Islamic amulet cases

Islamic amulet cases

by | Magic & Amulets

History of amulet containers

Types of Islamic amulet cases

Published Jan 1, 2024

What is the origin of Islamic amulet cases? Often called hirz, higab or taweez they come in various shapes and forms, and those forms tell us more about their history. These cases hold (Islamic) talismans, and the nature of this talisman is hinted at by the shape of the container. Because ‘form follows function’ is not just a designer’s oneliner: looking at the shape of an amulet container is very revealing of its historic origins and its setting.

This post brings you up to speed with the 3 elementary shapes of amulet cases – it takes less than 3 minutes!

Amulet case type 1: Tubular amulet cases

These go way back! Evidence backing up the use of amulet cases in the shape of a tube already stems from ancient Egypt, as the example above shows (click the image to enlarge it). In Iraq, an alabaster jar excavated near Baghdad contained ten amulet cases. [1] The shape of all these containers is revealing of two things: their long-gone contents, and the incredible time span they have been in use.

Tubular amulet cases are designed to hold scrolls. You’ll see some examples of Islamic amulets for protection above (click to enlarge the photos). These you would roll up and insert them into the amulet case.

This is a practice that stems from the times that writing was done mainly on papyrus sheets. These can’t be folded very well (although it happened occasionally, but it was never considered a huge success), so they were usually rolled into scrolls. Large scrolls would contain complete books, and tiny scrolls could accommodate just a few words. Like spells, or religious texts.

The scroll as the essential form of a written amulet is so old, that once paper was invented, the practice of writing, and even printing, the use of talismanic scrolls continued. [2] Never change a winning form, right?

Amulet case type 2: Slim rectangular, square and triangular amulet cases

When writing materials changed, a new shape of amulet cases popped up. Unlike papyrus, paper can easily be folded, and tucked into a rectangular or square amulet case. In the Mediterranean, this form of amulet case started to develop in the early Middle Ages.

These can contain more than just a sheet of paper: they may hold complete books. When books began to be designed in the form we know today (a bunch of pages held together by a spine and two covers), they could also be created in miniature form.

A special style of Islamic case is the Qur’an holder, which contains a complete version of the Qur’an.

Triangular amulet cases were created even later. These may also hold written texts or prayers, but here their form is important, too: it refers to the number 3. Click here for the surprising ways numerology is present in jewellery!

Amulet case type 3: Larger amulet boxes

An entirely different form is that of the amulet box. Here, the amulet case is shaped like a box. Its opening is significantly larger than that of a regular, slim amulet container: these often have an actual lid instead of a narrow, letterbox-like slot. The amulet box also has more space inside.

This design is also very old. Above you’ll see some examples: a gold amulet box called bulla, and a gold necklace holding such an amulet box. Click on the images to enlarge them and to see the accompanying captions.

Originally, box-like amulet cases are not designed to hold texts, but things. Their origins lie in the use of amulet pouches. Based on the advice of a healer or ritual practitioner, the boxes would hold magical materials that were believed to be helpful.

Later on, they were also used to hold folded pieces of paper, custom-made miniature books, and fragrance. Today, they may hold a variety of things, from very personal mementoes to texts, fragrances, prayers and more.

Islamic amulet cases: rooted in a long history

All of these forms are still used in Islamic amulet cases of North Africa and the Middle East. Above are some examples from Tunisia, Syria, Oman, Yemen, Egypt and Iraq. And of course, these basic shapes are not limited to the Islamic world: protecting oneself is one of the oldest human traditions, and as such similar shapes are found worldwide. Looking at the shape of a jewel may tell you a lot about its historic origin and uses!

…and in case you’re wondering how amulet cases actually open: Read this quick guide next!

—

What is inside amulet cases and how were they used? Find out in the e-course on amulets & charms!

More posts on amulets? Browse them all here!

Join the Jewellery List and receive new articles, jewellery news and more in your inbox!

—

References

[1] Read more about this find here with the Metropolitan Museum of Art

[2] See for block printed talismanic scrolls K. Schaefer 2022, The material nature of block printed amulets: what makes them amulets?

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.

