Since the Paiwan do not possess the technology to make the beads and since none of the other aboriginal peoples have them, Ch'en surmises that they were brought to Taiwan by the Paiwan's ancestors.
色澤溫厚優雅的琉璃珠，在排灣族人眼中，具有至高無上的價值。訂婚時，若能有一顆琉璃珠當聘禮，即表示男方地位極高，也是女方絕大的光采。他們甚至有「珠在人在，珠亡人亡」的說法。特別的是，排灣族並無製造琉璃珠的技術，其他族群也沒有琉璃珠出現。