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.

old Earrings Mali - 3

Posted by Eva Baby on October 3, 2013 at 11:36am

Meanwhile I cleaned them thoroughly, and they look a lot better. It is not an exact matching pair, both have etchings, one on the side, the other on that saucer at the end. The leather band on one earring is original and was used to hang the earrings over the upper ear lobe.My husband just told me an interesting story: In their house lived a Peul woman (Fulani), she used to wear such earrings. She rubbed them on each other, and some black colour appeared, she took this with her finger and applied it on her lips to colour them black. I don't know if this is ok for the health, but that is what they used to do.

Comments

Chantal October 3, 2013 at 12:09pm

I love them Eva. Another great piece of ethnography and they do look well used!
Eva Baby October 3, 2013 at 12:23pm

@Hi Chantal, glad to see you are still here! Thanks a lot! They are now on my wrist!!!
Eva Baby October 3, 2013 at 5:50pm

My husband just told me an interesting story: In their house lived a Peul woman (Fulani), she used to wear such earrings. She rubbed them on each other, and some black colour appeared, she took this with her finger and applied it on her lips to colour them black. I don't know if this is ok for the health, but that is what they used to do.
Betty October 3, 2013 at 6:24pm

How interesting - have you tried this yet? :-)

Lovely earrings! But I can well imagine them as bracelets, too.
Eva Baby October 3, 2013 at 6:33pm

@Betty thanks. No, I would not try this, I think it is not good for the health, after all some part will get into the mouth and then into the body System. I love to wear them as bracelets! Only I will probably have to remove the original leather string on one of them by the time (in one way, I do not want to, but wearing them as bracelets, it Looks better without it... (have not yet removed it).
Eva Baby October 14, 2013 at 10:36pm

Update: Meanwhile some time has gone, and they have advanced to be a pair of my favourite bracelets. The only bracelets I have that are in real earrings......(I wear them together on one wrist)! I have seen a similar pair being sold on Ebay, also Aluminium, and I was shocked at their price! I was extremely really lucky to get them from my direct source at such a good price. Of course they will never look like silver, but by wearing and polishing them, they have gained a lot of positive Points recently
Preethi October 15, 2013 at 7:24am

Love their modernist shape Eva. I'm sure they look stunning on.
Eva Baby October 15, 2013 at 11:09am

thank you Preethi! At last (after fighting against my principles) I have removed the original leather band which has been used to put it over the upper ear lobe for wearing. But as bracelets they look a lot better without (I took the photo here just before I removed it). Some women in Mali also use red wool instead of the leather band to put it over the upper ear. I think the Tuareg use the leather band, and the others (Sonrai, Peul, Bella) use a combination of several red wool threads.