on the new acquired page.
Page 181 in
A World of Earrings and
p. 204 in
Ethnic Jewellery shows pairs with closely-related forms.
New Yao tribe earrings like on the back of Chinese currency.
$80/pair SOLD. We can probably get more!
Uighar (Xiangang/Singkiang, NW China) intricate earrings. $150/pair.
This is the first time we have been able to offer any earrings from this region for sale,
I have only very rarely seen earrings of this type (this is the third pair, ever).
For similar pairs, please refer to p. 168-169 in
A World of Earrings.
We have found a few more pairs in this style! Strangely they were described as being from Pakistan. They are currently being featured over on the ethnic jewelry from the middle east page.
These heavy silver plugs are good examples of the style worn by Dong women. The back flares are big, but necessarily so to counteract the weight of the large front flares. These measure just a smidge over 3/4" on average on the wearing surface, with the back flares being over 1-1/8". $70/pair.
Pairs like these are shown on p. 192 in
A World of Earrings, and on p. 200 in
Ethnic Jewellery.
Dong tribe double-sided earplugs. Both faces and sides views are shown. $70/pair. SOLD
This pair is 11/16" (note each piece is missing a ball decoration from the faces).
As with most Dong plugs, they have seams where the metal comes together on the wearing surfaces.
Please refer to p. 193 in
A World of Earrings to view similar pairs.
The following amber pieces are from Burma and NE India,
though the amber is Burmese (Burmite).
Old Burmese amber plugs in the traditional shape that is similar to giant crayons!
Called patlokan. The tips have some old damage. $200/pair. SOLD
Traditional Burmese amber earplugs,
slightly tapered ($120/pair).
Old Burmese amber plugs, collected from Assam.
Between 1/2" and 9/16" ($80/pair).
New Cambodian coils
Small silver Cambodian reproduction coils/light weights. $100/pair.
Nice and compact. This exact pair sold, but one more pair is available!
Ancient Cambodian jewelry
Yellow glass earplugs ancient ear plugs from Cambodia, estimated to be 500-1000 years old!
While some pieces are similar enough to be close to pairs, all are individual and unique.
Some have straight shafts and flat discs, and some have flared ends like insect bodies with rounded discs, which make them look overall like little mushrooms.
The ones depicted in the top image and on bottom right have SOLD;
those on the bottom left with slightly tapered shafts are still available.
We can readily get singles and less matched pairs. $25-30/each piece.
Page 210 in
A World of Earrings shows various ancient glass plugs,
including a pair with a similar overall shape.
Ancient Cambodian encrusted upside-down U shaped ear weights
(probably Angkor circa 900 CE gold over bronze). Just $75/pair.
All have large areas of greenish patina which probably render them unwearable as is,
though as with all jewelry with heavy patinas, wrapping them with cotton thread might do the trick.
Front and back views of each piece is shown. Please refer to them in order by pair: #B thru #F.
Two pairs of old Khmer gilded bronze earrings, which have been encrusted together over time.
Harkening from the 12th through 14th centuries CE, from the Battambang region of Cambodia.
They obviously can't be opened or worn any more (this style used to open with a hinge at the top),
but are great for collecting, display, or educational purposes. $150.
We've seen some ancient earrings like this before, but never with a double set such as these.
Filipino tribal jewelry
Filipino new brass ling ling-o aka dinumug or bung; traditionally used as both pendants and ear jewelry.
The ones with figures on the left and right sides such as the last shown are called pinangpanga.
These are traditionally found in gold, brass, and silver.
Many designs are attributed to the Bontoc,
though they are worn by other tribes as well such as the Ifugao and Kankanay.
We can send you black strings to suspend them as necklaces.
$30 for 2 pieces of the same design.
Published references can be found on p. 250 in
A World of Earrings,
p. 258-261 and 306 in
Power and Gold,
and p. 34-35, 244, and 278 in
Jewelry of Southeast Asia.
Traditional Ifugao tribe (Northern Luzon, Philippines) bead and shell bawisak earrings.
The bottom shell designs have been described as either representing butterflies
or a certain item of male generative anatomy!
These actually fit over the upper ears and dangle in front of the lobe;
they do not go through an actual piercing. $225/pair. Rare!
Refer to p. 251 in
A World of Earrings, where they are attributed to the Kalinga or Gaddang tribes,
p. 305 in
Power and Gold, and to see a pair being suspended from ling ling-o:
p. 244 in Jewelry of Southeast Asia.
New tribal-made silver spiral earrings
The following few pairs of silver jewelry were all made by Thai hilltribes, but are NEW.
I was torn over whether to feature them here or on the new silver and bronze jewelry page,
but decided this page would be appropriate as they were all tribally made using traditional methods.
This type of reproduction work helps to employ villagers in their traditional line of work,
as well as having the added affect of reinforcing the idea that their indigenous crafts, and the skilled people and culture that produces them, is appreciated by people all over the world.
While all these particular examples shown have SOLD, we will be happy to place you on our wait list if you would like to be notified when similar pieces become available again. Actually, take a peek at our new page, as we have a bunch of silver spiral earrings with small wires available right now!
These styles were all $10/pair (SOLD):
tightly wrapped spirals, tiny spirals, or fat spiral bottoms.
Thai silver spiral earrings with thin-gauged wires.
$17/pair-SOLD, or $22/pair-SOLD.
Small thick spirals ($18/pair-SOLD).
Round overall spiral designs ($20-SOLD, $35-SOLD, or $55-sold).
Flat question mark shaped spirals ($23-sold, $16-sold, or $25-SOLD).
Silver spiral hook earrings with an overall plus shape ($30/pair-SOLD).
:: All prices listed are wholesale to shops :: Retail prices to individuals are twice those listed ::
