Omani silver taswira amulets: fertility and protective jewellery

by dr. Sigrid van Roode | Magic & Amulets

Rare amulets from Oman

Omani silver taswira amulets

Updated October 2, 2025

Bringing you super rare amulet pendants from Oman! Among the many forms of Omani jewellery, there is one type that stands out for both its rarity and meaning: the silver taswira amulet. These small, human-shaped pendants are not just ornaments. They were believed to help women conceive and to protect children from harm. Taswira amulets today are seldom seen, making them all the more intriguing for anyone studying or collecting traditional Omani jewellery. In this post, part of my series on amulets & charms in Middle Eastern jewellery, we’ll look at what these amulets are, what they meant, and how they were worn.

Photocollage of a vintage photo of a Baluch Lady from Muscat and the Muscat cityscape, made by Sigrid van Roode

**Omani taswira ornaments:** what are they?

These small, human-shaped pendants are called taswira. [1] They are quite rare: already in 2000, Forster mentions them as ‘unique’. [2] They seem to have been worn throughout northern Oman, and are executed in different regional styles. Pendants from the area of Nizwa are recognizable by their little arms, but a comprehensive regional study still needs to be carried out. [3]

Their name means ‘image’, and as you see, they represent a human form with heavy hips and belly. In two cases in the above image, it’s only the legs and hips that form the amulet.

Fertility and protection: the meaning of taswira amulets

So, what are these for? As with many amulets, they can be used for several purposes: they would be worn by women wanting to become mothers as well as by small children. The shape of the amulet accommodates both: the heavy hips and belly feature in fertility symbols around the world, and the tiny figure fits a tiny human.

Protecting children has always been incredibly important, and so these amulets in the shape of stylized human forms have been cherished deeply.⁠

A silver hair clip from Oman, called halqa

**How taswira amulets** were worn in Oman

Morris and Shelton note that they were worn strung onto a rod, with a red bead on either side: a characteristic style of Oman. [4] But that is not the only way these pendants were worn.

They could also be strung onto a short necklace, along with a few silver and coral beads. Forster shows such a necklace which also holds a few silver beads, a perfume bottle stopper set in silver, and a piece of horn. [5] You’ll see examples of these indvidual components in the image above.

Very importantly, she also mentions that these necklaces do not follow a set design: as I have written about earlier, the composition of a necklace is not set in stone. A woman would string these pendants with whatever materials she felt would enhance its efficacy.

Interestingly, similar added pendants would be worn by children. As child mortality rates used to be high, children all over the world are often seen wearing amulets of one type or another. In Oman, small amulets of teeth, horn, bone, coral etc would be worn, strung on a necklace alongside a small silver amulet container.

Children would wear the taswira around their neck, but also braided into their hair [6]: another way in which hair and amulets are closely connected.

**Omani taswira amulets as** tangible symbols of love and care

These amulets are unique to Oman, and nowadays are quite rare. They are still very little researched, and it would be great to compile an overview of all these currently in collections, with their collection history, any notes taken and provenance, and so to learn more about them!

And as with all forms of amulets, I love how they share the universal hope of being safe and protected. ⁠

**Omani taswira amulets:** a universal sentiment

These silver pendants, whether strung on rods with beads, braided into hair, or worn as necklaces, carried the hopes of fertility, safety, and long life. They show how deeply jewellery was tied to the most human of concerns: the well-being of family and children. Though rare, their presence in collections today allows us to trace the continuity of belief and practice across Oman’s jewellery traditions. Taswira amulets may be small, but their cultural weight is immense!

Frequently Asked Questions about Omani silver taswira amulets

What is a taswira amulet in Omani jewellery?
A taswira is a small, human-shaped silver pendant from Oman, believed to offer fertility and protection.

Why are Omani taswira amulets considered rare?
They are not often seen in old photographs or old collections, and few examples survive today, making them rare cultural artefacts.

How were taswira amulets worn in Oman?
They could be strung on rods with beads, worn as necklaces with coral and silver, or even braided into children’s hair.

What was the purpose of taswira amulets?
They were believed to help women conceive and to protect children from harm, reflecting universal hopes of safety and life.

