Jewellery clasps

Jewellery clasps

by | European jewellery, Reviews

A reference work on jewellery design

Clasps: 4,000 years of fasteners in jewellery

Every now and then I come across a book of which I think ‘How did I not know of this book before?!’ and this little book is one of those. Le Fermoir en Bijouterie, or in English, Clasps, devotes almost 300 pages to one of the most overlooked parts of jewellery: the way it closes.

Silver bracelet made by Tuful Ramadan, in the exhibition 'Making their Mark: women silversmiths from Oman' in the British Museum

Clasps in jewellery: 4,000 years of history

This book covers the use of clasps and other ways of fastening jewellery from the distant past to our times. From the Bronze Age to jewellery designs of our time, the author covers a multitude of ways to close necklaces, bracelets and anklets. You will see how torcs work, how anklets hinge, illustrated by a dazzling variety of jewellery. That includes a necklace worn by Marjorie Merriwather Post for example, but also a few examples of regional jewellery from Europe and the rest of the world.

This is 4,000 years of history, but apart from ancient Egypt and a lovely excursion to jewellery types of other areas, the focus is firmly on European jewellery: clasps like those of Maghrebi fibulas, or sliding knots from Indian jewellery are not included. That is not criticism, as this book covers an incredible amount of material – I think I’m just really hoping for a Part 2!

Clasps in close-up: photography and drawings

Another thing which makes this a great reference book are the detailed photographs of clasps. The beautiful pieces of jewellery are not only shown in their entirety, but also with focus on the details of the clasp. That means that you’ll see a lot of images of jewellery pieces both closed and open, and with details of that part you never see when worn: its reverse side.

Detailed schematic drawings throughout the book highlight closing mechanisms where necessary. The last part, the glossary of clasps, presents an overview of 25 types of closing mechanisms in chronological order. Each type is accompanied by a schematic drawing of its function. And all of these are shown in use, too, as part of a jewel.

The book features hundreds of pieces of jewellery, dating from prehistory to high-end jewellery of our day and age. You will see museum pieces from archaeological museums as well as contemporary designs and everything in between: think Etruscan gold to Van Cleef and Arpels.

I loved to see the intricacy and clever design of jewellery closing devices throughout history. And because they are presented in such a wide time range, this book allows you to appreciate the originality and creativity that jewellery designers managed to come up with, time and again. A clasp can be part of the design itself, the eye-catching element in the centre or the invisible, innovative solution to wearing a jewel safely and securely.

Clasps to study and understand

This is a wonderfully illustrated book which both jewellery historians and jewellery designers will love. It presents a wide overview of types of clasps and it offers a gorgeous selection of jewellery to admire. Many of which you will see photographed in this detail of their closing mechanism for the first time! This really helps in understanding how a jewel is constructed, or, when you’re admiring a painting or an old photograph, to get some idea on how a jewel is worn. A lot of work went into compiling this book, and I am sure you will appreciate this encyclopaedic overview. For me, this is definitely a reference book that I will pull out often!

More information on Le Fermoir en Bijouterie/Clasps

French title: Le Fermoir en Bijouterie. 4000 ans d’histoires.

English title: Clasps. 4,000 years of fasteners in jewellery.

By Anna Tabakhova, 2019. 283 pages, full colour, in either French or English.

Published by Editions Terracol: click here for the English version, and click here for the French version.

Available with the publisher, online and in well-sorted bookstores.

I purchased the French book in the museum shop of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

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

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

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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!

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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.

Making their mark

Making their mark

by | Museums & Exhibitions

Women silversmiths from Oman

Making their mark

Oman is home to a long history of silversmithing. And like in so many parts of the world, traditional jewellery started to be worn less from the 1960s and 70s onwards. Much of it was sold off, and replaced with gold jewellery. As a result, knowledge of the craft and workmanship in creating traditional jewellery dwindled as well. The exposition ‘Making their Mark: women silversmiths from Oman’ in the British Museum highlights a revival in traditional silversmithing. And not any revival: this silversmithing is done by women, researched by women, and presented by women.

Silver bracelet made by Tuful Ramadan, in the exhibition 'Making their Mark: women silversmiths from Oman' in the British Museum

Silversmithing: voices of creators

Central to the exhibition is the work of three female silversmiths. It is not often we get the opportunity to hear from craftspeople themselves, as most research focuses on the wearers. But what of the people who created and made the jewellery? The research project has carried out numerous interviews over several years. The three silversmiths in this exhibition represent three generations: Tuful Ramadan was born in 1949, and sadly passed away in 2021, Mahfouda al-Balushi was born in 1965, and Fatma al-Najjar is from 1992.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Fatma in person at the museum, where she shared her personal experiences and journey in becoming the gifted jewellery designer she is today. While she is still on the path of becoming a silversmith herself, she already designs jewellery with her own brand RAHINA for wearers of today, drawing inspiration from the long history of Omani silver jewellery.

