Kapkap

Kapkaps, as ornaments like this are now called, are found in parts of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. These skilfully made shell disks overlaid with delicate turtle shell filigree are much admired. Attached to a cord or woven band of fibre, they can be worn on the forehead, breast, or shoulder.

Variants
A remarkably similar ornament, worn on the forehead, occurs far to the east in the Marquesas Islands. Another distinctive variant, in which the turtle shell overlay resembles a stylised frigate bird, is found in the Santa Cruz Islands, now Temotu Province, in the southeast of Solomon Islands. This ornament was always worn as a breast pendant, and the shell disc was usually made from giant clam shell - a laborious task. More easily worked shells were used in the Papuan Gulf; in the Marquesas the disc might be pearl shell. In recent times, kapkaps have been made using brown plastic for the overlay.

History
Archaeological evidence from Temotu Province shows that people there have adorned themselves with shell disks for more than 2000 years. Overlays may have developed more recently. Pearl shell amulets possibly preceded turtle shell overlays.