Can I wear ethnic jewellery?

Can I wear ethnic jewellery?

by | Opinion

appropriation or exchange

Can I wear jewellery from other cultures?

Updated Jan 11, 2024

This is a question I get a lot: from dancers, from jewellery collectors, from people interested in other cultures. And the follow-up question is often ‘….or is that cultural appropriation?’In this article, I’ll give you three pointers to reach an informed decision for yourself.

I also get asked ‘why does this matter? It’s simply cultural exchange!’ – well, yes and no. There is a difference between the two, and, being a historian, I’d like to explore that, too. Because that difference is very relevant to how we look at jewellery from other cultures.

So here we go!

Awareness of cultural appropriation in jewellery

Obviously, being aware of cultural appropriation is extremely relevant when working with heritage of other people, and that includes jewellery. But what is, and what is not, cultural appropriation is the subject of ongoing debate.

There are many aspects to cultural appropriation that need to be considered, and there is not a single, straightforward, open-and-shut definition of this complex reality. [1] The point where cultural exchange turns into cultural appropriation, is often oversimplified by presenting these two concepts as equal: ‘People using elements from other cultures is normal. Just look at history!’

I feel that is cutting corners, and so I’d like to explore that statement a little further.

Historic exchange of jewellery styles

Let me be clear: throughout history, cultures have always assimilated elements from others. I talk at length about cultural exchange and influences over the course of millennia in the e-course on History myself for example, and it is actually one of the elements of adornment and dress that I enjoy the most.

Jewellery is a visual testimony to exchange and adaptations, and it is through jewellery that we can literally see how cultures influenced each other. If we never assimilated anything from other cultures, we would probably still be stuck in prehistory.

Change and exchange are normal. They are the one constant throughout millennia of human cultural expressions.

But in my opinion, that is not what cultural appropriation is.

How to recognize cultural exchange

When you look at history, you’ll see that cultural exchange often is for the long run. An assimilated element is here to stay: it becomes fully engrained in the other culture. As such, it may change form, meaning and significance on the long term.

That may be as status symbol at first (‘look what exciting new material I have!’) [2] or hesitantly (‘this might be the fashion of those new people, but I’m not having any of it’)

Cultural exchange does not even have to come about peacefully: it’s not all trade, commerce and marriage, but also wars, conquest and colonization.

Whatever the many machinations of cultural exchange, the end result is often that the assimilated element has become an integral, living and changing part of its new culture, so much so that it in turn may be passed on to yet another culture. Like jeans, or the paisley motif.

How to recognize cultural appropriation

Cultural appropriation, on the other hand, is using something from another culture fleetingly. There are four basic symptoms to recognize this.

1 Short term. One element is taken out of its context and used on a temporary basis, like a pattern in a seasonal fashion collection. It never becomes an integral, living and changing part of its new culture. Like Madonna wearing Amazigh attire for her birthday party: a single occasion without investment in amplifying Amazigh voices (at least, that I know of!).

2 Unequal power dynamic. The party that takes the element, has a bigger platform and more resources than to the party that it is taken from. Think major brands, popstars, but also countries: rebranding heritage dress and adornment to fit a new narrative is a very vicious way of silencing and erasing the culture of entire populations.

3 Profit. There is usually a very clear element of profit for one party. That can be exposure, but of course clearly also financial profit.

4 No fair share or credit. The party that the element is taken from, is not credited, consulted, or sharing in the profit or exposure that the other party generates.

Cultural appropriation is purposefully taking an aspect of another culture to use that for one’s own gain, without credit or a firm grasp on what this actually means in and to its original culture. It is performative only, not intrinsically meaningful.

That is why it is offensive and hurtful: it reduces the values of an entire culture to a quick and profitable fashion or performance statement. It gets even worse when the element is misattributed to another people entirely. More about that is here.

Wearing jewellery from other cultures is not automatically ‘cultural exchange’.

In some cases, the ‘historical cultural exchange’ argument is actually enabling a harmful power dynamic to continue. It’s washing over a deliberate form of capitalizing with an acceptable varnish of culture: it’s historic, so it’s fine.

