Indonesian Belt Buckle with Skull Motif

A grinning skull sits in a garden of silver acanthus, perfectly comfortable.

This belt buckle with skull motif comes from Bali, Indonesia, and is contemporary work in sterling silver and mammoth tusk. Balinese silversmiths are known for deep, crisp chasing, and skull imagery has a long history in jewelry as a reminder of mortality as well as a bit of swagger. The skull is carved from creamy mammoth tusk with hollow eyes and a full row of teeth, set in a raised silver bezel. Around it, curling acanthus leaves are chased in high relief against a blackened, stippled ground, all within a polished rectangular frame. It is 3.5 inches long, 0.25 deep and 2.5 high.

Memento mori, with excellent posture.