Silver headdress and ear ornaments dating from the Chimu Imperial Epoch (1300 AD-1532 AD). In ancient Peru silver was considered of equal importance to gold as it was not easily found in its pure metallic state. Although Silver was first worked a thousand years BC, it is believed that during the height of the Chimu Empire (from the 12th to the 15th Century) the exploitation of Silver reached its greatest level of technological sophistication. In Chimu society silver would have been used in the attire of the nobility. Artifact from the Larco Museum, Lima, Peru.