This study presents striking parallels in both ethnic (non-European) and folk (European) traditional costumes and ornaments made with silver and glass.

African ornaments include Zulu beads, Maghreb necklaces, the Oba's crown, and Massai headpieces. European ornaments extend from the Baltic to the Alps and from Russia, Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. Asian jewelry comes from the Fertile Crescent, the Silk Route, and the foothills of the Himalaya.

Each example exquisitely displays a common sense of beauty among many distant peoples.