THOBNA

THOBNA

by | Reviews

Palestinian dress research

THOBNA. Reclaiming Palestinian dresses in the diaspora

Published Dec 22, 2023

What power does a dress hold, personally, but also historically? Wafa Ghnaim’s second book THOBNA. Reclaiming Palestinian dresses in the diaspora investigates the memory of women through their dress. The result is a book that is personal and powerful, a study that sets a new standard for dress research.

The book 'Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver' shown with an Omani gold and silver necklace.

THOBNA: our dress

The title, THOBNA, means ‘our dress’. That reflects the viewpoint of this book: it is written by a Palestinian artist and scholar. In the introduction, Wafa shares her evolving points of view and understanding since Tatreez and Tea was published. THOBNA focuses on resistance embroidery in its historical and actual context.

Palestinian tatreez: flipping the perspective

THOBNA regards dress as living history (p. 37). The importance here is the realization that the woman creating and wearing the dress is central to its decoration and the story it shares. Tracing back embroidery only to its historic roots will only get you so far: it has always moved in sync with its people.

The first two chapters discuss that perspective. First, the dress is placed in the historical context of its people. In doing so, Wafa questions the usual method of describing dresses as ‘pre- or post 1948’, ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’. By following the wider context of the history of Palestinian people, she is able to identify a much more detailed development in dress styles, tied directly to circumstances and historical shifts.

Next, she traces the embroidery styles that have contributed to tatreez and dress as they exist today to deeper history in the wider geographical area of Southwest Asia. Discussing sources and the role that museums objects can play in this type of research, she then zooms in on dress styles from the 1850s onwards.

This is an incredibly important chapter to read. It blends together detailed experiences of reality after 1948 with artistic and resistance developments.

Dress research: ten portraits

Ten Palestinian dresses are analyzed in detail and serve as a sampler of how much more information may be learned from thorough dress study. In this chapter, Wafa identifies the maker of a dress as ‘Maker Once Known’ instead of ‘Unknown Artist’ – a beautiful way of flipping the perspective again, of acknowledging a maker whose name we no longer know, but whose story is preserved in her dress.

And there is so much to be decoded in these dresses. An example that resonated with me is a dress from the Gaza region (p. 71). It was altered several times, its changing fabrics indicating displacement and wear by different persons. Importantly here, Wafa includes the history of the dress during the time it was with its collector – these, too, may have altered dresses and as such obscuring parts of its Palestinian biography.

Tatreez: symbolism and colour by decade

As a result of her in-depth study, Wafa reflects on symbolism and shares her insights on how to date a thobe by its colour scheme. This latter chapter is very important for anyone studying dress, as it provides not only colour schemes per century and per region, but also explains how these came to be and how they remained associated with regional identities even after the 1948 depopulation of these regions.

The symbolism chapter in particular is another example of living history. For jewellery, I can’t stress enough that any given symbol may carry different meaning for different people in different timeframes. Symbolism is never static. For the meaning of patterns on a dress, THOBNA adds the crucial insight that these not only vary over time and geographically, but also per family. Every family has its own history, its own way of expressing, and that is reflected in the forms chosen. And that brings me to the value of knowledge and how we achieve it.

Knowledge: lived, learned, passed on

If I were to describe THOBNA in one word, it would be understanding of knowledge (okay, that’s three). Apart from knowledge of historical events, as outlined above, there is Elder knowledge or ancestral knowledge to incorporate in research. Tangible heritage is always accompanied by intangible heritage: stories, poems, songs, expressions and personal memories. But these are rarely included in research. even though they contribute a unique perspective on living heritage.

Knowledge comes, for cultural outsiders, also in the form of awareness. In the last three chapters, Wafa shares many detailed stitches, materials, how-to’s, patterns and their meaning with us, and guides us clearly and gently in how to respect these properly.

 

“May THOBNA provide an artistic means for you to study and learn about Palestinian resistance from our perspective”

THOBNA: integral dress research

Do not expect easy lists or clear-cut criteria in this book, although the thobe diagram, colour guides and patterns provided are very detailed. Rather, immerse yourself in the ever-evolving world of dress and its people. Studying THOBNA will allow you to develop a deeper understanding of the multifaceted world of Palestinian dress, as seen through the eyes of a Palestinian researcher and artist.