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References

[1] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 107.

[2] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 127.

[3] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 107.

[4] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 107.

[5] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 47-48.

[6] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 107.

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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.

Restringing ethnic jewellery

by dr. Sigrid van Roode | Tips for collectors

ethnic necklaces

Restringing ethnic jewellery

Published Jan 19, 2024

‘This necklace is on its original stringing’ is something you may read in jewellery descriptions. But what does ‘original stringing’ mean? In this article, I’ll zoom in on stringing and restringing: it’s cultural context and 5 practical points to inspect when checking for restringing.

Ethnic jewellery: the many lives of necklaces

What I love about ethnic jewellery is that these jewellery pieces lived. They were part and parcel of everyday life, they moved along with their wearers, they bumped into other things, they got dented, banged up, damaged.

Take a necklace, for example. It may have been gifted to a bride on her wedding day, or assembled from treasured beads by a girl. It was worn on festive occasions or maybe every day, it was seen, admired and cherished.

And at one point during its long life, it broke. The thread snapped, perhaps after a sharp edge of a bead had chafed at it relentlessly, or simply because years of wear finally made it give way.⁠

It was repaired, and at that point may have been embellished: another silver bead added because finances had been good, maybe another amber bead found its way in the composition as well…

And there you have it: a second incarnation of the same necklace. Rinse and repeat: one necklace may have been repaired or changed countless times.⁠

An antique Kabyle necklace with coral and silver pendants

Close-up of a spectacular Amazigh Berber necklace from the Draa Valley in Morocco, showing its abundance in coral, amber and trade beads

Restringing ethnic jewellery: a part of life

Now this applies to straightforward, single strand necklaces, but also to beaded necklaces with multiple strands, lots of beads, silver amulets strewn in between…pieces like these would eventually break, once or several times, and be repaired.

That is for example visible in the Kabyle necklace in the gallery above. Clicking it will enlarge the image. It is still on an original stringing as the wearer had intended it, but upon closer inspection, the pendants are not all of the same age. Some have lost all their enamel, while others still have it; some have become smoothly worn, while others look more crisp. This necklace has been restrung at least once, in which a different selection of pendants was made.

Necklaces might also intentionally have been taken apart to be restrung with newly acquired beads, or to be divided up into smaller necklaces for children.⁠

The point is that a piece you see *today* is not necessarily the same as when it was first created. Jewels were altered over time, adapted, improved, taken apart, made smaller…altering ethnic jewellery is a regular practice.

A heavy silver Omani somt necklace with Maria Theresia Thalers

A gorgeous heavy silver somt necklace from Oman

Restringing ethnic jewellery: an example from Oman

A great example are these two necklaces from Oman: click the photos above to see both necklaces.

The first necklace is an older one that is still on its last stringing. The thick hemp rope has darkened over time, the knot at the closure is frayed, and the dirt is also visible between and underneath the beads. A trick often used to make a necklace look old, is to darken its stringing. Looking between and underneath the beads may help assert if it actually has been worn, or that it just looks that way.

The second necklace is on a clean rope. You also see how the necklace is closed in a very different way: the two ends have been stitched together. It is much younger: this piece was a gift to a foreign teacher in the 1980s. Her Omani students wanted to present her with a parting gift, and financed this necklace together. The teacher never wore it, but instead treasured it at home.

Both are on original stringing, but one has not been worn as intensively as the other. And what is more: necklaces like these were restrung from time to time, too. [1] When the rope would get too stained or dirty, or new beads or pendants were added, the necklace would be restrung in its entirety.

Glinting Maria Theresia Thalers in a silversmith's workshop, Amman

Old silver jewellery in Cairo's Khan el Khalili

Restringing ethnic jewellery: materials

This continuous stringing and restringing also means that it is perfectly possible for new materials to sit next to older ones. It’s not uncommon to find plastic beads added to coral, or to see newer coin pendants find their way into a necklace of older ones. As the photos above show (click to enlarge them), you will find bits and pieces of older jewellery lying around in just about every workshop from Marrakech to Cairo and beyond.

