The Torah Pointer, a decorative piece of Judaica, was originally made from simple materials and its purpose was and remains, to help guide the individual who is reading from the Torah to keep his place.  Another practical function is to make certain that the Reader does not touch the Torah scroll.
The Torah pointer can be found in various styles, however, the most popular is that of a staff about a foot long, with a closed hand and extended index finger situated at the end of the Torah pointer.
The material of choice for the Torah pointer is silver or hard wood such as Olive wood, preferably from Israel. There is generally a metal chain connected to the Torah pointer to hang it on the Torah itself.
A few  of the earliest known pointers in existence comes from the Jewish community in Italy and was manufactured in Italy around the year 1488 and Frankfurt Germany  around the year  1570.