That is what makes this book stand out, too. It combines the perspectives of scholarly research, indigenous living heritage and the actual experience of the artist. It discusses dress from all these perspectives, and it does so in the past, present and future tense.

That is how it sets a new standard for dress research: there are so many details to take into account to properly reconstruct the narrative of the creators and wearers of dress that it needs all these perspectives, not just the art historical point of view.

If you are in any way involved in Palestinian dress, either as a curator or a collector, you will really want to read this book.

And now even more so, because THOBNA was published in the summer of 2023. On p. 91, we read:

‘THOBNA is a commitment to reclamation. Therefore, Chapter 9 focuses primarily on the patterns stitched during the First and Second Intifada, when Palestinian women used tatreez as an artistic expression worn on their bodies that held the world to account for turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians under Israeli occupation, reiterating their right of return and asserting their undeniable need for freedom.’

Since then, the truth in these words has become shockingly clear once again.

More information on THOBNA. Reclaiming Palestinian dresses in the diaspora.

Title: THOBNA. Reclaiming Palestinian dresses in the diaspora. By Wafa Ghnaim, 2023. 189 pages, full colour, in English.

Published by The Tatreez Institute, Washington D.C.

Available with the author and on Amazon.

More on Wafa’s work can be found here on the Tatreez and Tea website.

I received the book as thank you for the crowdfunding, which I am proud to have supported.

—

Where can I find more on traditional jewellery from Southwest Asia and North Africa?

More book reviews of books on personal adornment? Browse them all here!

Never miss a thing on jewellery news? Join the Jewellery List and find them in your inbox each month!

Looking for background information on your jewellery? Have a look at the courses – there’s so much available on the world of the jewellery from North Africa and the Middle East!

—

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.

Gold dinars at a glance

Gold dinars at a glance

by | Reviews

Un tresor en or: le dinar dans tous ses etats

Gold dinars from all sides

Published Dec 18, 2023

A small blog on a small book filled with treasure! The booklet ‘Un trésor en or – Le dinar dans tous ses États’, published by the Institut du Monde Arabe, is a lovely, and surprisingly complete, introduction into the field of gold dinars from the Islamic world. It’s primarily aimed at kids, but this slightly older kid enjoyed it, too!

Cover of the book Le dinar dans tous ses Etats

Gold dinars: the stories they hold

This tiny publication presents 428 gold dinars shown in the exhibition of the same name, held at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Spring 2023. In just 47 illustrated pages, it introduces the length and width of the world these coins represent. For example, did you know the word dinar is derived from the coin called denarius in Latin? I love these historical continuities.

The booklet explores where the gold for these coins came from, its preferred alloy, its shapes and inscriptions, but there is much more than that. Each spread in the book covers a different topic: Christian dinars, dinars with zodiac signs, calligraphy, names of sultans and caliphs…and let’s not forget dinars struck by women rulers.

It brings several useful introductory schematics, too: how to describe coins, a map with minting offices in the medieval Islamic world, and a very useful overview of all those dynasties and countries at a glance.

Gold dinars: a tiny treasure

Like I said, this is a very small booklet, but it covers much ground! Although it is primarily aimed at kids, I find it a very well executed example of introducing the span of stories a coin can share to a wider audience. It is accessible, abundantly illustrated, and informative: a tiny treasure in itself.

And that makes me look forward to the forthcoming publication of the coin collection in the Khalili Collections even more…!

More information on Un trésor en or – Le dinar dans tous ses États’

Title: Un trésor en or – Le dinar dans tous ses États’. 2023 47 pages, full colour, in French.

Published by the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA), Paris.

Available in the webshop of the IMA.

I purchased this booklet in the museum shop of the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris.

—

Where can I find more on traditional jewellery from Southwest Asia and North Africa?

More book reviews of jewellery books? Browse them all here!

Never miss a thing on jewellery news? Join the Jewellery List and find them in your inbox each month!