Because of these elements, the necklace forms a biography of the culture of its wearers. Who were they in contact with, who did they trade with, what materials made an appearance? Nylon fishing line, for example, has been in use since the 1960s to string necklaces with – it’s not necessarily a sign of modern stringing.

And that brings me to another aspect of restringing: the composition of a necklace.

Restringing ethnic jewellery: composition

There is, generally speaking, a set of standards within a culture as to what a necklace is supposed to look like. It’s a ‘type’ of necklace that is specific to a particular group, tribe, region etc. The individual components may vary, but the overall lay-out remains the same.

Over time, these compositions change, too: fashion will always play a part in how ethnic necklaces are created. The next generation always wants to do things a little differently, and these changes are visible in small or large details.

Looking at old photographs can be very helpful here (bearing in mind the complications these may bring – read more about that here). Looking at jewellery that has with certainty been collected before a particular date, or that has been in a family for generations, is also very helpful (you did not really think you were getting an article without me pointing out the importance of provenance, did you…?).

Restringing ethnic jewellery: our coloured view

So, the jewellery that we see, is the end result of years of threads breaking, fashions changing, beads bought, silver traded for cash, new elements acquired, dividing up larger necklace among kids…there is a depth of life behind these that is just amazing.

But these last incarnations are the ones that get published in jewellery books, shown in exhibitions and presented online. And that is often when they ‘freeze’: they are taken out of their living context, shown as beautiful objects in their own right, and become the main sources for studying jewellery.

The last composition we see, can’t readily be used to unequivocally establish that this is how a piece of jewellery always is ‘supposed’ to look. ⁠Not on the level of ‘but there are supposed to be three blue beads here’, anyway. But what they are very useful for, is establishing what the predilections of the time were, what the overall design is and which materials were in use.

Restringing ethnic jewellery: how is a piece presented to you?

By now, I suppose it will be clear that restringing is standard practice. But I’m guessing that is not what you want to know…because ‘original stringing’ often is connected to a form of authenticity. ‘This is the real deal’, that sort of thing. A restrung necklace however, can be just as real.

The thing to be aware of is how a necklace is presented to you. I have seen pieces presented as ‘19^th century on original stringing’, but including beads that did not exist in the 19^th century.

There is a fine line between original restringing, and modern compositions made to look old. What you really want to know, is the difference between the two.

Restringing ethnic jewellery: how to check for restringing

Restringing is the norm, not the exception. But how to see if you’re looking at an actually old piece, or a new one made to look original? Here are five tips:

1 – You will need to be aware of styles and types worn by the particular people the piece is from, and the timeframe it is supposed to be from. There’s no escaping that. Look at the overall composition carefully;

2 – Next, zoom in and see if the individual materials used match with that timeframe. Again, it’s not uncommon, for example, for plastic beads to find their way into an incarnation of a necklace, but when this is presented to you as ’19th century, never altered’ that is cause for concern;

3 – Zoom in a little further and check if the thread has been artificially aged: inspect the space between the beads and in the bead openings. Do note however that when a necklace is densely strung, the thread may remain cleaner than the rest;

4- Inspect the closure. This is often altered over time to allow for easier wearing. Here again, it helps to be aware of how these pieces were fastened. A loop-and-knot/bead/coin closure can be, but is not always the original way of fastening a necklace (and please remember that nothing is easier to pick up a stray coin to use – coins do not automatically date a piece of jewellery). S-hooks almost always indicate restringing.

5- Read the description carefully, if it concerns a necklace on offer. Does it say ‘in the style of’ or ‘based on’ or ‘composed of’? That indicates restringing or even a design creation by the seller.

And there is nothing wrong with that, by the way! In fact, all of my ethnic Dutch necklaces have been restrung, for example – I don’t want them to break when I wear them. Also the replacement of closures with S-hooks is nothing dramatic, and in fact adapts the necklace to a new stage in its life where it is wearable again.

Just as long as one is transparent about what is simply restringing, and what is altering (or even designing) the composition itself.

