Oceania, Melanesia, Solomon Islands, Malaita Island, 19th century CE. A striking pair of turtle shell ear ornaments known as ta'ota'o, each one comprised of two circular hoops, the lower one rendered so that it is elegantly linked to the upper one. The creation of these ear ornaments involves a complex process to turn the flat plates of a turtle shell into a hoop shape. The turtle shell must be submerged in hot water in order to make it soft and malleable. Then, the shell may be modeled, perhaps worked with tools and/or placed in wooden molds and heated in order to create these forms. Size of largest ornament (large hoop): 1.9" L x 1.8" W (4.8 cm x 4.6 cm); (small hoop): 1.7" L x 1.4" W (4.3 cm x 3.6 cm)CITES permit required for international shipping Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Norman Hurst collection, acquired in 2008 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #154575