The exhibition shows a pair of earrings and a belt she designed, and when we met, she was wearing a pair of gorgeous, playful silver earrings that jingled along as we made our way through the museum.

For Tuful, picking up the skills of silversmithing was partly family business (she married into a family of silversmithing), and partly out of necessity: after her husband died when she was in her twenties, creating and selling silver jewellery formed her income.

Her passion for the craft resulted in her being awarded several prizes, and the quote printed on the wall reveals how she regarded herself as a woman silversmith; ‘Accuracy is in a woman’s nature. A man also works well, but women are known for making delicate objects’. And indeed, the bracelet in the exhibition is made of dainty, delicate, and incredibly precise chainwork: I loved it.

Mahfouda creates silver attributes and accessories for men. She learned the craft from her father, and designed the most beautiful leather belts for silver daggers (khanjar) that Omani men wear on festive occasions. All of these are made by hand, as are the sheaths and handles of the daggers themselves.

You can hear and see the personal histories of these women, too: the exhibition includes videos of all three silversmiths. A mannequin dressed in dress and silver jewellery from Dhofar provides reference to traditional jewellery all three silversmiths draw their inspiration from; I included an image at the bottom of this post, so keep on reading!

An in-depth look at jewellery: the power of science

The exhibition does more than just showcase jewellery, though. What I found particularly exciting is the scientific research that was part and parcel of this project from the start. Fatma and I were shown around the museum labs by Dr. Aude Mongiatti, where we could see with our own eyes which huge research potential beyond the stylistic and art historian scientific analyses have to offer (and you know I’m always up for looking at jewellery in context!).

Silver earrings created by Fatma al Najjar of RAHINA jewellery, Oman.

Looking at jewellery through a microscope reveals the variety in techniques applied by the silversmiths, and looking beyond the surface of an object tells us more about the composition of the silver and the way it has been handled. With three generations of silversmiths and the museum’s own collection, this opens up exciting new avenues to see how techniques were passed on, developed and adapted over the course of time.

For me personally, this was an eye-opener in terms of research questions I did not even know I had. Of course I am aware of scientific research methods in general, but when it comes to practical uses my technical savvy goes as far as successfully operating a microwave. Having an actual scientist show me in great detail which possibilities exist, and how these may increase our understanding of objects, was mind-blowing and incredibly inspiring!

Making their mark: jewellery research

The exhibition itself is relatively small, but do not be fooled by the size of the room alone. There is a world of generational knowledge, scientific research and heritage in here. The project itself is also run by women, who each bring their own expertise to the table.

Dr. Aude Mongiatti is a scientist, Moza Sulaiman al-Wardi is in charge of the Oman Across Ages Museum in Oman, Marcia Stegath Dorr has decades of experience in Omani heritage, and Dr. Fahmida Suleman is a specialist in ethnography and Islamic art and culture. Together with the silversmiths, they set out to approach the silver heritage of Oman from all avenues: from the molecular to the emotional, from the economic to the meaningful. And in doing so, I believe they set a new standard for ethnographic jewellery research.

This project is a brilliant crossover between museum jewellery and living jewellery, between scholars, scientists and creators, between institutions and communities, between the past and the future. It illustrates how jewellery is never static and may hold different meanings for different people over time.

The title ‘Making their mark’ may be more aptly chosen than the makers realized, and I hope to see many more of collaborations like these in the future!

Detail of Dhofari silver jewellery from Oman.

Where to find more on the exhibition ‘Making their mark: women silversmiths from Oman’?

The exhibition is on show in the British Museum until December 17, 2023. More information can be found on the museum’s website here.

An online talk on this project is available on the YouTube-channel of the British-Omani Society here.

I visited the exhibition on November 2 on my own initiative, without being required to write this blog: I just love sharing something good when I see it!

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

More on traditional jewellery from Southwest Asia and North Africa? Browse the jewellery blog 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 you love!

—

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.

What is ‘real’ jewellery?

What is ‘real’ jewellery?

by | Opinion

Value and authenticity

What is ‘real’ jewellery?

Updated Jan 8, 2024

A recurring question I get is whether a piece of ethnic jewellery is ‘real’. Usually, that does not refer to its use, but to the components used: shouldn’t this be coral instead of glass? Why does this necklace include plastic? And the reasoning behind that, in turn, is that glass and plastic are cheaper, economically speaking, and thus of lesser importance. But economic value is not always the main factor in determining whether a piece of jewellery is ‘real’.