Restringing ethnic jewellery: living jewellery

Jewellery is not frozen in time, but grows old with us, and like us, changes appearances along the way. We see its last identity as it were, and it’s up to us to be aware there have been multiple lives before that!⁠ Restringing is normal. In that light I would suggest to replace ‘on original stringing’ with ‘on an original stringing‘ – it does do more justice to the many lives a necklace has had.

This article will continue with an article on how to spot alterations in ethnic jewellery, and an article on what to think of before you start restringing necklaces that are still on an original stringing – stay tuned!

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References

[1] This practice was shared with me by mrs. Alix Normandeau.

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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.

Omani silver braid ornaments

by dr. Sigrid van Roode | Objects

Hair jewellery from Oman

Omani silver braid ornaments

Published Jan 15, 2024

A look at braid ornaments from Oman today! There is a wealth or hair- and head ornaments from Oman, and in this article, I will focus only two of those: the braid ornament called halqa, and the braid ornaments known as athaqil. How were they worn? What is the meaning of these silver hair ornaments? And there’s a particular use of these you may not expect…!

Omani braid ornaments: the halqa plait ornament

In the Interior of Oman, a large round ornament was worn in the hair. It looks like a large circle in silver, with a T-shaped division in the centre. These were woven into the hair itself. Imagine a series of long, fine braids, which were kept together by an artificial plait of goat’s hair. That would have been woven through horizontally, also passing through the silver hair ornament. [1]

Omani silver braid ornaments: the halqa clip

Smaller versions of this ornament were not worked into the braids themselves, but attached to their ends, like a clip. [2] These usually are decorated with an image of the crescent moon and a large single star. Because of the pin on their reverse, they were also worn as brooches: the image above shows a woman wearing such a clip on her dress, closing the collar. These are multifunctional items!

A set of five silver athaqil hair ornaments, Oman

Omani braid ornaments: athaqil pendants

Another way of adorning plaits was by attaching small ornaments to their ends. This was a tradition Dhofar, in southern Oman. These ornaments are called athqul, or athaqil in the plural. [3] You will know them in silver, but they also existed in simpler forms such as leather with cowrie shells or entirely beaded forms. [4]

So how were these worn? They were not attached to the braids directly, but suspended on black woolen cords that were then plaited along with the braid itself. [5]

According to Morris and Shelton, the number of silver braid ornaments differed with who was wearing them: unmarried girls would wear them in sets of 6, and married women in sets of 8 or even 10. [6] That number is often repeated in literature, but Ruth Hawley mentions 20 years earlier that girls would wear a set of 10 pendants. [7]

I believe the number of ornaments may not have been based primarily on the wearers’ married or unmarried status, but rather on the financial means of her family. For married women, this amount of extra silver was also part of their own savings’ account.

Braid ornaments as amulets

Braid ornaments carry meaning as amulets, too. That is because of their decoration and execution, but also because of their close association with hair itself.

First, the placement of these braid ornaments is important. They hang on the back of the wearer. This is a vulnerable place, because how will you know a jinn is not attacking you from behind? Many cultures adorn the back of a person to protect them from unseen attackers, and that is one of the purposes these Omani braid ornaments serve.

The silver plait-clips often carry the motif of the crescent with a star. This is in itself a very old symbol that predates Islam: click here to read more about its origins and almost forgotten meaning. Oman is famous for its elegant floral decoration, and this is something you will find on plait clips, too. [8]

The colours of the beads you will sometimes find strung in with these hair ornaments, also carries meaning. [9] Blue and red are the main colours to keep evil spirits away, coral is an often-used material as it brings wisdom and blessing, and of course is red of itself, too.

The athaqil may have had another capacity that has long since vanished, and that is the power of smell. They were stuffed to keep the silver from damaging [10]: as these ornaments are hollow, they might end up dented. But that stuffing sometimes was soaked in scented substances: as such, it would keep evil at a distance. [11]

And of course, all of these jingled! So you see how these hair ornaments are layered with meaning, and that meaning may even be present in different forms of jewellery. Let’s go into that next!