To me, that is a disregard of history itself. First, there are so many examples of historic realities that are anything but fine. And second, an oversimplification like this shows a lack of understanding of historic processes.

But take note: that argument is valid in the other direction as well.

Not everything adopted from another culture is automatically ‘appropriated’, either: those slow wheels of history are still turning. When cultures get in contact with each other (and we are now more than ever, through social media and the Internet, but also through migration), they will slowly and inevitably absorb elements from one another.

The point is to keep a watchful eye out for fleeting usurpation in an unequal power dynamic with profits flowing in one direction only.

And still, the lines between exchange, appropriation and appreciation are blurred. Cultural appropriation is a multi-faceted topic with many layers. That does not make it any easier, but it should not be brushed aside with a simple ‘it’s the way of history’.

So, can I wear jewellery from other cultures? 

Here are three pointers to make an informed decision.

Is it not authentic, but newly made and inspired by other cultures? Ask if the culture that the jewellery is based on, is acknowledged, shares in the profit or has been compensated for their collaboration in the design. This is particularly relevant for larger brands: small businesses will usually tell you what their core values are and where their cultural inspiration comes from. (although, be advised there are small businesses that shamelessly steal designs from online images, so it never hurts to ask!)

Is it authentic and clearly from a particular culture? Consider your pieces as part of that larger cultural context. Inform yourself about the culture this jewellery comes from as well as its cultural significance. If you’re buying jewellery from a seller in its culture of origin, ask after its meaning, its name and its history.

Treat jewellery respectfully. This is a total no-brainer, but you don’t want to be wearing antique jewellery carrying religious texts pinned on your butt, for example. Basically, you’d want your grandmother’s personal items being treated with love and respect, too, after all, and that is no different for other people’s grandmothers.

With awareness and acknowledgement of the culture your pieces come from, understanding their cultural significance and using your platforms to be vocal about both, you can do both: admire and celebrate beautiful pieces and support and amplify the voices of communities whose heritage this is!

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References

[1] An excellent start is this blog, or this one

[2] Wolfgang Grulke shows such incorporation in his book Adorned by Nature

See also this two-part blog by Jenna Nordman on intellectual property and commercial cultural appropriation.

The Bedouin Silver blog gives credit where credit is due! Transparent referencing and citing sources helps us all grow. Would you like to do the same and quote this article? Here’s how:

S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

The Bedouin Silver Jewellery Blog: Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery, and obtained her PhD at Leiden University on jewellery, informal ritual and collections. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only. Sigrid strongly believes in accessibility of knowledge, and aims to provide reliable and trustworthy content: that’s why the Bedouin Silver blog provides references and citations.

Emirati Adornment

Emirati Adornment

by | Reviews

lest we forget

Emirati Adornment: Tangible & Intangible

What happens when material culture, documenting and archiving meets art, storytelling and design? A wonderful project that showcases personal adornment from all angles, through exhibitions, short films, and a book: Emirati Adornment – Tangible & Intangible.

The Lest We Forget-project is an initiative of the Sheikha Salama Foundation in Abu Dhabi. The aim of the project in the widest sense is to document Emirati history and identity through objects, but even more so through the stories and memories attached to these. The exhibition curated in 2016 featured personal adornment as its central element, and the book Emirati Adornment – Tangible & Intangible shows how personal adornment is closely interwoven with memory, feelings and personal histories.

The book is divided into two sections: tangible and intangible adornment. Both sections revolve around personal memories, collected through many interviews. That is also how the selection of objects in this book came to be: it is a cross-section through objects of everyday use that the community itself put forward. The interviews reflect the values attached to these objects, and as such the book presents a bottom-up curated selection of living heritage.

First, the section on tangible adornment shows 34 individual objects with their stories. Here, we find items of jewellery and dress, but also a pair of tailoring scissors wielded by a grandfather who created a garment for Sheikh Zayed, or popsicle sticks that remind the interviewee of how her grandmother used to reinforce her burqa with these. The second section zooms in on 26 objects and artworks associated with intangible adornment. Here, we find topics such as henna, perfumes and incense, but also strength and grace, a tree, or the swaying movement of hair in a dance. Throughout the book, all of these objects and memories are presented based on personal histories, showing how much personal adornment is part of everyday life.

