RESEARCH DATA:

This sillot, a traditional bead necklace from Abra, features agate beads (asi), opaque orange (in-inti) and yellow beads (napuchaw), and brass beads known as samfufok (Jimenez & Sabado, 2017). The samfufok beads are made from melted silver, brass, or gold coins and are shaped into intricate designs that reflect Christian imagery and motifs. They stand as testaments to a past influenced by Spanish colonialism and Catholicism (Newman, 1977), as well as evidence of the thriving trade networks that once connected Ilocos and the Cordillera, particularly Abra. Sometimes referred to as tambourine jewelry, tamborin, or tambor, these beads are crafted using the delicate art of filigree work.