An Omani silver veil ornament called sils

Silver body chain manjad with a veil ornament attached

Braid ornaments as part of other Omani jewellery

An interesting use of pendants used as hair jewellery or veil jewellery is their attachment to the body chain known as manjad. This is a lengthy, silver chain that was worn across the body, from the shoulder to opposite hip. At its end, so dangling on or just above the hip, is a pendant as counterweight: it pulls the chain down and keeps it in place.

And that pendant is often one of the pendants you would wear in your hair, or on your veil. See an example in the gallery above where a veil ornament called sils has been attached to the chain. They also exist with a single athgul attached to the chain [12]

Now the thing is that this body chain was worn beneath the clothes. Its upper part was partly visible as necklines used to be much lower [13], but the lower part with the added hair ornament would be invisible. It was only worn by married women, and most authors suspect that it may have something to do with fertility. [14]

They did not note the recurring addition of hair ornaments, though, but I think this reinforces the suggestion of this chain as an amulet.

A selection of Omani silver hair ornaments

The afterlife of Omani silver braid ornaments

Like everywhere in the world, traditional dress and jewellery change over time. In Oman, significant changes in dress and jewellery appeared around the 1970s. Hair jewellery such as the athaqil and the halqa were no longer worn in the hair. Instead, they were repurposed into jewellery that could still be worn.

The hair clips in particular are very often repurposed into pendants. An example is in the gallery above: click to enlarge the photo. The halqa on the upper left has been reworked into a necklace. It continues to be a beautiful piece of adornment, but in a different way.

The athaqil, too, were repurposed. You may find them as pendants on a necklace, a practice noted in 2000. [15]

Omani silver braid ornaments: a living heritage

These braid ornaments formed an important part of the distinction between girls and married woman, as outlined in this article on the many roles ethnic jewellery can have. Today, they are much sought-after collectable items. Many expats who lived in Oman during the 70s and 80s brought these braid ornaments home with them: the set of athaqil I showed you in this post, belonged to Shirley Black-Temple. Ornaments like these continue to be worn on national holidays and festive occasions, and are used in new designs by Omani silversmiths and designers. They are pieces with a long history, ready for a long future.

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References

[1] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 66; R. Hawley 1978. Omani Silver, a book without page numbering (why, publisher, why??), but this on the page that starts the section on Hair Decorations. She adds that these were worn in places such as Bahla and Jabrin. J.S. Rahab 1997. Silver Jewellery of Oman, p. 24 also mentions Bahla and Jabrin, but it’s not clear if this is her own observation or that she is citing Hawley.

[2] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 66; M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 129 for a photo.

[3] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 234.

[4] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 312-313.

[5] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 234.

[6] R. Hawley 1978. Omani Silver. This is on the second-last page.

[7] See an example in the British Museum collection here.

[8] See an example in P. Hoesli 2023, Shine & Mystery. The Splendour and Power of Oriental Jewellery, p. 132.

[9] See my book Desert Silver or the Amulets-course for an introduction of colours and materials as amulets.

[10] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 234.

[11] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 67. See my book Silver & Frankincense or the Scents of the Middle East-course for more about this practice.

[12] J.S. Rahab 1997. Silver Jewellery of Oman, p. 34 for an example with an athgul.

[13] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 263.

[14] R. Hawley 1978, Omani Silver. Again, as this book has no page numbering, I can only tell you it’s on the page that starts the section on Dhofari Silver, near the end of the book. M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 264. A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 92.

[15] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 67.

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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.

Oman Adorned

by dr. Sigrid van Roode | 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.

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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.

Bedouin jewellery: Intro

by dr. Sigrid van Roode | Cultures & People

What is Bedouin jewellery

Bedouin jewellery: an introduction

Published Nov 25, 2023

‘Bedouin jewellery’ and ‘Bedouin silver’ are among the search terms most used for traditional jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia. That is even where this blog gets its name from! But what is Bedouin jewellery, exactly?

Who are the Bedouin?

