A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.
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Marie-Ange I am placing this photo of old Ethiopian/Somalian beads collected from the large bulky amber beads necklaces. If you say that your smooth beads with the braided decoration band in the middle are from Turkey it indicates that in Somalia and Harrar(Eth.) there remained a lot of Turkish influence and settled Turkish jewellers, from the time that the Turks invaded Ethiopia (to turn the people to the moslem religion). This is about middle 1600. The period also when the churches were hewn out of rock in Ethiopia . Another light on the all over similarity of ethnic jewellery.
Lovely thank you Marie-Ange. Nothing to be sorry about just an enltightment.
Wonderful collection of those beads - great to see such a variety in one picture.
Gorgeous!!!! Thank you Ingrid for showing us your treasures, it means a lot to me and I can learn a lot!
I read Ingrid's comment below about the Turkish influence that was in Ethiopia some time. I also remember I showed once a bracelet from Ethiopia and everyone told me, no this was from Jemen, it cannot be from Ethiopia. But my source told me and I had no reason to doubt, that it was bought and used in Ethioipia. The other day I read an article that many Jewish jewellers moved from Yemen to Ethiopia and worked there, and that therefore so many Ethiopian jewellery is similar to Yemeni pieces. Especially the guilded ones with the fine granulated parts were said to be made by Yemeni Jewish Jewellers, living in Ethiopia. This Story just to show, how styles can mix and intermingle, and that sometimes one believes it is not from the place indicated, but it´really is, because of the influences of other ethnies there or People moving to other countries like Yemeni jewellers working in Ethiopia.
Eva, Just A short note on your article about Yemini jewellers. This is the case about the jewellery from the Harrar(town) and the province Harrague. But the fine filegree and granulate work from the highlands are done mostly by Tigrai jewellers.. From that province they do have a long history of jewellers and priests. They are also the ones who do make the telsums, crosses . The pieces which can be mistaken for Yemini style are from the Harrar area and they do have a lot of trade connection and settling of Yemini jewellers. Like the large silver balls above on the picture, They are all beads made from the Harrar area and Somalia.
These are beautiful Ingrid, it is indeed amazing to see how much these beads look like the other Turkish beads, I guess influance from silversmith moving to other countries is a big issue.