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.

Mystery earrings

Any ideas on this pair of earrings?
Read more…
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

Comments

  • this is really a though one!!

     

    the overall shape is really widespread over big chunks of Africa and Asia!

     

    The simple etchings are rather geometrical so let's eliminate western asia for it has been influenced by floral designs from very long ago (antique persian and middle eastern cultures and islamic patterns)

     

    What remains is the big semi desert to desert wilderness of black north Africa

    we can eliminate the Tuaregs and the western Sahara moors as well as almost all the population around the Niger valley and the Sahel

     

    What remains is the huge swaths from Chad and eastwards

    Chad has been the westernmost point that arab nomads have reached during their forays in the Sahel region and while mixing with local black africans they retained the use of crescent shaped earrings and most importantly nose rings!

    The nearby Toubous have crescent chaped earrings but the large part is larger and is supporting little pendants

     

    My conclusion is that these earring can be from anywhere around north to east sudan and maybe Chad ... But again it is a very though one as they could come from elsewhere

     

    cheers

     

     

     

     

     

  • ayis, your knowlege is astounding.. I love the workings of your mind which are illustrated here.

    Warm wishes

    Sx

  • oh, now that i look more thouroughly to the picture i see a tiny spiraled wire soldered to the interior of the hoop!!

    this is a detail that could not be attributed to primitiv silversmithing such as that of the eastern sahara nomads and peasants!

     

    i am really lost

     

    this new discovery would tell a rather different origin!!! maybe more close to big urban centers...such as north india or the enlarged middle east......could also come from the east african coast

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