This armlet is made from the wing cases of two species of large beetle. The iridescent green wing cases are from the jewel beetle, while the brown and cream patterned wing cases are from the Harlequin beetle. The wing cases are threaded onto a vegetable fibre, probably cotton. The armlet is believed to be from the Guyana/Surinam region of the Amazon basin in South America. Amazonian myths tell of a time when animals and humans could talk to each other, marry or even transform into each other.