Bontoc Tikam or Hip/Waist Ornament

Two rings of petal-shaped points fan out around a dark knob, like a sun drawn by an engraver.

This tikam, or hip/waist ornament, is Bontoc, from the Philippines, and dates to the early 20th century. It is mother of pearl. Shell ornaments were valued across the highlands of northern Luzon, where pearl shell had to be traded in from the coast. Here the incised border combines a band of chevrons and diamonds with a ring of pointed, petal-like shapes facing inward. At the center sits a domed, mottled dark disc with a narrow slot. Small black marks dot the shell around it, and the outer lip curls in a thick, warm brown. It is 7.75 inches high and 7.75 wide.

Pearly, patterned and perfectly balanced.