Indonesian Mamuli

Less than three inches high, and very hard to look away from.

This mamuli is gold with Jatim beads, from Kambera in East Sumba, Indonesia. On Sumba, mamuli are worn as ear ornaments and kept as treasured heirlooms, and their form is widely read as a symbol of female fertility. A hollow diamond of gold opens at the center into a keyhole slit. Clusters of granules crown the points, and two curved arms spread from the base. The gold is speckled with dark pitting, and a short strand of orange beads threads through it. It is 2.75 inches high.

Some things are heavier than they weigh.