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.

Where did this bead originate?

Out of sheer curiosity I bought this bead from a seller who said his father had brought it and others back with him after serving in N. Africa as a GI in the second world war. He described it as berber. To me it seems atypical of N. African berber work.Myself I see interlinked ram`s heads round the outside, possibly topped by facing birds. Am I being fanciful or does anyone else think that it could have originated in one of the "istans"?The bead is made of a metal alloy and measures 2.8cms x 0.8cms.
Read more…
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

Comments

  • Hi, Frankie. I may be wrong but the first thing I thought when I saw it was of a Multan ring missing the enamel .... 

  • Hi Jose. How interesting! Indeed one can imagine an association with Multan enamel.

    All the more amazing is that I was in the middle of reading some information about Multan city when your message arrived! Although I don`t remember anything like it in any of my own Multan enamel I will check out my pieces. It is more the size of a Multan button rather than the usual rings, which are larger. And I do have a button I can check. Of course, just because I may not have anything like it doesn`t mean it might not be Multani.

    I had myself thought it could once have been enamelled but my creaking brain didn`t get as far as thinking of Multan. (Back to the city - its mangoes, actually!).

  • This reminds me of some work out of Egypt.

  • I am insufficiently versed with egyptian work to be able to comment on that. However, on thinking about it, I would say it is more finely crafted than most Multan items. And the finish seems unlikely to have ever been meant for enamel.

  • I would look for a hallmark.  I'll try to find some Egyptian pieces for example, that always helps to illustrate one's case :-)

  • Sadly no hallmark here. And the Egyptian pieces I`ve found don`t look like it. I`d love to some examples that do, Hillary. And that would fit in better with the bead`s known provenance.

    Though it could have found its` way to N. Africa from anywhere, not just other Moslem countries.

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