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Friday, 17th July 2009 (1182 views)

An exhibition of gold jewellery at a museum in Singapore can be seen as a way of examining the rise and fall of the Peranakans, according to one expert.

Speaking to Reuters, Randall Ee, curator of the Peranakans & Their Jewellery exhibition at the Peranakan Museum, explained that the jewellery belonging to these descendants of Chinese migrants can be used to show how this culture rose to prominence in the 19th and early 20th centuries and its subsequent decline.

The Peranakans descend from Chinese traders who moved to Indonesia and Malaysia in the 14th century.

They spread to the up and coming areas of Penang and Singapore in the 19th century and became involved in the production of opium, nutmeg and liquor, as well as the cultivation of pepper and commodity trading.

Gold jewellery and belts were worn by the Peranakans to display their wealth, but they were forced to downgrade to plain metal items when their fortunes declined after World War II.

Visitors to the Peranakan Museum can see more than 300 pieces of jewellery at the exhibition until December 13th, including gold bracelets, earrings, necklaces and kerosangs, which women used to fasten their tunics.

"Peranakan women wore their jewellery as a sign of family wealth," Mr Ee said.

"The size and quality of a Peranakan lady's kerosang was a sign of her husband's wealth and status in the community during important functions."

 

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