Research project

Coin jewellery in the Middle East & North Africa

Published on July 29, 2024

One of the most common sights in jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia is the use of coins. This is a widespread custom throughout the region, and beyond. You’ll see coins decorating headbands and face veils, dangling from chains and temple ornaments and sitting in rings, brooches and bracelets. But what is the point of coins in jewellery? Can you pay with them? I’m explaining in this article, and excited to tell you more about my new research project, too!

Coin jewellery: origin

To our eyes, any monetary value coins in jewellery may have, is annulled by their treatment to make them decorative. They may be pierced and sewn onto clothing or strung onto metal wire; they might be hammered into dish-like shapes, soldered onto diverse items of jewellery or even decorated with glass, coral or semi-precious stones. Sometimes, they are so densely covered with enameling that you’ll need to flip one over to see that underneath that is an actual coin. So, what’s up with that?

The answer goes back far in time. Coins were an indication of an established silver (or gold) content in the times before hallmarks and assay offices existed. Those were only developed during the 19^th century, so during the millennia before that, coins were things whose value was directly related to their silver content.

No matter if you drilled a hole through it or folded it double, a coin would still be worth its value in the weight of its silver content: archaeological excavations have shown coins to be simply chopped into pieces, which each continued to be valid methods of payment.

Because of their guaranteed silver content, there were two coins which were appreciated much more than others: the Maria Theresia Thaler from Austria, and the columnario or pillar dollar from Spain.

Find out more on the Maria Theresia Thaler here

See why the Pillar Dollar was the first international coin here

Coins retained this importance until a gold standard was established. From that moment on, a coin represented a certain amount of gold in the state’s treasury: the basic concept of money, as we know it today. But by that time, the practice of wearing coins in jewellery had well and truly taken hold, and that is why you’ll still see modern currency jingling from necklaces and veils.

Coin jewellery: the one thing to be aware of

Before we dive into the fun stuff, there is one myth I’d like to bust here. With all these wonderfully dated coins in jewellery, it is tempting to date an entire piece based on the age of the coins you find in it. After all, when a coin in a necklace is from, say, 1865, surely the piece itself is that old, too? Well….no. Big no-no. This is where you need to look extra closely at the piece itself.

With coins, the thing is that there are so many of them. Thousands of them still circulate. Old coins, and by that I mean coins from the 19^th or early 20^th century, are still available by the strand in some cases. They have been used as pendants for example, and when the original necklace was taken apart, they were simply gathered and put to use elsewhere.

So just picture it: I could take a few of those, string them into a necklace with a variety of beads, and I’d have a necklace that is made as recently as, well, tomorrow.

A coin alone does not date a piece.

Here are 5 tips to spot if a necklace has been restrung.

And here are 5 pointers on how to tell if jewellery has been altered in general – and when that matters.

Coin jewellery: research possibilities

And now: the fun stuff! In addition to the pillar dollar and the MTT, many local and regional coins were worked into jewellery or costume ornaments. These are usually taken from the currency of the immediate region. And this is where it gets interesting! Here are just a few examples.

On the Arab Peninsula, local coins are found alongside Indian rupees. These rupees, in turn, are not found in jewellery any further west than Egypt. In the Maghreb, coins from nearby Spain, as well as France and Italy are common (the latter two because of colonization). Here, you may find Italian Victor Emmanuel coins, and France’s gold napoleons, but those are rarely seen east of Libya.

So, you see how the variety of coins worn as jewellery indicates the larger group which the wearer was in contact with. You could literally draw a map based on coinage found in jewellery, and see how jewellery allows us to trace geopolitical and economical spheres of influence. Jewellery also illustrates the visual effect of larger political landscapes: in those countries that formed part of the Ottoman empire for example, many Ottoman coins are found alongside more regional currencies.

Occasionally, coins also bear testimony to the existence of greater trade distances. One example is a pair of Moroccan fibulas, fitted with Dutch lion dollars. Or what to think of a Saudi-Arabian coin that ended up on a Turkmen guljaka or coat button, or Moroccan earrings with wartime US pennies? Each of these has a story to tell.

Coin jewellery: historic jewellery

The research possibilities that coins in jewellery have to offer, are huge. That’s why I have initiated a new project aimed at bringing this aspect of jewellery as a historic source to life. The result will be a comprehensive overview of coins used in jewellery and personal adornment, and of course I will be sharing regular updates on the blog. Interested in learning more? Drop me a line!

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