This approach to personal adornment, through collective memory and storytelling, results in a different selection of objects than a narrower focus on only objects of adornment would. Through the many personal anecdotes and memories shared, the world of adornment expands into that of sewing machines and popsicles, of pearl powder and wedding gun shots, of tooth polish and perfume. These objects are shown in this beautifully designed volume as photos, but also as artworks, collages, and drawings. Each object is presented with not just an image and its accompanying text, but features an opaque sheet in between the two with an additional layer: a drawing, a quote… Together, they show how images and memories overlap. Where the photographs of objects are by their nature static, the drawings on the overlays often show movement: a hand holding a kohl stick, a branch swaying in the wind, a dancer moving on an invisible rhythm. The insertion of the overlay also steers how we experience the story: first, we read the memories and personal history of the interviewee, then we see the drawing on the overlay, and only after turning that page do we see the object. As such, the design of the book makes the personal experience the central element, instead of reducing it to a mere explanation that goes with an object. A great example of how design actively influences our looking at things.

I absolutely loved this approach to personal adornment as part of everyday life and of the collective memory. The short stories introduce the reader into the intimacy of the family circle: we learn of grandmothers and grandfathers, mothers, fathers and siblings through their preferences for this or that use of personal adornment. The stories in this book present a wealth of information on not only objects, but their place in society and the values that that society attaches to them.

The volume is an artwork in itself by its wonderful design, and a treasure for anyone wanting to learn more about Emirati life and the power of adornment. If you want to understand how objects, people and memories interact, this is an important book that will have you dwell in its pages for hours!

Emirati Adornment. Tangible/Intangible, edited by Dr. Michele Bambling, 2017.

281 pp, full-colour, in Arabic and English. Available with Dukkan421

The book was a much-loved gift by Marie-Claire Bakker, who contributed to the volume

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. She considers jewellery heritage and a historic source. She has authored several books on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, and on archaeological jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the Society of Jewellery Historians, the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, among many others. She curates exhibitions and teaches online courses on jewellery from North Africa & Southwest Asia.

Recognizing reproductions

Recognizing reproductions

by | Tips for collectors

five tips

Reproductions: how to check for authenticity

Updated Jan 12, 2024

How to tell if a piece of ethnic jewellery is authentic? Many pieces are sold as “antique” or “traditional” when they are actually modern reproductions. But what is ‘authentic’, and how does that show in jewellery?

Authenticity in traditional jewellery from the Middle East and North Africa

First off, authenticity is a complex issue. Because who determines what ‘authentic’ is? [1] Often, the notion of authenticity is both visual and pinned to a moment in time: this is what it looked like then, and so this is what it is supposed to look like forever.

That is often the result of available sources like books and online image searches, as I wrote about here, that provide that reference of what jewellery should look like. But personal adornment is always subject to change, so comparing a piece of jewellery to an image frozen in time is not enough in itself.

Factors such as age, materials, craftsmanship, provenance, motifs, and designs should all be considered when determining the authenticity of a piece.

So, what should you look for? Here are 5 points to consider.

1. Age and patina in traditional jewellery

Older jewellery will show signs of age and wear, which can be relevant indicators of authenticity. Just picture in your mind how a bracelet has sat on a wrist for years, a necklace moved over textiles every day, an anklet jingled along with its wearer on her way to the market…Just like with humans, age shows.

Scratches, dents, and tarnish may indicate that a piece is authentic and has been used, rather than being a modern reproduction. But be aware: tarnish can have been artificially inflicted upon a piece as long ago as, well, yesterday.

Patina, that soft silk-like shimmer on a piece of jewellery as a result of years of contact and wear, is difficult to replicate in reproductions. So that can also be an indicator of authenticity.

