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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The back of the piece. Thoughts on the metal and other information would be appreciated.
This is extremely beautiful and charming Preethi, congratulations!!
I am not an expert on Moroccan jewelry so I will speak generally. In Ottoman times a lot of the silver coinage was debased to 45% silver or even less, down to about 20%. There is a lot of Ottoman-era jewelry that has equivalent silver content. I have tested 45% silver coins and Ottoman low silver pieces (generally Bulgarian but also the hirz on the Algerian petit Kabyle necklace I have) and they show the same result, light green with blue tinges on the acid test. Too far below 50% is not detectable via acid test.
So it is possible that this is brass, but also possible that it is low silver with real silver content.
Dear Preethi; This is really beautiful! So much work went into this piece - incredible. I love the stones - they look really rich. Congratulations. Peter
The only way to know for sure is to test it, but generally gilt silver was very common among zaian (but meknes made) jewels, especially those of a certain age.
Older examples used to employ vividly couloured stones such as the pinky one in the middle, but they were usually enameled.
Using felt is also fitting with local traditions ( hailing from neighbouring cities of meknes, fes..) possibly to replace red enamel or to suggest a nuptial (dowry) use like it was more common in the ida ou nadif pieces with red dots....both uses would then be a suggestive ways to impersonate blood.
your piece has the peculiar taste of having a blue ceramic cab which is always (to my knowledge) meaning an early age and a confirmation of a citadine touch.
this tradition should be possibly meaning the remembrance of the extinct use of turquoise which was scarcely used in north africa (oriental origin) and imported from the east, only employed on very elaborate and refined pieces of jewelry and arms but with great parcimony as a repellent of evil eye.
The blue ceramic is also very scarce anyway.
these pendants are usually found as part of pectorals along with fibulas. Although the 3 dimensional ones would usually have secondary dangles with coral beads and coins while those without dangles would be simple flat pendants: this is IMHO the most startling fact about your piece!
A nice little piece!
I saw this on ebay and noticed the felt. Red cloth or felt is often used in Uzbek and Turkoman pieces, interesting that it is used in this North African pieces as well.
Unfortunately I cannot add any helpful information...
Thanks everyone!
Alaa, that little bit of blue is what attracted me to this in the first place :) Very unusual and it raised my curiosity. If only this could speak!
Patti, I believe felt has been used as a backing for pieces in Meknes, and maybe Fes. I've seen and also have a pair of anklets from Meknes with felt backing. Mine are hallmarked as being from the 1920's and have green felt.
Lovely and so easy to wear, Preethi. I like pieces which are a little mysterious .. where one wonders constantly what their history is.