Value of jewellery: supply and demand

Economically speaking, the age-old law of supply and demand dictates value. The discovery of new sources or changes in demand can significantly impact the value of a given material. When demand exceeds supply, prices rise, and materials become more highly regarded. Those are the basics.

Anything that people want and is in short supply, is valuable, whether it is Hermès bags or diamonds. Both of these are kept in short supply artificially: there’s a limited number of bags made and the diamond supply is actually vast, but carefully guarded. [1] So, from that point of view, components in jewellery that are readily available (and thus cheaper) are less valuable.

Value of jewellery: peer pressure

There is also the matter of what we want that has a serious impact on how certain materials are regarded. We may not only want something because it is rare, but we may also really want something because we see other people, who we’d like to associate ourselves with, wear or own that something. (basically, that is what influencer marketing is all about)

Take the decline in silver jewellery in North Africa and Southwest Asia after the 1960s for example. When oil was discovered in the Gulf, this new field of work created a huge amount of jobs for migrant workers from across the region.

Those workers returned home with new values and new ideas on how to express wealth, as they had seen during their stay abroad: gold. Silver jewellery was regarded as old-fashioned and was massively sold off to buy new, gold jewellery.

Value of jewellery: new technologies

Technological developments also have a significant impact on the choice of material, and this is where notions of value begin to get blurry.

A great example from Europe is strass jewellery. Strass, also known as rhinestone or paste, is nowadays often looked down upon. It’s not a ‘real’ gem, it is literally glass that is treated to look like a real gem. Many people associate strass with glitzy gaudiness, maybe with cheap jewellery, and perhaps even with bad taste.

But the fascinating thing is that when strass was just invented (by a Mr. Stras, in the 18th century), it was actually held in high esteem. It was not thought of as a mere substitute, it was the real deal in and of itself and up until the 1820s was considered as actual high-end jewellery art. [2]

The same holds true for the use of bakelite in traditional jewellery of North Africa and Southwest Asia, as I have written about here. It may look like a cheap substitute for coral to us today, but back in its own day this was the height of innovation.

Value of jewellery: more than economics

So you see how the blurring of the line between natural and synthetic materials challenges traditional notions of value, and more precisely, how it illustrates that we should consider materials not just from an economic point of view. Equally important are their own cultural context and their own timeframe.

Because when we observe jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia in its own cultural context, and sometimes even in its local geographical context, we see a different notion of value.

Value of jewellery: cultural and spiritual value

Materials and components that we would consider insignificant based on their economic value are strung alongside gold, pearls, coral and other precious materials. Apparently, these components carry the same level of meaning.

Red plastic beads can happily sit next to coral beads because they are both reddish in colour. Aluminium is the material of choice for anklets worn by ritual specialists in Sudan, and iron is the only material that will keep jinn away (why? find out here!). Teeth, thorns, pebbles, pieces of bone and other such materials need to be sourced in a very particular place that is believed to be imbued with magical capacities (see more about that here): they are set in silver or gold with the same care extended to actual gemstones.

Economically worthless materials may hold great value – they are real

‘Real’ elements in jewellery do not have to be the most expensive ones, but somehow, that is how we have come to look upon them. If a piece of jewellery holds components of a ‘lesser’ economic value, we question the entire piece.

And of course, we should always be aware of reproductions or imitations designed to dupe: I wrote down 5 tips to help you recognize reproductions here. But when we look at jewellery in its cultural context, the choice of materials may reveal a lot about personal, local and societal preferences. And that in itself is more valuable than an arrangement of ‘perfect’ elements could ever offer!

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Where to find more on the cultural values of jewellery…?

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 you love!

More tips on collection management and research? Check this free resource or download the e-book!

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References

[1] You will enjoy Aja Raden’s book Stoned, which dives into the value of precious materials. Be advised though that it contains a number of historical, factual inaccuracies – but the line of reasoning is fascinating.

[2] P. von Trott zu Stolz 1982, Stras. Simili-Diamantschmuck des 18. Jh., p. 113. Antique paste jewellery is getting expensive these days, too.

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.

UNESCO 1970

UNESCO 1970

by | Tips for collectors

collecting jewellery

UNESCO 1970: what does it mean for me?

Updated Jan 4, 2024

You may have heard of it: ‘UNESCO 1970’. But what is that exactly, and what does it mean for owning, buying and selling of traditional jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia? In this article, I’ll walk you through the main aspects.