And then there is the fact that there are truly antique pieces out there, that do not necessarily show signs of use and wear. Simply because they might not have been worn frequently or they have been carefully preserved over the years – read all about that phenomenon here.

Signs of use and wear alone are not definitive indicators of authenticity. Therefore, it’s important to consider these signs together with other indicators of authenticity, such as materials and craftsmanship, provenance, motifs and designs, and hallmarks and stamps.

2. Materials and craftsmanship of jewellery from the Middle East and North Africa

Craftsmanship can be a telling sign. Authentic traditional jewelry was made by skilled artisans who used techniques passed down from generations. These techniques, materials and designs are specific to each culture, region and timeframe and can be difficult to replicate in reproductions or forgeries.

As craftmanship varies even within the same culture and region, and also changes over time like anything else in personal adornment, it is absolutely essential to have a good understanding of the traditional techniques, materials, and designs specific to the culture, region and timeframe the jewelry is claimed to be from.

No piece is created equal, in terms of craftsmanship: some pieces will be more intricate, detailed, and finely made than others.

It really depends on the maker, the time period and the intended usage. For example: many silversmiths throughout the region were Jewish. After 1948, they migrated to Israel, leaving a lacuna in skill and knowledge behind. The finesse of their work is hard to imitate.

And as for materials, a main question is whether the material did exist in the period the piece is supposedly from – it would not be the first time you’ll find a necklace with early 20th century trade beads advertised as genuinely 18th century (and that is even without the possibility of the beads themselves being reproduced).

3. Motifs and designs: see, study, learn

Original jewellery often features unique motifs, patterns, and designs that are specific to the culture and region that the jewellery comes from.

This is where more research comes in: familiarizing yourself with particular motifs and the execution of those motifs requires lots of reading and, of course, seeing. One of the things I enjoy the most is endless comparing of pieces.

And as with many other fields of research, the devil is in the details: the overall composition may be featured in a wide area, but the execution of the details is mostly telling of the exact origin of a piece. Modern reproductions often get those tiny details not quite right, including the level of craftmanship, so getting a handle on these is key.

4. Hallmarks and stamps in vintage silver jewellery from Southwest Asia and North Africa

Check for the presence of hallmarks or stamps. These may indicate the metal content, maker, and sometimes the date of the piece. As they are mandatory, they can often not be forged (a modern reproduction of an old piece still needs a current hallmark to comply with the law). Checking for hallmarks that are contemporary with the period the piece is supposedly from, may help in determining its authenticity.

But, be aware that not all pieces are hallmarked, especially older ones. Most countries in North Africa and Southwest Asia only adopted a hallmarking system in the late 19th and early 20th century. Many pieces older than that will not have been hallmarked, or may have been hallmarked only when a piece was eventually sold.

5. Provenance: this can be of great help

And finally, there is the provenance of a piece that may help determine its authenticity. Provenance is the history of a piece of jewellery, and this is where the paperwork comes in.

Particularly for older pieces, provenance may help to establish whether a piece is indeed as old as is claimed: are there any sources that will confirm this exact piece has been in a family for decades? With traditional jewellery, this is a difficult path.

See 15 reasons why provenance matters in this article – did you ever think of reason no. 3?

Many heirloom pieces that are sold do not come with receipts of purchase, as they have been handed down within a family for generations.  And like anything else, provenance can be forged, too: it’s not that difficult to provide an old-looking piece of paper (if it can be done with papyri, it can be done with receipts!).

Recognizing reproductions: learning by doing

Determining the authenticity of a piece of jewellery is a process that involves all of these together: the more you familiarize yourself with jewellery through handling, seeing and reading, the easier it will be to distinguish reproductions from authentic pieces!

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More articles on jewellery research? Find them all here!

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References

[1] Broekhoven & A. Geurds 2013. Creating authenticity : authentication processes in ethnographic museums. Sidestone Press (read online for free)

Would you like to quote this article? Please do! Here’s how:

S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

How to store ethnic silver

How to store ethnic silver

by | Tips for collectors

four tips

How to store ethnic silver: 4 proven methods

Updated Jan 11, 2024

How do I store my traditional jewellery from the Middle East? That’s a question I get a lot, and definitely a field I made mistakes in myself. So I’m sharing four proven methods of what works, and what does not work: let’s get to it!

