In the 19th century Dalmatia was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It stretched from Trieste (now in Italy) to the borders of modern Albania. The traditional jewellery shows traces of the many cultures which influenced the region. On the coast, which had never been part of the Ottoman Empire, the women used large filigree hair pins, like those worn in northern Italy, when wearing traditional costume. Further inland the pins were smaller, like this one. They were used to keep a head scarf or fez in place.

The bird on top of this pin may represent a cockerel, a traditional symbol of fertility through much of Europe.