Tema Pendant - Santa Cruz Islands / Solomon Islands Archipelago

The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands belonging to the Solomons, in the Coral Sea. These are populations of Melanesian roots that initially occupy this region, emphasizing the aesthetic links between the different productions of the populations occupying the Solomon Islands. This kind of pendant, widespread in the region, is an ornament on the male chest to determine the person's hierarchical rank. The pearly white that makes up the disc comes from a shell of tridacna gigas (giant clam) which is superimposed with an openwork of tortoiseshell carried by a cord of vegetable fibres. The perforated tortoiseshell plate represents patterns with geometric decorations and gives this piece a deep aesthetic quality.

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