Storing silver jewellery: what you should know first

Before we get to tucking away your collection safely, there are a few things to know about silver itself.

Silver tarnishes easily: when exposed to air and moisture, but there are many other sources that cause a chemical reaction in the silver. That includes people: I’m sure you know several people whose silver jewellery turns dark after a day of wearing, and others whose silver shines even brighter after that same day!  

It’s also a relatively soft material that scratches and dents faster than you might like, and vintage silver items are no different. Storing and handling silver always should come with the protection of your items in mind. So here are 4 tips to start storing your silver jewellery in an optimal way!

Storing traditional silver: keep your pieces separate

Store each piece individually and make sure it does not rub against other items. This can be achieved in the simplest way by just wrapping them in acid-free tissue paper, anti-tarnish paper or soft cloth (but not wool).

Larger items, such as complete sets of fibulas for example, can be wrapped in bubble plastic, again taking care that the individual fibulas are kept from direct contact.

Make sure your pieces are clean and dry

If you wear your vintage jewellery, make sure it is clean and dry before you store your items away. Sweat and skin contact can damage silver in the long run, so wipe them off and make sure they are dry before storing them.

The same goes for when they have just been cleaned: wait until they are completely dry before storing them, or better, have a professional clean them instead. More about cleaning silver is here.

Keep your silver pieces locked away from air

Store them in an airtight box or individual zip pouches. Zip pouches come in many sizes: choose the size that fits your piece snugly, but gives it room to move a little. Wrap your pieces in acid free paper before putting them into a zip pouch: the pouch itself may contain abrasive materials that could scratch your silver.

Airtight boxes don’t have to be anything fancy, but can simply be the type of box you store food in (refridgerator boxes, but also cookiejars work well – make sure they have no rubber bands, though).

Adding silica gel (those little packages that come with new shoes, handbags and other leather products) or activated charcoal will absorb moisture and keep your silver from tarnishing.

Avoid direct contact of these materials with your silver, though: make sure the packaging is not damaged.

 … and don’t do this

Do not wrap your silver in pages torn from newspapers or magazines: both the ink and the paper will harm it. The same goes for the use of rubber bands (no bundling bracelets together using rubber bands, please)

Those rustic looking, uncoated wooden boxes that make for excellent atmospheric photos are not as fantastic for storing silver, either, unless it is packaged in zip pouches. That also applies to wooden chests of drawers, cabinets and cupboards: avoid direct contact, and even then, check regularly.

Wool also contains agents that may react with silver: that explains why silver elements on a woolen headdress for example turn dark every so often.

Taking care to store your silver properly will go a long way in helping you enjoy your collection for years to come!

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More tips on organizing your collection of silver jewellery? Find them all here!

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References

Learn more about silver tarnishing and how to avoid it here

Would you like to quote this article? Please do! Here’s how:

S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

Collecting ethnic jewellery: 4 filters

Collecting ethnic jewellery: 4 filters

by | Tips for collectors

collecting traditional jewellery

Collecting ethnic jewellery: 4 filters you may not be aware of

Collecting jewellery and dress: we do it because we believe these items to be important, and we want to ensure their passing on into the future. But there is one aspect of collecting that can turn it into a double-edged sword. On the one hand, yes, these items sometimes only survive because of collecting. But an overlooked aspect of collecting is its other side: collecting inevitably is destructive as well. How does that work, and should we be worried?

Selection filter 1: the course of history

First off, no material culture survives in its entirety. That is already visible within your own lifetime: who still has everything (and I mean everything) like clothing, toys, books etc. from their youth? At some point, you have decided to keep some things and give others away. A process that repeats itself again and again: selecting is a natural process. That goes for adornment and dress, too. Whether it is family heirlooms passed down generations or pieces offered for sale to cultural outsiders, whatever survives to this day is based on selections. Even what you inherit from your grandmother is her personal selection: at least I’m assuming she did not own all jewellery in existence.⁠ So, when you collect jewellery, this is already a selection as a result of the choices made during the wearer’s life. These choices do not have to be voluntarily: people displaced as a result of war and violence may not have been able to hang on to anything at all.

