The Legacy of Balinese Jewellery
Bali is celebrated worldwide for its artistry, but the island’s jewellery tells a story distinct from its Neighbours in Java or Sumatra. For centuries, Balinese families have invested their wealth in gold, prized as marker of prestige, inheritance, and social standing. Silver, by contrast, found its place in ritual and protection, woven into ceremonies rather than daily wear. In Bali, jewellery was not an everyday adornment, it was sacred, brought out for festivals, dances, and rites of passage.
The Pande Caste and Sacred Smiths
The custodians of this legacy were the Pande, a hereditary caste of metalsmiths. Their role was not limited to a single craft but extended across the sacred domains of Balinese life. They were the only ones permitted to forge the keris, the ritual dagger believed to hold spiritual power. They fashioned intricate jewellery for weddings, processions, and ceremonial dance. And they created ritual silver objects, temple regalia, holy water vessels, and offering containers that formed part of daily worship. The Pande were therefore not only artisans but also guardians of the sacred fire, shaping metal into objects that mediated between humans and the divine.
Gold for Prestige, Silver for Ritual
While gold remained the preferred metal for dowries and inheritance, silver carried a more intimate and spiritual role. It was linked to protection, to purity, and to continuity of life. A simple yet telling example survives today: silver bangles given to babies, worn as protective amulets against misfortune. Such traditions reveal how silver was never merely decorative but believed to carry a force that safeguarded the vulnerable.
Jewellery in Ceremony
In the villages of Bali, jewellery emerged above all during religious ceremonies. Elaborate necklaces, bracelets, and crowns adorned dancers and devotees during temple festivals. At weddings or cremations, heirloom ornaments were brought out from family shrines, worn with pride and reverence before being carefully stored again. Unlike Java, where ancient gold was buried with kings or lost to shipwrecks, Balinese jewellery remained in continuous circulation, living heritage handed down and reawakened with each ritual cycle.
Celuk and the Global Market
One village came to embody this tradition more than any other: Celuk, near Ubud. Originally agrarian, Celuk transformed in the late nineteenth century as Pande descendants established workshops. By the 1970s, nearly the entire community had abandoned farming to become silversmiths. Intricate filigree and granulation earned Celuk worldwide renown, and tourists flocked to its galleries, eager to witness artisans at work. For decades, it was rightly called Bali’s “Silver Village.”
Yet Celuk’s story also reflects the challenges of modern craft. Today the village faces sharp economic decline. Many workshops rely on mass-produced designs, sometimes even importing jewellery from Java factories, sold under the Celuk name. What was once a centre of refined artistry now struggles under the weight of cheap souvenirs and shrinking demand. Celuk embodies both the glory and the fragility of Bali’s jewellery heritage.
Contemporary Legacy
Amid these shifts, Bali’s jewellery tradition continues to live and adapt. Some workshops remain true to the spirit of the Pande, balancing heritage with contemporary design. In contrast to mass souvenir production, these ateliers preserve artisan quality, cultural symbolism, and modern elegance. Their work shows that Balinese jewellery is not confined to museum cases but is still alive and worn in rituals, carried across generations, and reimagined for today’s global audience.
Explore how this legacy continues in our current collections or learn more about our workshop.
The legacy of Balinese jewellery is one of continuity rather than burial, of living ritual rather than lost treasure. Gold remains the metal of prestige, but silver became the canvas of ritual and protection, given to infants, worn in festivals, and sanctified in temples. Unlike the treasures of Java or Sumatra, Balinese jewellery was never hidden away, it endures as living craft, sacred heritage, and contemporary art form.