Looking for background information on your jewellery? Have a look at the courses – there’s so much available on the world of the jewellery from North Africa and the Middle East!

—

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.

Oman Adorned

Oman Adorned

by | Reviews

Omani silver jewellery

Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver

Published Dec 15, 2023

It’s a book that has been out for almost 30 years….Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver was published in 1997, but still is on the ‘most wanted’-list for many collectors. What is it about this book that makes it such a must-have, even though it has been out of print for decades?

The book 'Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver' shown with an Omani gold and silver necklace.

Oman Adorned: a hard to find book

I myself have been looking for this book for the better part of 12 years. And when I finally obtained a copy in 2023, I could not believe my luck! So, what’s the big deal about this book? Is it worth the hype?

I’d say: yes, it is. And that is not because I purchased it at a steep price and am now trying to convince myself, rather than anyone else, that it was worth it. (looking at you, new pair of overpriced shoes!) In all transparency, I hit the book jackpot for once, with a bookstore who did not realize the value of its contents for collectors and sold it at a very reasonable price.

Omani silver jewellery: an overview

Oman Adorned presents the silver jewellery tradition of Oman in three parts. These are geographically defined between Northern Oman, Central Oman and Southern Oman.

Where it truly excels, is in providing the cultural context and original names of things. And those names are not just given for the jewellery pieces themselves, but also often for its individual components: beads, dangles, coins…and even the sound some hollow anklets with small pebbles on the inside make is mentioned with its own name.

For each jewel, the book describes how and when it was worn. A large number of photographs shows what that looked like. The introductory chapter brings the history and geography of Oman, and throughout the book its various cultures are presented.

Detail of Dhofari silver jewellery from Oman.

Living Omani silver: trade, background and culture

On top of all this, all three parts of Oman Adorned include background information beyond the pieces themselves. There’s a chapter on silver jewellery for children, and jewellery in relation to the lives of women: how and when they obtain silver jewellery and why.

You’ll also find a chapter on silver jewellery and the Omani zar ceremony, the difference in jewellery and meaning between boys, men, girls and women, and chapters on trade and ownership. You’ll read how babies’ ears were pierced, how anklets added to the festivities of dance, how kohl was produced and hair was braided.

As such, Oman Adorned covers many more aspects of jewellery than just the ornamental. It discusses silver jewellery as ornament, as possession, as amulet, and as part of economic trade and household economy.

And that is what sets it aside from other books on jewellery: many of them present jewellery with only very little information, and this book places jewellery squarely in its cultural context.

Limits of Oman Adorned

As you see, this is a must-have book in its detailed descriptions and background information. And even this thorough work has its limits.

The book is extremely well-researched, but it is not complete. And it could never be, because jewellery is living heritage that changes along with its makers and wearers: creativity cannot be frozen in time, or in book pages for that matter.

As the authors themselves already write in their foreword, there is so much more on Omani adornment they did not get around to investigating. They also note the gaps in knowledge and jewellery as a result of collecting: a super important point that many other books do not address. See more about that here.

They describe this book as ‘a start’ – and if this is the start, you’ll get an idea of how much more is out there…! Incidentally, the wonderful research project on Omani silver carried out by several research partners is a fantastic follow-up: click here to read more about this exciting project! The Dhofari jewellery shown above was on display in the British Museum in the accompanying exhibition, celebrating Omani silversmithing.

Oman Adorned: how to get it

Now that is the most difficult part! The book has been out of print for decades, and getting your hands on a copy is no easy task. Of course, we all hope that we will run into a copy in that small charity shop, at the sale of the local library or in that huge bookshop with second-hand books…but those odds are slim. It does pop up irregularly online, but that is indeed a rare occasion.

Booksite Find More Books keeps track of online bookstores and other digital platforms. They cast their search net wide, and include results from (among others) AbeBooks, Amazon, Ebay and roughly 60,000 antiquarian book dealers. With the search results for your title, it also shows a graph where readers can see how the price of a book develops over time and how often it is offered for sale. The results for Oman Adorned are telling: it has not been seen online between 2016 and 2023.

Oman Adorned: what is a reasonable price for this book?

