Necklace of pumtek beads, Burma, 19th - 20th centuryComposed of thirty beads (round, square and tapered) in fossilized wood with geometric decoration and some with monkey motifs. A hollow and cylindrical bone element is attached. Length: 4.5 cmPumtek beads are made from Burmese petrified wood. They are also known as "buried lightning beads". The origin of these beads goes back to more than 1000 years. They were made by the Pyu people, a Buddhist cultural group characterized as peaceful and wealthy.