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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Is the light turquoise blue an indication of age? In other words, is it an older enamel color, or is it just used in a certain region?
Sarah knows a lot about dating things by enamel color. The light blue is especially appealing to me and I think Sarah told me that it was available during the early to mid twentieth century. Perhaps she will ring in on this comment string later and enlighten us further.
By the way, great old henna cloth underneath these beauties -- are these for sale?
Hi Patti, I think that the turquoise blue enamel designates Ait Ouarzigit.
The cloth underneath is a double-sided scarf I made of Mauritanian fabric. The colors and patterns are splendid. I have two different pieces. They are like the other scarves that we sell, but these have complimentary colors and different designs on either side. They are for sale and I was planning to debut them in the autumn as they are thicker than the regular scarves- one of which you have :-)
Understanding the dating by enamel is a pretty precise art!
There are lots of true statements already made on this page,
The earlier pieces did feature turquoise enamel, however we have recently seen enamels in a similar shade appearing again, this time from chinese seed beads which are ground to make powder glass so colour is not the only indicator, we need to study the qualities of the glass too...earlier pieces are clearer and brighter, recent ones muddier and bubblier ( for want of other descriptions!) We also find that as there is a demand for the earlier pieces in these colours old pieces are being re worked..... For instance I was shown by a trader in Morocco how he restores old enamelled pieces which have lost some colour using an expensive set of soft ( possibly Aquarelle ) coloured pencils and clear nail varnish....at first look...it was a perfect match! Nail varnish in the correct blue or yellow is also often used...
To truly see and feel the differences you need to have a good historical understanding of glass and the trade routes also opf the more recent 'restoration' techniques to look out for!
this is something we look at extensively on the tours.
Sx
Fascinating! Thank you Sarah for the very detailed explanation. I love learning about these things and hope someday to take the tour and see it all first hand.
Beautiful elements! Are complete pieces in this colour hard to come by?
I know that I have never seen any old pieces completely in this color, although some may exist. A couple of years ago Sarah's partner in Morocco produced a large completely blue tagemount bead that was quite beautiful, it was a special order for someone. The blue color was not as light as this one, though.
@sarah, Moroccan merchants never fail to amaze me!!
the trick with nail varnish is very clever!