Jewellery sets off beauty and reveals wealth. Traditional Oriental vernacular jewellery has, moreover, a magical function. It attracts heavenly blessings and wards off evil. On his extensive travels throughout the Orient, Dr Bir amassed one of the world's largest private collections of traditional jewellery. Over 400 illustrations reproducing more than 750 objects as well as a rich store of maps to enable readers to place pieces by region make this encounter with the fascinating world of traditional Oriental vernacular jewellery a memorably exciting adventure. With bibliography and index.