Jewellery selection filter 2: demand and supply

Whatever ends up being offered to buyers, is filtered a second time. This is where it gets interesting. Because buyers get offered what sells: as with any market, here as well demand is tied to offer.⁠ And that second filter is incredibly important. Pieces that do not ‘sell well’ slowly disappear from the material record. An example is jewellery that has been partly dismantled when its wearer needed to sell some of it. These ‘damaged goods’ are not always recognized for what they are: a historic source.⁠ After all, buyers, especially if these are cultural outsiders, rarely appreciate dented and broken pieces. As a result, these are the first to go. They are melted down, reused, and any material traces of the use of jewellery as financial asset and savings account vanish with them.

Jewellery selection filter 3: focusing on published, well-known pieces

The next stage is that the selected pieces, the ones that sell well, then become the norm. These are the pieces that get shown in exhibitions, that are published in books and shared online. That fame creates a third filter, because it increases demand into these better-known pieces. The flip side of this is that relatively unknown pieces never make the cut: they do not sell well, as they are not all that familiar to the prospective buyer. I often get asked whether a certain piece is ‘real’ as it has no parallels in books, and I know of several books that are used as a collectors’ manual. That is not to say books are useless! Quite the contrary, I love books and all sorts of publications on jewellery: the more the better to help spread awareness that this is heritage. The point is to be aware that there is more out there than books can accommodate.

Another symptom is the rejection of pieces that are not exactly similar to well-known parallels: a whole new set of parameters for ‘authentic’ pieces emerges based on publications, while the original wearers did not consider such distinctions relevant and worked with what they had at hand. It’s an endless loop that results in the gradual loss of both things and information.

Jewellery selection filter 4: collecting only things, not their context

That last element, information, is the fourth filter. The focus on collecting objects and not necessarily on all the information that comes with it, in turn deletes that information over time. Things without context are just that: random things. They lose their capacity to speak and their function as a historic source. If collectors don’t write down what they know about their pieces, how will the next generation know what they’re looking at…?⁠ I have addressed a few examples of how that lack of knowledge results in misinformation being spread here. It is incredibly important to preserve not only things, but also what they stand for – while being aware that this is only a fraction of a much wider world.

Building a meaningful jewellery collection: actionable things you can do today

Collecting is by definition selecting. We only see part of the material culture, and that does not even have to be a representative part. No matter how beautiful or extensive a collection is: you’re always working with a result of a chain of selections, never with the original dataset.⁠ That is simply the way it is, and thank goodness that not every single thing is kept – what would we do with it? My point is that it is important to be aware of this process when collecting, buying or selling.

Your actions in each of these steps actively contribute to the safeguarding of heritage jewellery. Here are a few things you can start with today:

Write down those stories of your jewellery travels.

Digitize those receipts (if you have any).

Jot down a few lines in your notebook when a seller shared a piece of information with you.

Download my free guide to organize your collection step by step here and start building not just a collection, but your legacy.

Every little bit helps. It’s in these seemingly small acts that you can contribute a great deal to the preserving of jewellery and the world it comes from!

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Do you own a collection? Please do try and document it as much as possible. Every little note helps! A free guide on how to get started with that is here.

Are you wondering how your collection might benefit the communities whose heritage this is? Please consider the work of the Qilada Foundation, my non-profit initiative aimed at reconnecting jewellery collections with their communities of origin.

References

An introductory article on the history of collecting as a phenomenon is W.G.Burgess 2020, State of the Field: The History of Collecting, in: History

The Society for the History of Collecting covers the concept collecting from many angles: see more here

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. She considers jewellery heritage and a historic source. She has authored several books on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, and on archaeological jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the Society of Jewellery Historians, the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, among many others. She curates exhibitions and teaches online courses on jewellery from North Africa & Southwest Asia.