Before we can look into Bedouin jewellery, we’ll need to get a grasp of who the Bedouin are. The word Bedouin comes from the Arabic Badawi, which means ‘of the desert’. That is a referral to their nomadic origins, and distinguishes them from sedentary people who lived near water and greenery. Those nomadic origins are reflected in the wide area the Bedouin live in today. You might think of the Arab Peninsula first, and you would be right, but Bedouin tribes live from Morocco to Iraq.

The backbone of Bedouin society is their tribal structure. That is not just an organizational structure, but also one with geographical reach. A tribe consists of many clans, made up by families, and levels of kinship are important. The space in which a tribe lives, is also recognized as their land: its borders are known and follow natural boundaries such as wadis, rivers or mountain ranges. [1]

That regional aspect of Bedouin life clashes regularly with modern state authorities.[2] The map shown below for example is from 1908 and shows the Bedouin tribes living in Southwest Asia. You see how the dwelling area of tribes can be quite large and extends across borders as we know them today.

Map from 1908 showing the Bedouin tribes in the Sinai, Palestine and Arab Peninsula.

What is Bedouin jewellery?

Unsurprisingly, Bedouin jewellery is the jewellery worn by Bedouin tribes. That might seem like a total no-brainer, but today you will find many pieces of jewellery described as ‘Bedouin’ which really are not! The word ‘Bedouin’ has become almost a synonym for jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia in general, and as such is at the verge of losing all meaning itself.

So, in order to recognize Bedouin jewellery, looking at the people that used these items is important. In other words: the answer to what Bedouin jewellery is, depends very much on which Bedouin you’re talking about. The jewellery of Omani Bedouin looks very different from that of Palestinian Bedouin, which in turn has nothing in common with Maghrebi Bedouin. But: they all share designs, motifs and workmanship with the other cultures of the geographical area they live in. And that reflects their history.

A faceveil from Palestinian/Egyptian Bedouin, showing coins.

Spendid Rashayda dress and silver jewellery.

Bedouin jewellery: history

The history of those many Bedouin tribes is visible in their jewellery. Jewellery and adornment show who they were in contact with. The coins on Palestinian and Egyptian Bedouin face veils present a beautiful economic overview of the people and societies they traded with. An example is shown in the gallery above: click on the image to enlarge it. Veils will have old Ottoman coins, Palestinian Mandate period coins, Russian coins and later on Israeli shekels: the changes of the political landscape the Bedouin live in, is recorded in their adornment.

The heavy face veils of the Rashayda Bedouin in Ethiopia, Sudan and Eritrea are reminiscent of those of the Rashayda tribe in Saudi Arabia: the Rashayda migrated from the Arab Peninsula about a century ago. Because of the close proximity of the Arab Peninsula, across the Red Sea, Rashayda jewellery still show similarities on both sides. An example is shown in the gallery above: click on the image to enlarge it.

A much earlier migration is that of the Maghrebi Bedouin tribes, who moved into North Africa in the Middle Ages, with the Arab expansion. The best-known Bedouin tribe living in the Maghreb are the Banu Hilal, but, for example, also the Ouled Nail and the Awlad Ali are descendants of Bedouin tribes from the Arab Peninsula. Their jewellery shows much more similarity to that of their Amazigh neighbours (although that relationship has often been a difficult one) than that of the Arab Peninsula. An example is shown in the gallery below.

A Ouled Nail Bedouin woman and silver bracelets.

Bedouin jewellery: a kaleidoscope of styles

This short exploration into Bedouin tribes across the Middle East and North Africa has shown how wide and varied this world is. There is no single style of ‘Bedouin jewellery’, and the term certainly does not apply to any and all traditional jewellery from the Middle East. It is not exclusive to jewellery from the Arab Peninsula, either: Bedouin tribes live in a very large region. I will be adding details in the Cultures & People-section of this blog gradually, so do check back regularly or subscribe to the Jewellery List to receive updates in your inbox!

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References

[1] Weir, S. 2007. A Tribal Order. Politics and Law in the Mountains of Yemen. British Museum, p. 92-93.

[2] Westheimer, R. & G. Sedan 2009. Shifting Sands. Bedouin Women at the Crossroads. Lantern Books, New York describes the consequences for Bedouin women in Israel.

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.

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