Gallery

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.

Javanese Belt Buckles

Posted by Edith D on February 28, 2018 at 6:20am

These buckles are worn by men and were always worn as a set. The smaller buckle slides over both belts to keep the belts together. The larger buckle secures the end of the belt. The better quality buckles are typically made from coin silver and set with "diamonds" or sometimes "rubies" in the 'intan' style. The Javanese refer to the diamonds as "yaqut", which is an Arabic word (although in Arabic this typically refers to rubies and not diamonds). This set was probably made in the early to mid 20th century.

Comments

Edith D February 28, 2018 at 6:33am

A detail image...

The center design band is made from copper. According to various jewelry books, the copper is often mixed with gold, but I could not say for sure if this is the case. I also cannot vouch for the authenticity of the gems. They could be glass or a semi-precious gem such as white topaz.
Edith D February 28, 2018 at 6:37am

It is difficult to find these as a matching set in good condition. This set is made from mostly coin silver. The clips and sliders, however, are usually made from copper, brass or iron.
howah March 2, 2018 at 2:56pm

beautiful set!

This reply was deleted.

You need to be a member of Adorned Histories to add comments!

Join Adorned Histories

Request your copy of our newsletter.

If you would like to receive our newsletter

Click here

#xg { position:relative;top:120px; } #xn_bar { top:120px; }

Hello, you need to enable JavaScript to use Adorned Histories.

Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator.