History in jewellery

Kabylia silver and coral necklaces

Published Jan 29, 2024

Silver, enamel and coral necklaces from Kabylia in Algeria have evolved significantly over time. And the difference between older and newer pieces is a story in itself. These necklaces show us the importance of jewellery as a historic source, so keep on reading for a history of loyalty, betrayal and pride.

Kabylia jewellery

In this article, I will zoom in on a type of necklace called azrar or tazlaqt. [1] Its design and workmanship are characteristic for the Kabylia region in Algeria.

In older literature, you may still find references to Greater and Smaller Kabylia (Grande or Petite Kabylie): drop those, as these names were never used by the people of the region themselves. These are divisions by the French administration. Kabylia it is.

The jewellery of Kabylia is distinctly recognizable by its fine enameling in blue, yellow, red and green and its abundant use of coral. You’ll see some examples above: tap the photos to enlarge them.

These necklaces evolved over the past century into forms that are different in execution, but similar in their design and symbolism. And that is where the story is!

I’ll start with older pieces, compare these to more recent versions, and tell you the history behind them.

Kabyle necklaces: before 1962

The pieces above (click to enlarge the photos and see the details) are all older. The large necklace with the many pendants in the first image is strung on black thread. It consists of a flexible, heavy silver band, made of solid silver beads strung together, from which large silver pendants dangle.

The pendants have been enameled, set with coral cabochons, and chunky pieces of branch coral have been added in a zig zag pattern on top. The round pendants are coins (see the detailed photo), on which enamel, coral and filigree have been mounted.

The smaller necklaces in the third image are made of the same elements: solid silver beads, large coral and silver enameled pendants strung on thread.

What they have in common is that they all use heavy silver, large coral beads and sizeable pendants.

Kabyle necklaces: after 1962

After 1962, the execution of necklaces changed. Above are two examples and their details: click to enlarge them.

In the first example, you see how the design of the previous generation is still closely followed. The three rows of solid silver beads have been replaced by 8-shaped links: through the central application on the links and their vertical position, they mirror the appearance of the older necklaces. But instead of strung on thread, this necklace is made of silver links.

There also new shapes of pendants added to the mix: the all-silver tiny domes with filigree and the enameled hand pendants are newer inventions. The lozenge shapes composed of enameled circles are also newer forms. The round pendants are no longer mounted on coins.

The workmanship on these is very detailed, as you see: this is an abundant necklace in its many dangles as well as their individual intricacy.

The second example shows further changes. Here, the colour scheme of the enameling has been expanded: those shades of bright green and orange yellow are different. We see other pendants of silver appear, the coral cabochons have become even smaller and fewer.

The changes in this jewellery have everything to do with Algeria’s recent history.

Kabyle jewellery: the story of fierce women

From 1954 to 1962, Algeria fought for its independence from France. Many women hid their jewels in these times of unrest and war, as they were afraid French troops might take them on one of their many raids.

After Algeria finally became an independent nation in 1962, the new state needed funds to rebuild. Makilam in her book l’ Argent de la Lune recounts how jewellery formed part of that effort. Women donated their jewellery to Fonds National de Solidarité (National Solidarity Fund) as financial contribution to the rebuilding of their country. And those jewels were not seen again, until…

…they appeared in an exhibition in Algiers in 1996. That exposition lasted only for a week, as it led to protests and anger. Thirty years earlier, women had fought alongside men, they had hidden their jewellery from the French, given it voluntarily to the state – and now it turned out their jewellery had not been used for rebuilding Algeria at all. It had been slumbering in a vault for over 3 decades. [2]

Changes in Kabyle necklaces

These lighter necklaces fit into the global development that we see everywhere form the 1960s onwards: traditional jewellery becomes less and less used, changes appearance and disappears. But in this case, there is more to the change in jewellery.

The donation of Algerian women after independence was not just that of heritage, but of finances as well: these jewels formed a woman’s personal asset, her savings’ account for everything from hospital treatments, dowries for sons or even life on her own after divorce or the death of her husband.

Imagine voluntarily emptying your bank account and donating it to the state, only to find out they did not use it at all!

This financial aspect is a second reason why later necklaces are much smaller. That is not just a matter of changing fashions, but also because these were less costly. They are lighter and hold less silver and corals.

And you’ll remember Kabyle women had not sold their jewellery to the Solidarity Fund, they had given it away – leaving them with considerably less to spend on new jewellery.

This is how jewellery reminds us that it is part of everyday life, not just simply adornment. It is so much part of cultural identity and society itself, that it plays an active part in fundamental historic shifts.

Kabyle jewellery today

These jewels are still closely related to the identity of Kabylia. The light and easy to wear necklaces (and other pieces of jewellery, of course) are still being made and proudly worn. [3] They continue to develop and change along with its wearers, and carry an ancient tradition into the future.

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References

[1] T. Benfoughal (ed) 2003. Bijoux & Parures d’Algèrie, p. 69. Paul Eudel in his Dictionnaire des Bijoux from 1909, p. 212, only mentions tazleqt as generic name for necklace in Kabylia. See for spelling differences this article.

[2] See Makilam L’ Argent de la Lune, p. 30 – 31.

[3] See examples of modern designs here and here, where tradition and cultural identity are combined with today’s lifestyle.

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