Dala pendant, Kap Kap exchange currency

Dala pendant, Kap Kap exchange money (necklace) 

Florida Island Central Province, Solomon Islands .
Shell, carved scales, shell beads, seeds and fibers

Shell diameter: 17 cm; scale diameter: 15 cm

Rounded shell plate with a geometrically cut openwork shell plate superimposed. The two elements are pierced in their center and maintained by a cord of fibers in two parts, covered with shell beads of red and white color, finished by a seed and a red fabric pompom. If the Kap Kap seems to be dated to the first half of the twentieth century, the original cord has been replaced later by a more recent work.
Its exceptional size makes this Kap Kap a rare item.
This object is known as Kap Kap, a term derived from a pidgin term used in New Ireland. If this name has survived, it is because it has often been used in European museums to designate these objects. In the Solomon Islands, they are commonly called dala.