Disclaimer up front: as I am a jewellery historian, this is not to be taken as legal advice. What I aim to do here, is give you a starting point to make your own informed choices. Just to be clear about that!

Also, this article may not be what you’d like to hear: there are collectors who find all these laws and rules annoying. But here’s the thing: we may not like them, but they exist anyhow, and more importantly: they may affect the future of your collection. So let’s dive into this convention!

What is UNESCO 1970?

First some details. ‘UNESCO 1970’s full name is the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. [1] It was adopted in 1970 by the members of the United Nations. Its aim is, as the title suggests, to prevent the illegal trade in cultural heritage.

After the Second World War, it became increasingly clear that cultural heritage was looted and sold for profit on a massive scale, as a result of which many cultural treasures left their countries of origin.

And that is not just statues and sculptures and paintings and frescoes: jewellery is a favourite, too. It’s portable, valuable and almost guaranteed to have a buyer.

‘Okay,’ I hear you thinking, ‘but that is about ancient jewellery. Mine is max a hundred years old, give or take, and it is still being sold today!’ You’d be right, and I’ll get to that in a bit – where it concerns antiques, not antiquities, is where it gets interesting.

Is UNESCO 1970 law or legally binding for collectors of jewellery?

No, it is not: it is a convention. Up until now, a little over 100 member states of the United Nations have ratified the convention, meaning they explicitly undersign its goal.

That still does not make it law: every country has different ways of embedding the goals of the convention into their own national legislation on heritage and its import and export.

And these laws are binding for collectors and dealers of traditional Middle Eastern jewellery.

Here lies an important criterion in general, so pay attention to the next few lines: this is where miscommunication occurs every so often.

You will sometimes find advice stating that anything exported before 1970 (the date of the convention) is presumed legal. That is too simple.

It ignores the existing laws of the countries of both export and import. Let that sink in for a moment: there may be laws in the country your jewellery comes from, that predate UNESCO 1970.

Egypt is a perfect example of what I mean. Egypt already legally prohibited the export of antiquities without written approval in 1912, and revised that law in 1951.

Proving an antiquity left Egypt legally therefore requires establishing a chain of provenance dating all the way back to 1912. Looking at you, ‘mummy beads’ and ancient amulets – luckily, the majority of these is fake.

So, always check both your local legislation and the laws of the country you are exporting something from. For vintage jewellery these laws may not matter much yet, but please note that they do for antiquities – I strongly advise against buying antiquities without solid proof of legal provenance.

What does UNESCO 1970 mean for collectors of traditional jewellery?

Under most legislation [2], exporting and importing jewellery of 50 – 100 years old is completely legal. [3] It has not been looted or stolen: jewellery like this has been sold in large numbers from the 1960s onwards, and in some cases even earlier. It was readily available, and continues to be sold internationally today.

It also does not qualify as an antiquity or as an antique – yet. Items that are 100 years or older however, may fall under legislation for antiques.

I want to buy traditional jewellery: what do I need to check in advance?

I would advise to start by informing yourself about legislation in the country you are importing jewellery into.

This includes the definition of an antique (this varies from 100 to 250 years depending on where you are – most traditional jewellery is younger, but remember a piece from the 1920s is now over 100 years old).

Other factors to inform yourself about are

  • the threshold value above which import taxes apply;
  • If an export license from the country of origin is required;
  • Verification that the seller is compliant with export laws of the country it is coming from.

Obviously, this also requires a sound and truthful description of the item you’re interested in: reputable sellers will be able to provide you with parallels and references for an item on which its age is determined.

I know it sounds lovely when a piece of jewellery is from the 19th century, but check if it really is, and if so, if you can actually import it – it may be an antique under the law.

When it’s you yourself buying jewellery in another country and bringing it home with you, informing yourself about both export and import legislation falls to you.

[I can’t stress this enough, so taking another moment to repeat myself: buying archaeological jewellery in another country really is a no-no. You can’t export that without an official license, and the penalties on trafficking illegal antiquities can be severe.]

And finally, keep the receipts and any documentation – imagine your heirs would want to sell or donate a piece in say, 50 years or so: by then, most of your pieces will have become antiques. Your heirs will be needing solid proof you aquired these legally.

So I can buy vintage Middle Eastern jewellery and comply with UNESCO 1970?

Yes, as far as UNESCO 1970 goes you can buy that bracelet or necklace perfectly well, as long as you duly pay your import taxes and ensure you are compliant with legislation on antiques, if the item qualifies as such.

But… UNESCO 1970 is not the only international convention that affects the trade in traditional jewellery. There are the CITES regulations as well as ethics to be taken into account, too, which I will go into next!

