I am an archaeologist specializing in archaeometallurgy, with a regional focus on Southwest China and northern Vietnam. Using lead isotope ratios and alloy compositions as “chemical fingerprints,” I trace metal provenance and production practices to reconstruct inter-community networks. Drawing on anthropological perspectives on technology, exchange, and political economy, my research foregrounds community-scale procurement in borderland settings, where overlapping ties and multiple circulation pathways intersect. Combining laboratory analyses with highland fieldwork, I examine how production practices and metal movement were woven into long-term processes of mobility, social organization, and inequality.