There is no easy answer to this one! Its current value is determined largely by its scarcity and lack of competition: it’s a rare book, and a very detailed one. Anyone can make a catalogue, let’s say, but this book goes above and beyond that.

But, if it were to be reprinted, and with such high demand I wonder why it hasn’t already, the value of existing copies would plummet. And imagine…if a new book on Omani silver were to be published, provided it matches the detail and knowledge in Oman Adorned, the price would decrease, too.

I suppose the consideration is not so much to see it as an investment. It rather depends on the balance between the value of knowledge and insight, and your budget. For me, this is an exceptionally good (actually indispensable) book to help me in identifying and studying Omani silver. But, although I have come across a few copies incidentally earlier, those outweighed my means. Simple as that.

So, I located it in a library, and went there whenever I needed to look something up. Worldcat is a great resource for locating titles in libraries, but… here as well, it’s a rare title.

Are you looking for a copy of Oman Adorned? Set search alerts online, with your local bookstore, and…keep looking! It may take time, but if I found one, there is hope for you, too.

Do you own a copy that you wish to sell? Contact me and I’ll help you get in touch with people who would treasure it. Again, in all transparency: I will not be selling it for you – I will simply provide guidance on how to find a buyer who truly appreciates it.

Oman Adorned: an exceptional book

Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver is not just a phenomenal book in its wide variety of jewellery types, but very much also because of its rich and detailed social, historical and cultural context. This book is way more than a catalogue of things: it truly is a portrait of this beautiful country as seen through its jewellery.

More information on Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver

Title: Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver. By Dr. Miranda Morris & Pauline Shelton, 1997. 362 pages, full colour, in English.

Published by Apex Publishing, Muscat 7 London.

I purchased this book in a second-hand bookstore online.

—

Where can I find more on traditional jewellery from Southwest Asia and North Africa?

More book reviews of jewellery books? Browse them all here!

Never miss a thing on jewellery news? Join the Jewellery List and find them in your inbox each month!

Looking for background information on your jewellery? Have a look at the courses – there’s so much available on the world of the jewellery from North Africa and the Middle East!

—

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.

Tuareg silver&carnelian ring

Tuareg silver&carnelian ring

by | Objects

Treasures of the Sahara

Tuareg silver rings with carnelian

Published Dec 13, 2023

You have probably seen them often: those beautiful silver Tuareg rings with a big, glowing, pointy carnelian. They make formidable jewels, but what are they called? Who wore these rings? And are they actual finger rings? I mean, doesn’t that carnelian break…?

A set of 9 Tuareg silver and carnelian rings.

Tuareg silver rings with a pointy carnelian: where are they from?

Like any other culture, the Tuareg are not a single group. They consist of many tribes, who inhabit a vast area across the Sahara: from North African countries such as Algeria, Tunisia and Libya to sub-Saharan countries as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. [1]

The silver rings with a carnelian likely find their origin in Mali, according to Burner. [2] Over time, their use spread to other regions of the Sahara as well. The rings in the photo above (click on it to enlarge it) were all sourced in Mali.

Tuareg rings with carnelian: what are they called?

Names of things are notoriously varied in living cultures who are spread over a wide region. These rings, too, go by different names.

First, they are called simply what they are: a ring, or tassandert in Tamasheq. That name is the basic name for the category they belong to. In the north, notably in the Hoggar in Algeria, but in adjacent northern Mali as well, the basic name for ring is tiseq (sometimes also spelled tisek). [3] Another word for ring is shisandar.

This ring with the pointy carnelian in particular resembles another form of jewellery called tanfuk. Because of this similarity, these rings also go by the name of tanfuk – even though they are a different thing. [4]

And finally, another name for these particular rings hints at how they are worn: tassandert ‘n zakat means ‘ring-pendant’. And I know you probably have been wondering how to wear a ring with a huge spikey carnelian and still go about your daily business…so let’s get into that next!

Three silver and agate rings from the Tuareg.
Four Tuareg rings with translucent green glass.

Are those Tuareg rings worn on the finger?

Yes – and no! (by now, you did not really expect a straightforward answer, did you…?) These ornaments can be worn in a variety of ways, and that makes them so interesting.