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Never miss a thing on jewellery discoveries? 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 you love!

More tips on collection management? Check this free resource or download the e-book!

—

References

[1] See more about the convention here: https://en.unesco.org/fighttrafficking/1970

[2] Most, not all. Uzbekistan has strict export laws, for example, and buying old jewellery (or old anything, actually, including household appliances) is a legal no-no. These laws are actively enforced, too: I have had my luggage inspected on several border crossings.

[3] Please take note that this does not apply to antiquities. ‘Excavated’ beads, ‘Neolithic’ beads etc for example are antiquities!

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.

Photography: 5 tips

Photography: 5 tips

by | Tips for collectors

how-to tips

Quick photography of ethnic jewellery: 5 tips

Updated Jan 8, 2024

So, you’re in a shop or a souk, surrounded by jewellery, and you’d love to make a few reference snaps? Or sitting at home, staring at your collection and wondering where on earth to begin…? How to take good photographs of ethnic jewellery with your smartphone?

Here are 5 tips to make good photos with your smartphone, whether it be if you plan on documenting your collection or to add a few reference images to your photo library!

1) Photographing ethnic jewellery: use a plain, neutral background

That should not be a total surprise – but you’d be surprised to see how many people photograph jewellery against a printed background!

Choose a clean and uncluttered background that won’t distract from the jewellery itself. A plain white or black background often works well, but actually any dark, deep colour works, as long as it allows the jewellery to stand out.

How to do that on the go? This is where your trusty scarf comes in (a useful accessory, anyway!): it does not matter much if it is wrinkled, enough contrast will allow editing programs like Canva to remove the background. It will have to be a plain scarf though, a busy paisley-print is not what you’re looking for.

Bonus tip: a black, plain scarf also works miracles in museums, to block the reflection of lighting on the showcase. For this, you will need a travel companion to hold up the scarf behind you as you photograph the showcase. Be prepared to meet with more than a few puzzled glances, but it works!

2) Make your jewels shine: use natural light or soft lighting

Natural light is ideal for capturing the true colors and details of the jewellery. Position your setup near a window or use diffused artificial lighting to avoid harsh shadows and reflections.

Obviously, there is only so much you can do in a shop, but asking to see a piece near the door or a window will already improve the light.

Very Important Bonus Tip: check if you are not in between the light source and the object. In other words: when your phone (or your head) casts a shadow over the object, the resulting photo will be less than stellar. By which I mean: bad.

3) Photographing ethnic jewellery: use a tripod if you can

To ensure sharp and clear images, use a tripod to stabilize your phone. There are nifty tripods for smartphones available that fit into your handbag.

If you don’t own one of these, create an improvised setup with whatever is at hand: I have placed my phone on top of larger bracelets, coffee tables, or a stack of books. Anything that allows you to keep the phone steady does the trick.

4) The best ethnic jewellery shots? Don’t forget to take close-ups!

Jewellery is often intricate, so it’s important to get close-up shots that highlight the details, like hallmarks, filigree, enamel, or perhaps even cracks and dents. For this, you’ll need a tripod or other form of stabilizor.

Bonus tip: photograph the backside, too. Even if it is plain and boring.

You’ll never know when it may come in handy – I have had to fly out to Vienna to check the reverse side of jewellery items because someone forgot to photograph them…

5) Use an indicator of scale to tell bracelets from rings

This can be a proper scale, of course, or a simple ruler. If you find yourself without such a useful device (they fit in your wallet), take something else of a known size: your businesscard, a coin, your lipstick…

Place it close enough to relate to the jewel you’re photographing, but leave some space to edit it out if you’d like to use your photos later.

This is seriously essential: sometimes I get asked to identify a piece of jewellery from a photo, and I can’t for the life of me figure out whether I’m looking at a bracelet or a ring. (I suppose that may be the single advantage of the paisley motif on your scarf under tip number 1 above – but still, it’s not enough to use it)

And finally…

Remember to always ask permission first before whipping out your phone to photograph!

Some shops may have restrictions or guidelines in place for photography, so make sure to respect their policies.

That also goes for exhibitors at a jewellery fair or other pop-up location. I usually also specify what I want to use the photos for: ‘study purposes’ is something else than ‘I’ll be sharing your jewellery with nearly 20,000 people on social media, is that ok?’ (for most it is, if you clearly credit them – but not for everyone!).

All of this is of course very different from professional photography (see more about that here), but with these quick tips you can photograph jewellery on a basic, but absolutely very useful level!

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Never miss a thing on jewellery discoveries? 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 you love!

More tips on collection management? Check this free resource or download the e-book!

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.