They are worn on the fingers by both women and men. There is no strict placement on the fingers, although the ring finger is preferred, but they can be worn on any other finger.

Apart from finger rings, you will also find these strung on a leather cord and worn around the neck. That is more often the case in women’s dress. Usually, this will be in combination with other pendants: they can flank amulet cases (tcherot), appear strung together with beads, tanfuk or zinder pendants as well as with the famous variety of ‘crosses’. You’ll see photos of these in the gallery below: click on the photos to enlarge them.

And they appear braided into the hair as well! [5] As with all living heritage, the decision how to wear it is up to the wearers themselves. There are no strict ‘rules’ when it comes to these Tuareg rings: their use is varied by design. These are very versatile ornaments!

" Rings are versatile: they can be worn in many ways"

How to tell the difference between finger rings and pendants?

You might be thinking ‘So how do I know if a ring is meant to be worn on the finger, or as a pendant?‘ Burner gives us a first clue: when the ring itself is either super tiny, or super large, this indicates it is not meant to be worn on the finger. [6]

Usually, the rings with a smaller carnelian are suitable to be worn on the fingers. Examples of these are shown in the photographs above – click on the images to enlarge them. In these rings, you will see the silver setting has worn smooth, as has the pointy tip of the carnelian itself. In everyday life, the ring has rubbed against clothing, bags, tents, hair….and it has gained a smooth wear as a result. But take note: expecially these smaller ones are very suitable to wear braided into the hair, too.

The huge carnelians with serrated sides and sharp points, as shown in the first image with this post (click on the photo to enlarge it) are more likely to be worn as a pendant. Here, you will notice more wear on the inner band, where the continuous movement on a string has left its mark. The carnelian itself feels sharp to the touch (look for the edges in particular).

Tuareg rings with glass and carnelian, paired with Tuareg zinder pendants

Carnelian: its meaning for the Tuareg

The use of carnelian, as well as other agates, is also meaningful. It has a strong protective aspect. As in many other cultures, carnelian is associated with blood and life through its colour. [7]

Many of these rings are set with red glass instead of carnelian. That does not make them any less valuable or real: red glass is often used as a substitute, that has become an equally valid material. See more about how that works, and how we look at jewellery, here.

And from glass, it is a small step to green glass imitating green agates. The colour of greenery and growth carries deep meaning in a desert environment.

Tuareg silver and carnelian rings: living heritage

So, as you see, the names as well as the uses of this particular type of Tuareg ring vary over time, and geographically. For Tuareg craftsmen and wearers of today, they may carry different meaning depending on who you ask. And that is a very important thing to bear in mind.

Because as Seligman has shown, the meaning attributed to symbols and shapes among Tuareg craftsmen changed significantly over the course of two generations. [8] That is because jewellery is never static. These rings represent a living, breathing, changing culture in their many shapes, forms and names: a sparkling testimony of the beauty and resilience of Tuareg culture!

—

Explore the world of jewellery in more detail in the e-courses!

More posts on jewellery pieces in detail? Browse them all here!

Join the Jewellery List and receive new articles, jewellery news and more in your inbox!

—

References

[1] See the work of Michel Vallet for a great overview, with maps.

[2] Burner, J. 2011. Bijoux Touaregs. Editions du Fournel, p. 271.

[3] Burner, J. 2011. Bijoux Touaregs. Editions du Fournel, p. 260.

[4] Burner, J. 2011. Bijoux Touaregs. Editions du Fournel, p. 271.

[5] Vaudour, C. 2019. Les Tenues des Touaregs. Fonds documentaire de Michel Vallet, p. 260-261.

[6] Burner, J. 2011. Bijoux Touaregs. Editions du Fournel, p. 271.

[7] See Seligman, T. & K. Loughran (eds) 2006. Art of Being Tuareg. Sahara Nomads in a Modern World, p. 184 for Tuareg jewellery in particular, and my own book Desert Silver for an overview of amulets and colour symbolism.

[8] Seligman, T. & K. Loughran (eds) 2006. Art of Being Tuareg. Sahara Nomads in a Modern World, p. 222-223.

 

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.